He was officially established in 1909 in the United States in honor of victims of the fight for equality. In Poland, it gained popularity during the PRL. However, there are places where the celebration of Women’s Day is prohibited. Check how this holiday is celebrated in Poland and in the world.
International Women’s Day. History and curiosities
Respect for femininity has already been celebrated by ancient Rome. The first day of March was a feast of motherhood and fertility. Matronalia was also a preview of a new beginning, which was associated with the upcoming spring. On this occasion, the husbands gave their wives with gifts, and they made the goddess Junon’s sacrifice and prayed for prosperity. Women’s Day we know today has its beginning in the United States. Its genesis is associated with workers’ movements that were born in Europe and North America at the beginning of the 20th century. Initially, it was celebrated on February 28. On March 8, 1908, women employed at the textile factory organized a strike, demanding, among others equal wages. The owner of the facility closed them inside to avoid publicity. A fire broke out in the building, as a result of which 129 women were killed. A year later, and more precisely on February 28, 1909, as part of commemorating the victims, the first celebration of the National Women’s Day took place. However, as early as 1910, the Socialist International in Copenhagen established the world day celebrated around March 8, and it has already remained today. By definition, the holiday served to promote the ideas of women’s rights and build social support for universal electoral rights for women. In Poland, Women’s Day gained popularity during the PRL. It was a common custom to give cloves and tights to ladies. For this reason, some do not spare malice, calling them a communist holiday. Perhaps for many this is a poor excuse when they forget about wishes and gifts on March 8. However, as we wrote above, this holiday has been around for over a hundred years. In most countries, they are celebrated as standard: ladies are given by men a bouquet of flowers or sweets. There are also exceptions. Women’s Day is prohibited in Iran. Women’s Day also has its symbolic colors: purple, green and white. They were proposed as a symbol of the struggle for equality by the British social and political union of women in 1908. Violet symbolizes justice and dignity, green – hope, white – purity.
Women’s Day in the World. What are the customs?
In Portugal and Romania, Ladies are usually celebrating Women’s Day without men. They organize so -called Babski evening – on the night of March 8 they meet only women at a party among women. Women’s Day is forbidden, among others in Iran. In 2007, the Iranian police beat 100 people who planned a gathering on this occasion and arrested many women. In Italy, the celebrations on March 8 start a week earlier – posters and leaflets symbolizing the holiday hang on the walls and poles. On Women’s Day, each lady is given a bouquet of flowers. Interestingly, women also give gifts to their friends, mothers, sisters or friends. In China, ladies deserve half a day off at work, and many stores offer special discounts. In Vietnam, this holiday is celebrated twice a year – March 8 and October 20. Here you mainly give cloves. Great Britain focuses on education and spreading knowledge about women whose achievements have entered the pages of history. On this day, you can take part in various meetings and lectures, among others, about broadly understood equality. Women’s Day is an official holiday also in: Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijanie, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cuba, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenera, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine Uzbekistan and Zambia.
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