Today, 11/11, is Singles Day or Guanggun Jie.  The name derives from the four “1”s from the date that represent an individual that is alone.

Singles Day celebrates being single and is celebrated with other singles and is very popular with young Chinese.

Tracing its roots to 1993, the original celebrations were held at a number of universities in the Nanjing area of China.  The students took this celebration with them when they finished at the universities and entering the workforce across the country.  The day was further popularized by the expansion of the internet in China.

Seizing an opportunity, retails began to promote the idea of giving gifts to oneself as part of the festivities.  Alibaba trademarked the term “double eleven” as part of their sales promotion.  In 2015, Singles Day sales set a record for on-line sales at $14.32 billion.