Alibaba's shopping holiday that's bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined just brought in $25 billion - this is what it looked like

REUTERS/Aly Song

Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, and actor Nicole Kidman attend a show during Alibaba Group's 11.11 Singles' Day global shopping festival in Shanghai, China, November 10, 2017.

Ever since its early days as a student event in the 1990s, November 11 was called "Singles' Day" in some parts of China; an occasion during which individuals would try and find a partner.

Now, Alibaba has dubbed it "Double 11" - a term the company has trademarked and transformed into the world's largest shopping event. During this year's Double 11, taking place on November 11, 2017, Alibaba sold $25.3 billion worth of merchandise.

Created in 2009 as an "Anti-Valentine's Day," the "11-11 Global Shopping Festival" is now bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday, combined.

Encompassing a live-broadcast gala, virtual games, and an interactive fashion show, the 24-hour event has become a global extravaganza selling everything from American sneakers to South Korean washing machines and Argentinian shrimp.

Keep reading to see how this year's event unfolded ...

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