光棍节你打算怎么过？

　　进入11月，让人想起的第一个节日便是11月11日的单身节，也是人们口中笑称的“光棍节”。这个节日虽然不是什么法定节假日，却是广泛流传、盛行在年轻人之间，它并不像其他节日那么隆重，而更多的是在这冬日里给了大家一个新的兴奋点，在这一天，你可以尽情地为了自己的单身生活而狂欢，也可以为告别单身找一个好的良辰吉日。

单身节的来历

单身节又称“光棍节”，很多人都会好奇地关心一下它的起源，关于“光棍节”的起源有很多种说法，但它却不像“情人节”、“七夕节”、“端午节”一样有一个历史悠久的传说，而广为认可的一种是说它起源于上世纪90年代的一种高校校园的趣味文化，因为这一天日期里有四个阿拉伯数字“1”犹如四根棍子，而光棍在中文有单身的意思，所以这个日子便被定为“光棍节”(One's Day)，没有哪一天比11月11日更形象的了。这个另类的节日，在年轻人当中快速传播，而随着大龄剩男、剩女人数日益增多，这也逐渐形成了一种单身文化。

单身狂欢VS告别单身

随着80后逐渐成为社会中坚力量，80后不愿意为了结婚而结婚，更多的则是希望找到一个可以相知相伴的伴侣，追求高质量婚姻生活。越优秀越单身也就成了新一代的社会风潮，如今各种单身情歌、单身俱乐部、相亲节目等层出不穷，这也足以体现单身队伍之庞大。但是单身并非意味着是自身条件差或者是一种危机问题，它成为个人的一种价值趋向，一种生活选择，年轻人渴望爱情的一种热烈表达。所以在单身节这一天，人们为自己的单身自由而庆祝，也同时在向世人宣布：“我目前是单身，我期待着一份浪漫的邂逅，一段美妙的感情。”以积极、乐观向上的一种态度在向往一段感情的到来。

11月11日这一天，除了很多单身的朋友会三五一群的出来聚会庆祝“光棍节”外，这个特别的日子也被赋予了另一个含义，即告别单身。两个“1”凑一起便是一双，很多人在这一天或是鼓足勇气和心爱的人告白、或是将这一天作为永久的结婚纪念日，将婚礼定在这一天，不知何时这个略带“幽怨”的一天变成一个充满喜庆的日子。

还依稀记得2011年11月11日这一天，大家更笑称它为超级光棍节，或是“神棍节”，满城的热闹景象，犹如为寒意十足的深秋带来了一股“暖气流”，今年，就让我们继续狂欢，约上朋友们或喝酒谈心，或K歌泡吧，或狂欢购物，Let'sgo!

□ 趣闻

“光棍节”国外怎么过

当中国年轻人忙着在光棍节“脱光”之际，其他国家则因习俗和历史背景差异而对这个特殊日子有着不同的解读。如今，全球已经启动单身模式。英国结婚人数已跌至近150年来最低；法国每三户人就有一户是单身；德国柏林独身人口达到54%；日本30-34岁男青年未婚率为47.1%，女青年为32%；韩国正式宣布进入“单身全盛时代”……

韩国“黑色情人节”穿黑衣吃黑食

每年的2月14日，韩国人也庆祝情人节，女方送礼物给心仪的男方。但4月14日“黑色情人节”却是韩国所特有的节日，民间将14日定为“黑色情人节”，那些在2月14日和3月14日没送出或得到礼物的“光棍们”在这一天一起吃炸酱面，庆祝他们的单身生活，彼此安慰。另外，11月11日在韩国还是家喻户晓的“甜蜜日”，又称“巧克力棒节”，情侣们会在这天互相赠送一种细长的巧克力饼干零食。该节日虽然不是官方指定，但意义接近于西方的情人节。

美国9月第三周是“全国单身周”

远在地球另一边，由美国俄亥俄州的单身联盟发起，用来庆祝自己的单身生活，并承认他们对社会的贡献。美国有将近9660万的单身，其中54%的单身是女性。每年9月的第三周是“全国单身周”。此外，很多美国人选择在10月1日离婚，回归单身生活。因此，也有很多美国人将10月1日称为美国的“单身节”。

英国单身要交“单身税”

英国最近的一项研究表明，单身者一年的支出要比已婚者多出5000英镑，单身独居一生的人要比已婚的人多花25万英镑，这也被戏称为“单身税”，自由也是要付出代价的。

澳大利亚鼓励“光棍”追求真爱

澳大利亚的很多单身女性都受过高等教育，拥有高收入，她们将生活重心更多地放在工作上，直到有所建树才会考虑建立严肃的婚姻关系。但同时，调查也显示，此时男人们却更乐意找一个年轻的、教育程度不高的女性为伴。

笑谈

1月1日是小光棍节，1月11日和11月1日是中光棍节，而11月11日由于有4个1，所以被称为大光棍节，一般光棍节则指11月11日的大光棍节。带11尾年份的11月11日是超级光棍节，例如2011年11月11日。

Chinese Singles' Day is coming up (November 11, 1111) and lots of activities involve dating。

The single life - love it or hate it.[File photo]

When Tan Wenying divorced her husband at the age of 35, she didn't expect that she would be living alone for the next five decades。

"I have no children, it's difficult to describe what I have undergone these years," says the 85-year-old Shanghai native. "There is no one I can turn to, and everything depends on myself。

"The night especially gets longer when I think about spending my remaining days on a 2,000-yuan (US$320) monthly pension. Miserable days for a lonely elder!" she adds。

In Tan's day, there were not too many solo dwellers (du ju zhe) in China, since traditional culture places a high value on big connected families, which dominate the fabric and customs of the country。

But after the nation adopted the opening-up policy in the early 1980s and since it has been increasingly exposed to Western culture, more and more people today are living alone, whether by choice or by circumstance。

According to market research firm Euromonitor International, the number of people living alone globally is skyrocketing, rising from about 153 million in 1996 to 277 million in 2011, a 55-percent increase in 15 years。

"My wife died two years ago, and now I live alone," says Xu Huaiyu, a retired professor in his 70s. "I have a son with his own family. He wants me to live with them, but I refuse. It's clear that the living habits and values of the young and the old are widely different. I don't want to get involved."

Xu says he has his own plan. "When I get older, I may go to a nursing home. Some of my friends suggested a new marriage, but I have seen too many family conflicts on TV shows. The relationship between stepchildren, my inheritance and savings, my apartment - it's all too complicated. I am now an old man, what I want is a peaceful life."

For many elderly people living alone, insecurity and an uncertain future are their biggest concern。

Although his son takes his granddaughter to visit him every Saturday, Xu still feels lonely most of the time. He misses his deceased wife. "But I have to adapt and I have a small dog that at least will make some noise."

He has hired an ayi to help with chores by the hour. "I have heard disturbing stories about nursing homes," he says, "so living alone like this is my only choice. After all, everyone has to die, of course, without a companion."

But Christine Liu, a 38-year-old HR manager for an international company, enjoys living alone。

"I am one of the so-called sheng nu or 'left-over ladies' - good looking, with good pay and good taste," she says. Six years ago, she bought herself a small apartment downtown to escape her smothering parents. She's busy in her spare time, taking tea break with friends, practicing Chinese painting, doing yoga, having spa treatments and traveling "whenever and wherever I like."

"Some of my friends with children envy me because I am a free person without any ties. If I said I never felt lonely, that would be a lie, and I do have some weak moments, but I get used to them and work it out," Liu says。

She appears younger and more fashionable than many of her peers. Her life mirrors the Chinese saying, "If one person is satiate/full/satisfied, the whole family is not hungry."

She spends a lot of time and money on herself to convince herself "that I still can live better than others."

Thomas Wu, a 38-year-old financial consultant at an auditing firm, is a so-called "diamond bachelor" meaning that he's a handsome single man with a decent job and a high salary。