Are you unlovable? A proud single person? A lone wolf?
Thankfully, there’s a holiday for you. November 11th (11/11) was chosen as the date for Singles’ Day for the four numerals to resemble your singleness. The holiday originated in China from the number 1 referred to as a “bare stick,” an unkind name for an unmarried man whose family tree is branchless. 11/11 rather than some like combination of January or the first of the month was chosen to provide further emphasis on the solitude of singles, together on one side of the date but, unfortunately, not really together. It is now the biggest shopping day of the year.
To add further insult to insult, since the birth of the holiday it has been slowly taken over as a celebration for couples. Rather than celebrate being single, for some couples it has turned in to Valentine’s Day pt. 2 and, with a backwards kind of logic, an ideal wedding date.
Though the holiday still has its roots in China, it is now celebrated in many countries all over the world including Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, and, recently, the United States.
Students being one of the largest demographic of singles, it only makes sense that the holiday originated on a college campus. If you’re a student this Singles’ Day, celebrate with your lonesome compatriots and let ScholarTrip assist you with some retail therapy.
