From public holidays such as "Culture Day" and "Labor Thanksgiving Day" to annual events like "Tanabata" and "Christmas", there are also "◯◯ Memorial Day" set by companies and industries. Among the many "◯◯ Day" and "◯◯ Memorial Day", the one that is so well-known in Japan that there is no one who does not know it is "Pocky Day". This candy, which is the world's best-selling, must have been eaten by everyone at least once! Actually, this day is not just "Pocky Day"! In this article, we will introduce "◯◯ Day" and "◯◯ Memorial Day" on November 11th in a simple way!
The beginning of Pocky Day
Pocky Day was established as a day to spread the joy of sharing Pocky around the world. The shape of Pocky resembles the number 1, so November 11th was designated as Pocky Day. In Japan, November 11th, 1999 (Heisei 11) was recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association as "Pocky & Pretz Day".
Not just Pocky Day, there are too many "anniversaries" on November 11th in Japan
Actually, many "elongated things" commemorate November 11th. If you look it up on the Japan Anniversary Association's site, the number of recognized items is nearly 50. For example, the candy "Umaibo" has been designated November 11th as "Umaibo Day" in the hope that it will continue to be loved by more people, because when you line up four "Umaibo", it looks like "1111".
The "Sumida Aquarium", located in Tokyo Skytree Town®, has established November 11th as "Spotted Garden Eel Day" to further promote the popular creature in the aquarium, the Spotted Garden Eel. This is because the appearance of the Spotted Garden Eel sticking out of its burrow resembles the number 1.
November 11th is also known as "Singles' Day" in China
"Singles' Day" is a commemoration from China, held on November 11th, a day lined with "1", which suggests being alone or single. Originally, it was a day for single young people to gather and have parties, for single people to look for marriage partners, and to exchange gifts. However, it has now become a day when the largest sale of the year is held, and many people go shopping. It is so well-established in the Chinese-speaking world that it is also known as "W11 (Double Eleven)" or "Singles' Day".
Does your country have a special commemoration on November 11th? Commemorations bring richness to daily life, carve history, and invigorate industries. Especially in the current era where information flows quickly, abundant information reaches more people around the world. There are various commemorations on each of the 365 days of the year, and there are many with interesting meanings!
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