Double 11: What is China's Singles Day, how is it celebrated?

Black Friday? No. Cyber Monday? Nope. Prime Day? Absolutely not. The world's biggest shopping event happens in China each year, and is called Singles Day.

- CASEY HALL

A delivery worker rides a motorcycle overloaded with packages in Shanghai yesterday, during China's annual Singles Day shopping festival.

(BLOOMBERG)

Originally a holiday to celebrate being single, as a counter to Valentine's Day, the event has grown into a weeks-long online shopping festival that this year began on Oct 9 and runs through Nov 11, making it the longest Singles Day sales period ever.

The idea for Singles Day originated at China's Nanjing University in 1993 and was originally called "Bachelor Day." On the day, single people treat themselves with gifts and presents, while also organising social gatherings and parties.

Last year, the total value of goods sold during the shopping bonanza - also known as "Double 11" - totalled 1.44 trillion yuan ($202 billion), according to data provider Syntun.

That is almost five times the $41.1 billion US shoppers spent last year during Cyber Week, the period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, per data from Adobe Analytics.