11th November: Singles Day

Singles Day is a Chinese holiday observed every year on November 11th. The day was created to celebrate being single.

China has a population of 1.4 billion people, making it the most populous country in the world. One of China’s greatest demographic challenges is the imbalance of genders. About 118 boys are born for every 100 girls. Another reason for the huge gender imbalance is due to China’s one-child policy. The policy was enforced for over 3 decades. Boys were valued more than girls. As a result, 37 million Chinese girls were either aborted, abandoned, or killed.

The gender disparity has helped to create a culture of bachelors in China. Some of these bachelors chose to embrace singlehood and hence, Singles Day was created. Since Singles Day was created by men, it is also referred to as Bachelors Day. Today, however, both men and women celebrate the day.