We are just a few days away from March 8th; therefore, it is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the roots of this important date, as well as to remember that the fundaments of this celebration should be honoured throughout the year, starting with us ladies!

 

A day marked by numerous feminist demonstrations and girly presents around the world, but with the aim of celebrating women and highlighting the gaps that still need to be filled. 

 

A Bit of History

The March 8th has its origins in the context of social movements during the 20th century. Movements that aimed (and still do) for women to obtain universal suffrage, speak out against violence, honour and highlight remarkable women and their contributions to human history, the right to work and the right to education, making demands for gender equality, among other issues.

An International Women’s Day proclamation appears several times during the past century before reaching to a specific common date. For instance, the principle to mobilize women was advanced in 1910, in Copenhagen (Denmark’s capital), by the International Socialist Women’s Conference, formed by a hundred women from 17 countries, voting in favour of the establishment of an International Women’s Day, at the initiative of Clara Zetkin, a German activist.

Later on, as Russia faces revolution in 1917, in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg), women workers decided to strike on February 23rd of the Julian calendar (used in Russia at the time), and March 8th of the Gregorian calendar. That day was designated by the Bolsheviks as the first day of the Russian Revolution and thus, an opportunity for the communist parties to mobilize women.

In 1977, the United Nations officialize International Women’s Day. Many countries keep March 8th as the day for this celebration. 

Everywhere

Most countries take this day as an opportunity to call attention to women’s achievements throughout history, both past and contemporary, by featuring prominent women in their fields.

Even though today there is a strongly-rooted commercial side of this celebration, there are other related traditions exclusive for some countries or shared between several ones that should be mentioned. Here are some of them (no exhaustive list).

 

• Argentina: Celebrates Women’s Day since the 1900s. Argentines mark it by giving presents to the women in their lives. However, in recent years protests have become an occasion for women and activists to take the streets to protest against violence, the pay gap, equal representation in diverse fields, and always hoping for social change. 

This public and massive demonstration increased in several countries of Latin America (but not only!), where the number of participants increases every year: It should be noted that for the region, this kind of event was not common at all, especially to speak out genre disparities.

• China: Girl’s Day is March 7th, and Women’s Day is March 8th (since 1949), a day in which employers are encouraged to give their female staff a half-day off. 
• Italy: Traditionally, women are given bunches of small yellow mimosas, which are the symbol of International Women’s Day in this country, as they symbolize female strength. Also, when a woman offers it to another woman, this flower is considered to be a sign of female solidarity.

Indeed, it is well known that floriography, or “the language of flowers,” stands out during celebrations, and Women’s Day is no exception. Another example is the violet in France, a symbol of female solidarity, as well as purple or the mauve colour, also considered the colour of feminism, which has its origins from the time when the right to vote was claimed.

• Russia: March 8th is a national public holiday since 1918. Gifts can be seen everywhere; in fact, the cost of flowers is known to double during that national holiday. This is a very important celebration in that country, to which Russians are instructed in since childhood by encouraging boys to throw a party to their female classmates.

Furthermore, as a historical note, after 1945, Women’s Day was officially celebrated in all socialist countries (where it was similar to Mother’s Day!).

• Saudi Arabia: Its first-ever Women’s Day was celebrated in 2017, which takes three days of festivities, between the 1-3 of February, in Riyadh (the country’s capital). During these days, there were talks on women’s rights and women’s events recognition through races, operettas and theatrical performances. Afterwards, the kingdom aligns with the International Women’s Day date.

 

Every Day

We are women year-round, and we face discrimination year-round, so why do we only take time to remember or recall women’s outstanding achievements and highlight gender issues once a year? 

Furthermore, we are being told what femininity and women’s rights should be according to marketing, stereotypes, politics, education, and so on. But why don’t we search, claim and live our own femininity in our own terms and make our voice heard, as well as respect of our rights, every day? That is one of the best and easiest ways to celebrate women and our own womanhood, and what better way to lead to bigger changes than with everyday acts!