Singles Awareness Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Demonstration activity against lovers in Tamsui, Taiwan on 14 February 2006. The banner reads "Couples go die!"

Singles Awareness Day (SAD) is a humorous holiday celebrated on February 14 (although some prefer the 13th or the 15th to get away from the commercialism associated with the 14th). It serves as an alternative to Valentine's Day for people who are single: that is, who are not involved in a romantic relationship. Some observers of SAD do so out of spite for Valentine's Day, as a Hallmark holiday, or for other reasons.

On Singles Awareness Day, single people gather to celebrate or to commiserate in their single status. Some want to remind romantic couples that they don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate life. A common greeting on this day by its adherents is "Happy SAD!"

Some of the manifestations of the holiday can be regarded as examples of self-deprecating humor.

[edit] "Lovers go die" club and "Unit Solo" in East Asia

Lovers-go-die club (Japanese: 死ね死ね団 (Shine-shine-dan); Traditional Chinese: 去死去死團、情侶去死團) is a club against lovers or couples. The idea comes from the manga Ping-Pong Club. In this manga, one of the members betrayed their fellow table-tennis team members and went on a date with a girl. Therefore, the other team members formed the "Lovers go die" club and tried to break up the couple. Unit Solo (Korean: 솔로부대, Hanja: -部隊) has a similar meaning in South Korea. In East Asia, it has become a movement against public displays of affection.

According to the USPTO website (www.uspto.gov), John Byrd and John E. Norman, attorneys from Arkansas and Kentucky, respectively, hold the trademarks to both Single Awareness Day and Singles Awareness Day.