'Ultimate Single's Day' Celebrated In China On 11-11-11

November 11, 2011 is surely a special day for many.

While thousands get hitched this day in the U.S., on the other side of the world, the youngsters in China are celebrating what they call the "Ultimate Single's Day Of the Century."

According to XinHua News in China, Single's Day is a Chinese pop culture holiday on November 11, which was created for people who are still living a single life. Started by students from a college in Nan Jing, China, in the 1990s, the date was selected in observation of its four solitary digits: 11-11. The festival this Friday is referred to as the ultimate Single's Day because the year also ends with 11.

The Single's Day falls on November 11 every year. Many young and single Chinese celebrate the day with their single friends by going out to have a splendid meal, going to bars and clubs, watching romantic comedy movies, or, just making fun of their "Not-Single" friends.

Many Chinese online shopping websites are also offering discounts to make this day even more special. Taobao.com, the most popular online shopping website in China, celebrated the Ultimate Single's Day by having one of the biggest online sales in its history.

According to China Daily, Taobao.com made over 900 million yuan ($142 million) on November 11 last year. So, it's not hard to imagine how big of a sale they are having during this year's ultimate Single's Day.

"I don't even know what's going on. I woke up at 9 this morning and everything was already gone," said Yang Chen, a Chinese student who originally thought she was going to snatch some good deals on Taobao.com.

A movie named "Love Is Not Blind" also targeted this day and many Chinese singles agree it is the "Ultimate" movie for singles. The movie was based on a popular romantic online novel.

According to China Daily News, a shopping mall in ShenYang, LiaoNing Province has put up six 10-feet-tall bare sticks in front of its gate, which looks like the date 11-11-11. Employees working at the mall have been asked to dress like a fuzzy bear. Holding inflatable hammers, the "bears" will attack couples who show intimacy in public on behalf of single people. The couples attacked will receive presents later.

However, despite the fact that many people celebrate this day as a festival for the singles, it is also a popular date for Chinese couples to tie the knot, as a lot of them believe this is a date that stands for "the special one", "the one and only."

While others are celebrating, there is also a group of people in China who feel pressured to find someone special on this day. In this case, many businesses offer speed dating services, or blind date parties for those who are desperately wanting to end their single lives on the Ultimate Single's Day.

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