一年一度的光棍節(jié)馬上就要來臨啦，你準(zhǔn)備好了嗎？今年是2011年，又多了兩根小棍子，號(hào)稱史上最牛光棍節(jié)——“神棍節(jié)”。而神奇的是，搜索“光棍節(jié)”，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)中國(guó)是唯一一個(gè)慶祝“單身”的國(guó)家。

Singles' Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles' Day because the date consists of four "ones". Each one symbolizes an individual who is standing alone.
光棍節(jié)發(fā)源于90年代的江蘇省會(huì)南京的各所大學(xué)，光棍節(jié)定于11月11日是由于這一天的日期由四個(gè)“一”組成。每個(gè)“一”都暗示了一個(gè)單身的人。

These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths.
這批大學(xué)生畢業(yè)后就把學(xué)校的傳統(tǒng)帶到了社會(huì)中，自此光棍節(jié)流行于潮男潮女年輕人中間。

The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it's important that each person pay their own way to show their independence. People also hold "blind date" parties in an attempt to bid goodbye to their single lives.
慶祝光棍節(jié)的常見的方式是朋友聚會(huì)，也有些人會(huì)在這天舉辦相親聚會(huì)，以借機(jī)告別單身生活。但不管怎樣，最重要的是在這一天秀出自己的獨(dú)立個(gè)性。

For breakfast on Singles' Day, singles often eat four deep-fried dough sticks representing the four "ones" in "11.11" and one steamed stuffed bun representing the middle dot.
廣大單身男女早餐通常會(huì)吃四根油條和一個(gè)包子來紀(jì)念這一特殊日子。

Some singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day: many attend "blind date" parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning "single", the four "nes" of the date can also mean "only one" as in "the only one for me". Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only "one" in their heart.
而很多人選擇在這天告別單身生活。有的人在這天參加相親聚會(huì)；有的選擇在這天結(jié)婚，因?yàn)樗膫€(gè)“一”同樣代表著“你是我的唯一”；還有的會(huì)在這天來一個(gè)“真情流露”。

Here's one way a lady can get married without becoming a couple. Marry herself. That's what a young Taiwan woman has done in 2010. She's getting plenty of letters of support, too, from other women who don't want to get married to someone they don't like just because their parents are pressuring them.
現(xiàn)在還有一種新方法告別單身，沒有新郎也能結(jié)婚——和自己結(jié)婚。2010年，一位臺(tái)灣女士就這么干了。而這一舉動(dòng)受到了許多女性朋友的來信支持，她們不想和不愛的人結(jié)婚卻飽受家人逼婚之苦。

現(xiàn)在，單身節(jié)不僅僅是單身人群顯示自立自強(qiáng)的日子，也是情侶們真心告白的好時(shí)機(jī)，不管是不是單身，都要把這天過得精彩~ So, what is your plan for the Singles' Day?