Single and proud of it – how being single may actually be a great thing?

Are you fed up with all those happy couples around you? Tired of hearing your grandma/uncle/cousin continuously ask you with a mischievous wink "When's the wedding then? ". If only they could understand that living alone doesn't have to be miserable. That independence by choice or by a twist of fate has also its good sides: doing what you want when you want ...

If only for just one day everyone was bragging about the benefits of solo living and not looking down on singles ... We have good news for you, this day already exists. November 11th (11/11), officially known as the International Singles’ Day, is celebrated in more and more countries every year. It’s also the biggest and most lucrative online shopping holiday in the world.

How it all started

The origins of Singles' Day date back to the mid-1990s in China. Let's take a look at the context: the country follows the fairly restrictive family planning policy to the letter and the disparity in numbers between the two genders is becoming more and more visible. With more boys than girls, there are many who sadly contemplate the “fate” of spending their lives alone.

Until this day in 1993 at the Nanjing University, when 4 young students, single of course, decided to break away from the gloom surrounding their relationship status and stop lamenting about their partnerless lives. Instead, they offer to proudly celebrate their independence and self-love in bars, karaoke, and restaurants.

The date of the event, November 11th, wasn’t randomly chosen. The bare stick symbolizing the number one, guānggùn, means also in Chinese slang a dry branch, a single man who doesn’t marry and thus doesn’t add any branches to the family tree. Rather creepy metaphor, don't you think?

Very quickly the concept spread throughout the university and beyond, and become increasingly popular within the Chinese population. Although at the beginning it concerned only male students, as its initial name “Bachelor’s Day” suggests, today it’s celebrated by both sexes and all ages.

The traditional activities for celebrating Singles’ Day are numerous:

• Taking yourself to a restaurant or a movie,
• Spending an evening with other single friends,
• Going on a date and intentionally ruin it (or not …)
• But also spoiling yourself with products that you wouldn’t have bought otherwise ...

Ironically, although originally the date was meant to celebrate singlehood, thanks to the parties organized on that day, Singles’ Day became a wonderful opportunity to break with celibacy. Even more, it got very popular as a perfect wedding day. In 2011 in Beijing over 4000 couples got married on this particular day..

Alibaba steps in ...

In 2009 the CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, scents a golden opportunity. He offers very attractive sales intended especially for singles. An example? The "boyfriend" pillow ... The self-mockery is taken to the extreme.

"Boyfriend" pillow" - source Amazon

Nevertheless, it works. In 2012 Singles Day surpasses Cyber ​​Monday and Alibaba trademarks this event as "11.11 Shopping Festival". In 2017, the record for the number of transactions recorded per second (256,000!) is hit by the Alipay mobile wallet application. In 2018, the event surpasses the Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday combined… And it continues.

As more people join in the celebration of this holiday, Singles Day has become an annual, global event of exclusive discounts and offers. Many brands like Amazon, Apple, HP, Addidas, Nike, Adobe, or ASOS have decided to follow the example of the Chinese giant. The same is true for luxury brands like Dior, Giorgio Armani, Cartier, or Givenchy. In fact, Joe Snyder Europe is joining the festivities for the first time this year.

Wondering the reason behind this incredible commercial success? It is quite simple (apart from the size of the Chinese market at the start of course): Alibaba has bet on the “self-care” idea - products that do you good. Isn’t it what we all want - to feel better?

And besides the commercial part, what remains of the tradition?

Despite the commercialization of Singles Day, the broad outlines of the holiday remain the same. Here are some of our ideas :

• Celebrate self-love and independence,
• Focus on yourself - go to the movies, or to the fancy restaurant on the corner,
• Organize a dinner with your single friends and don't use the forbidden words: wedding, date, etc. throughout the evening
• If you feel like it’s time to break the spell - sign up with an online dating website
• Our favorite: write an appreciation list. What do you love about yourself? Your muscles? Your way of making spaghetti bolognese? Your attitude with your friends and family?

Be inspired and inspiring for others. You are the hero of the day. As the old saying goes, before loving others we must learn to love ourselves ...

Happy Singles’ Day!

Sources : 
Wikipedia 
www.daysoftheyear.com 
nationaltoday.com