Singles day is celebrated in China. The Chinese culture is traditionally big on the significance of numbers, and the date of “11/11” evokes the concept of “single-ness” (the words “singluarity” and “unity” have been appropriated for rather different concepts).
Single people in China use this day to show their pride in being single, or at least that they are not ashamed of it, but mostly it has turned into a major on-line shopping day like Black Friday in the West, but bigger.
Single career people, of course, tend to have disposable income, and as a result you’d think the concept might spread to the West, but we are still deeply invested in the idea that there is something wrong with being unmarried… even while we’re making it the only rational choice for more and more people. I’m not sure that retailers are prepared to tackle that potential cultural backlash even for another buying holiday.
– Robert the Wombat