Numbers

Queuing Day

"Queuing Day" was a monthly event held on the 11th of every month in Beijing during the months leading up to the 2008 Olympics in that city to promote the practice of queuing, i.e. forming and waiting in an orderly line.  The eleventh was picked for symbolic reasons as the two "1"s in the date represent orderly lines.

How It's Used

"The 11th of every month in Beijing is to be 'voluntarily wait in line' day as the city attempts to eradicate queue-jumping before next year's Olympics, a city official said on Wednesday."

"Yes, it would be easy to make fun of 'Queuing Day.' Pathetically easy. On this day, observed for the first time on February 11 in Beijing, people are supposed (gasp!) to stand in lines before getting on buses, buying tickets, paying at check-out stands, etc. From now through the Olympics, the 11th of every month will be a queuing day. The old cornball jokes come to mind: There is the yokel who takes a bath every Saturday night whether he needs it or not, and there are people who stand in line on the 11th of every month whether they need to or not. On the 12th, things are back to normal."

“Last week, the city commemorated 'Queuing Day,' an event held on the 11th of every month because the date symbolizes an orderly line. Volunteers wearing satin Queuing Day sashes shooed rush-hour commuters into lines at busy subway stations, while hospital administrators and a few city officials handed out long-stemmed roses to patients who stood in line to pay their bills or pick up medicines. Local news media swarmed the event.”

"The 11th was chosen for Queuing Day because the digits set the example the city should follow - the second '1' queues up patiently behind the first '1'. (By comparison, the 22nd is Give Up Your Seat Day - presumably because the '2' looks like a person sitting down.)"