Women's Day, in the eyes of many, is a communist reward for women for their hard work. Some still remember posters where beautiful, young and smiling ladies drove tractors or operated a lathe in the factory. It created an image of an idyllic, communist paradise. The reality, of course, was completely different, but not today.
The history of the holiday celebrated on March 8 is not a happy one. At the beginning of the last century, when a woman was still not equal to a man, she could not vote, study or simply decide for herself in the world, one of them said enough!
It happened in New York in one of the factories where dozens of women worked hard for symbolic pennies. The day came when a few of them got a little more furious than usual and went on strike.
The owner of this factory was so surprised by this fact that he did not know what to do. In order to think things through calmly, he went to drink and discuss with other owners of nearby factories, and locked the enraged women in the factory hall.
Unfortunately, a fire broke out shortly after his departure, killing more than a hundred women. The indignation was so great that people from all over the city took to the streets. It was 1909 and the first step towards equality had just been taken.
The situation was picked up by the socialists of the time, who tried to rise to power on the wave of social unrest. They spread the word around the world that it was their idea with these strikes and that they would not allow women to continue to live in such conditions.
However, for the first time, Women's Day was declared not in America but in Denmark. Exactly one year after the social unrest in New York City, the Socialist International in Copenhagen launched Women's Day. This day was to promote the idea of equality between women and men and build social support for this idea. This holiday was then taken over by the communists for reasons that I will write about later.
Of course, as is often the case in history, Women's Day is associated with another, very old holiday.
The Romans celebrated a festival called Matronalia. It fell on March 1 and was associated with the end of winter and fertility. In that one day, women ruled the houses and streets of Rome. They met in groups in temples, where they gave each other gifts and souvenirs.
In the temples of Juno (who is identified with the Greek goddess Hera), they prayed for happiness in marriage and the favor of other gods. On that day, men also gave women flowers and small gifts. It was also one of the few days of the year when slaves were served food from the tables of the Romans.
According to the old and proven slogan "the people need circuses and bread", the communists invented various holidays that were supposed to give the people an impression of the meaning of their miserable lives. Barbara appeared for miners, teachers got their day, policemen and women, every year on March 8, had their holiday.
It was customary for them to receive chocolate and flowers at that time. Most of all, however, they had a little easier, because they were relieved of their duties, both at work and at home.
Husbands rushed to the kitchen, and the bosses smiled kindly. In the evenings, everyone met in a restaurant for a well-deserved Christmas dinner, which often ended with a heavy drink. This is how it looked in our country in the era of nightmarish socialism. How was it in other parts of the world?
Women's Day is celebrated as grandly as in Poland in almost all countries of the former Warsaw Pact. On March 8 they have fun in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and many other countries.
However, it is not a holiday celebrated only in the heart of the former Eastern Bloc. On this day, Italians, Cubans, Albanians, Vietnamese, Brazilians and Algerians have fun. To make it more interesting, Women's Day is celebrated very loudly in Zambia and Cameroon.
The traditions are almost the same everywhere, although they differ in details. In Italy, ladies do not receive carnations, as is the fashion here, but acacia branches. Similarly in Russia and Romania. In some countries, ladies go out for evening parties so that they can spend at least one night alone.
Women's Day looks a bit different in Great Britain. Here, women and men meet at exhibitions and lectures about the role of women in social, cultural and scientific life. Meetings with distinguished women are organized and discussions are held on what else can be improved so that the fate of women in the world does not differ from that assigned to men.
Officially, women's day in the islands falls on April 8, but all events related to it are usually organized on April 10. Besides, giving gifts to women is not fashionable here.
WOMEN'S DAY CURIOSITIES
- In Poland, the first women's day was celebrated on March 24, 1924.
- In 1911, Women's Day was celebrated in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.
- In the USSR, March 8 became a public holiday and a day off from work in 1965.
- The first women's day was celebrated in Belgium in 1910.
- In Poland in the 1980s, Women's Day was a little-liked holiday, as it was considered a "compulsory" day of joy compared to May 1.
- In 1993, Women's Day ceased to be a public holiday in Poland.
- Today, most young people consider March 8 to be a very pleasant holiday and a reason to have fun.
- During the years of deep communism, it was popular to publish on March 8 photos of women who contributed to the country. This was to show that there is no area of life in which women do not participate.
- The once popular carnations are now being replaced by tulips and roses.
- Currently, according to research, more than 70 percent of men intend to buy flowers for their woman on March 8.
- In Vietnam, Women's Day is celebrated twice - on March 8 and October 20.
- In Romania and Portugal, women celebrate their holiday among themselves.
- Carnations and tulips are the symbol of Women's Day.
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