The history of the emergence of International Women's Day and the amusing legends surrounding its appearance. Celebration traditions in Russia. How is March 8 celebrated in different countries?
The story of March 8 is by no means a poem about the glorification of female charm and beauty. This is a harsh tale of an almost hopeless struggle, perseverance, faith in one's work, overcoming obstacles and victory, in which at first few believed. And if today, on this day, we can enjoy the frivolous aromas of spring and expect gifts with anticipation, it is only because the young ladies of previous generations have worked hard for this.
History of origin on March 8
The history of the holiday on March 8 began more than 100 years ago and at first had little in common with that day of spring, love and beauty (first of all, female beauty and charm!) As we know it now. For the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity of the last century, International Women's Day has become one of the most important victories in the struggle for women's equality. But let's start in order.
Unfortunately, in recent decades, the image of the classic feminist has been largely discredited. In the view of a significant stratum of society (and not only men, which would be at least not so offensive, but also women!), This is an aggressive masculine creature with unshaven armpits, who through the word inserts pearls about oppressor males into his speech, makes a scandal for transport hand and solves crucial issues like "a man in trousers or a skirt should be depicted at a traffic light."
Of course, excesses are inherent in any socio-political movement, especially in its radical forms, and there are inadequate personalities everywhere. It's a shame that those who, in principle, understand the essence of modern feminism, often treat its followers condescendingly, believing that it is time for the ladies to slow down.
Even women sometimes give such statements! And at the same time they completely forget that it is thanks to such restless, unbending "ladies" that today they themselves have access to numerous social benefits.
Just think about it! Some 100 years ago, a woman officially had no right:
- vote;
- choose your life partner;
- to receive education somewhere other than purely female boarding schools, which could not provide a level of knowledge comparable to the university;
- get a job without the permission of your spouse; that is, even if a woman had the skills to support herself, there was no guarantee that she would be allowed to do so;
- get paid on an equal basis with men, no matter how much work she did;
- to own a fortune, even a dowry, which the bride brought to a young family, after the wedding became the property of her husband.
Only rich widows who managed to escape from the care of numerous male relatives could rely on relative independence, the rest of the women, from a simple city dweller to a lady of high society, remained totally subordinate to their fathers, brothers, uncles and other "masters of life."
The story of the origin of March 8 did not begin at all in the spring, as one might think. In fact, the first step towards the emergence of the holiday was a massive New York rally organized by the Social Democratic Women's Organization. On February 28, 1908, 15,000 brave Amazons did the impossible at that time: they took to the city streets shoulder to shoulder, demanding equal rights with men.
It would seem, what is 15,000 for a city with a population of five million? A drop in the sea! However, the event itself turned out to be so significant, so far beyond the generally accepted norms that it produced a tremendous resonance.
In an effort to consolidate the success, representatives of the Social Democratic and Communist parties, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin, made a proposal to establish International Women's Day, during which the beautiful half of humanity could officially organize rallies and publicly declare the infringement of their rights.
The ladies' initiative was a success, and a year later, in 1909, every last Sunday in February was decided to be considered Women's Day. The date was deliberately made floating, so that it does not fall on weekdays and does not interfere with working women honestly performing their duties.
It is easy to guess that the history of the March 8 holiday did not end there, and he still had a long way to go to the loud title of "International".
Women's Day slowly, but confidently, won a place for itself among other important dates of the calendar:
- In 1911, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland adopted the American experience, tying a solemn meeting to March 19 in memory of the Prussian revolution of 1848.
- In 1912, it was celebrated on March 12, and the number of demonstrators was already in the millions.
- In 1913, Russian and French women went on strike for the first time (March 2), as well as women from Holland and Austria-Hungary (March 9).
- Gradually, it was the turn of the Czech Republic, Hungary and other countries.
- Finally, in 1914, the official date was finally chosen, and for March 8, the glory of an important political holiday was fixed. There was no talk of glorifying female beauty yet: the fair sex fought with elbows and teeth for a place in the sun …
By the way, on March 8, 1917 (February 23, old style), a rally of workers in a textile factory became the very spark that ignited the flame of the February Revolution. And although the demands of the strikers were heard and the Russian women received the right to vote literally a few days after the strike, it was no longer possible to stop the growing fire.
In 1977, another significant milestone appeared in the history of the International Day of March 8: the date was officially recognized by the UN, securing the status of a world-class holiday for it. The irony is that it was in the 70s and 80s that March 8 began to lose its political color, gradually turning into that spring, light holiday that we know today … Well, we will consider this a good sign that the feminists of past generations achieved their goal and the intensity of passions in the battle of the sexes finally subsided.
Myths and legends about International Women's Day
It would seem that the history of International Women's Day on March 8 is too short in itself to be overgrown with legends: what is a pitiful hundred years compared to the eras lived by mankind! However, Women's Day succeeded.
So, at one time it was stubbornly associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim, arranged in honor of Queen Esther, who, with her outstanding beauty and sharp mind, saved the Jewish people from the genocide. The reason for the appearance of this legend was the alleged Jewish origin of Clara Zetkin, who was in fact a German of noble blood, and with distant Russian roots. True, the fiery Social Democrat married a Jew, but this is clearly not enough to draw conclusions about the choice of the date of the holiday from the Jewish religious calendar.
Another myth, even less believable, is built on complex philosophical fabrications. He associates the infinitely important role of the fair sex in the life cycle of deaths and rebirths with the sign of infinity - an eight tossed on its side; she associates feminine beauty and tenderness with spring and even makes a reference to the Bible, emphasizing that a woman, they say, was created on the 8th day after the creation of the world.
In a word, if you have a penchant for philosophizing and enough free time, you yourself will find half a dozen beautiful explanations for this version. One thing is embarrassing: the suffragists of the last century were hardly carried away by wise arguments. Their goals were much simpler and more urgent.
Traditions of celebrating March 8
How has International Day changed over time? In which countries is the celebration of March 8 still relevant? Does this day have its own characteristics in different states? Of course there is.
Traditions of the holiday on March 8:
- Poland. Here, Women's Day is treated without emotional trepidation, but they still don’t forget to give a colleague or girlfriend a modest flower with wishes of goodness and happiness. And the Polish ladies themselves, according to opinion polls, do not want to create excitement around the holiday, turning it into Profit Day for the owners of flower shops. They will be quite satisfied if a man takes on the washing of dishes and cooking for a day.
- Lithuania. Lithuanians cannot count on increased attention either. March 8 is celebrated here reluctantly and without a soul: maximum, they will give a small gift to the honored mother and grandmother of the family. This, of course, does not mean that Lithuanians do not value their girlfriends, it is just that the holiday itself is not honored.
- France and Germany. In fact, local Madame and Frau are not at all averse to shifting household responsibilities onto the backs of men for a day and relaxing in front of the TV, but the holiday is not very popular in these countries either. Unless one or another political party decides to use it to remind society of women's problems or to hold a charity event in favor of mothers-heroines, but no more. The Germans are much more attracted to Mother's Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, and the French are attracted by a similar holiday that falls on the last Sunday of spring or the first Sunday of summer.
- Iceland. Icelanders do not recognize March 8, but they have a funny Women's Day, which falls on different days of February in different regions of the country. Moreover, this holiday dates back to the pre-Christian era, when fair-haired beauties were instructed to drive away the stagnant winter in a very original way. Getting up early in the morning, the woman thrust her leg into one leg of her husband's trousers and, in this form, ran around the house three times. And after the whole day she basked in bed, waiting for her beloved delicacies and kisses. We cannot guarantee that the ritual with pants is still practiced, but coffee in bed and a slice of sweet cake remain mandatory attributes of the holiday.
- Denmark. But the Danes, apparently, are serious ladies, running around without pants and sweets are not exchanged. On March 8, they use it for its intended purpose, conceived by Rosa and Klara: they write their demands on posters and go out into crowded places. Well, an active civic position is not bad either.
- Italy. Sultry Italians are in no hurry to sit down at a separate table with their soul mate or, with gentle cooing, go for a walk along the beach. Women's day here is an ordinary working day, but the evening turns into a big bachelorette party, for which bosom friends are gathered to chat, laugh and play a little in the men's strip club, where the fair sex is allowed on March 8 for free. And what about a man?.. A man can pay the bill if he wants to give his beloved a gift.
- Greece. In many European countries, the rituals of "pouring" water on a girl they like on Easter have been preserved, but only Greek women can fully recoup the guys for this tradition on March 8th. According to the rules of the holiday, each lady is given the right to watch the gentleman she likes with a bucket and douse him from head to toe.
- India. As such, March 8 in India is not known, but a whole decade of October is devoted to a noisy and vibrant festival of women. At this time, the beauties have no shortage of attention, fun, or respect.
- Vietnam. A couple of centuries before they started talking about March 8 in Europe, Vietnam had already celebrated the day of remembrance of the Chung sisters, who, together with other rebels, at the cost of their lives, repulsed the Chinese invaders. The idea to show respect to brave women fighting for their rights fit perfectly into the theme of the holiday, therefore the integration of a foreign Women's Day was amazingly easy. So now Vietnam celebrates March 8th widely and cheerfully.
- Japan. The Japanese women's holiday is called White Day and is celebrated on March 14th. And in a pair, a man goes to him, replacing the European Valentine's Day, February 14. Everyone is happy, everything is fair.
- China. If in Vietnam a significant date is declared a general weekend, then the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom on March 8 are divided into two camps: men, as usual, go to work, and ladies wander around the shops, chirp in cafeterias and watch the latest film distribution. And in the evening they feast on the "Pumpkin of Fidelity", which is prepared for them by courageous "halves". In China, it is not customary to give cut flowers, therefore, even on Women's Day, Chinese women receive bouquets very rarely.
International Women's Day in Russia
The customs of celebrating March 8 in Russia are well known to all of its inhabitants. Perhaps only in this country it was regularly celebrated every year, starting from the time of the October Revolution.
Although he managed to noticeably change his appearance during this time:
- The solemn speeches about the struggle for gender equality were replaced by wishes of love and happiness.
- Traditional tulips and delicate mimosas have been pushed off the flower stalls with more varied bouquets.
- Now on March 8, all women, from the smallest to retired women, are honored with congratulations, and not just workers and mothers.
- Since 1965 and to this day, the holiday has been declared a day off, both for the heroes of the occasion and for their strong halves.
- Traditions on March 8 in Russia do not stipulate the required set of gifts or dishes for the festive table. It is only important that the hostess of the house receives on this day a bouquet of flowers and a small sign of attention (the specific sizes are determined by the financial capabilities of the donor), and the man took on the trouble of organizing the holiday. Well, and whether he gets up to the stove himself or invites his girlfriend to a good restaurant is not so important.
In the countries of the former CIS, the traditions of the holiday on March 8 differ little from those in Russia. One way or another, broadly or modestly, this day is celebrated. But sometimes they add their national holiday to it, for example, Mother's Day: in Armenia it falls on April 7, in Kazakhstan - on September 20, in the Kyrgyz Republic - on Sunday September 3, etc. In Belarus, Mother's Day was equated to the Church's Protection, October 14.
Watch a video about the story of March 8:
Sometimes we hear from radical feminists that March 8 is unacceptable to call the day of beauty and femininity. Say, beauty makes us see in a young lady only an object of lust, femininity is a synonym for sacrifice (?!), And indeed our ancestors fought not for that … However, one should not too feminize the holiday, which has long been loved by us for what it is. With all due respect to the great-great-grandmothers who have achieved equality, there is no harm in conquering new heights while remaining feminine; be a faithful friend to a man without turning into a foot mat; stay charming, mysterious and beautiful regardless of circumstances, career and age.
