March 8 has been “women’s day” for more than a century, but its beginning is not with flowers, sweets and joy. The idea arose at a time when women were greatly offended and began to fight for their rights. At first there were strikes, violence, mass protests. Politics also had something to say then. How did March 8 become a day of joy?

Women’s Day – the beginning in the days when women were wronged

The history of International Women’s Day is closely related to the feminist movement and women’s struggle for social and political rights. The first signs of a women’s day date back to the 19th century and were inspired by women’s social and political struggles.

The harbingers of International Women’s Day are considered to be two events: in 1857 in New York there was a protest by women who worked in the textile industry, which was caused by very difficult working conditions and low wages. The police attacked the protesters. Two years later, textile workers in New York founded their first union. There were times when women were paid much less than men for similar work.

In the 50s of the last century, information spread, which turned out to be false, that the first “Women’s Day” was celebrated in New York in 1907 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the textile women’s protest. There is no evidence that such a holiday was held in 1907.

March 8 is gaining popularity

In 1908, approximately 15,000 women demonstrated in New York City, demanding higher wages, shorter working hours, and the right to vote. It was the first major event of the “suffragist” movement in the United States.

Of course, ‘Women’s Day’ was celebrated in 1909, but it was National Women’s Day, not ‘International’ – ‘National Women’s Day’ as part of a campaign organized by the Socialist Party of America.”

In 1910, a socialist woman from Denmark, Klara Zetkin, proposed to declare March 8 International Women’s Day at the Socintern conference in Copenhagen. This day should have been celebrated every year in all countries to draw attention to the struggle for women’s rights and gender equality.

March 8 was first celebrated in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with demonstrations and public events organized by women and organizations founded by them. In 1913, Russia celebrated International Women’s Day for the first time, and the following year, in 1914, women in a number of European countries held rallies to protest the First World War.

Women’s Day and connection with Lenin

In Russia, on March 8, 1917 (February 23 according to the old style), the women of Petrograd (St. Petersburg) went on strike as a sign of protest against poor living conditions, food shortages and the war (two million Russians died in the First World War). .

This “bread and peace” strike was one of the events that led to the October Revolution, an event that led to the fall of the Tsarist government and the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the rise of the Bolsheviks.

After coming to power, Bolshevik leaders, including Vladimir Lenin, recognized March 8 as an official day to celebrate the achievements and rights of women. The Bolshevik Provisional Government also gave women the right to vote.

Alexandra Kollontai is the name of the woman who led the demonstration from 1917. She represented the Soviet state in negotiations between November 1943 and June 1944 with the Romanian ambassador to Sweden, Frederic Nanu, regarding the establishment of the terms of Romania’s withdrawal from the alliance with Germany.

Therefore, under the influence of the socialist movement and the Russian Revolution of 1917, March 8 became International Women’s Day, and the connection with Lenin is that the Bolshevik leaders adopted this holiday as a form of recognition of the contribution of women to the Russian Revolution

Soon the Communists of China and Spain approved Women’s Day as an official holiday. Women’s Day is celebrated in several dozen countries.

International Women’s Day was declared non-working in the USSR in 1965. Ten years later, International Women’s Day was officially recognized by the United Nations. The UN declared 1975 the “International Year of Women”, and the period 1976-1985 became the “UN Decade of Women”.

Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, including Romania, adopted International Women’s Day as an official holiday and promoted it as a way of recognizing women’s contributions to society and promoting gender equality. Thus, International Women’s Day has become an important holiday in the culture and traditions of these countries. In Western Europe, March 8 is not an official holiday and is generally celebrated more discreetly.

In recent decades, the political undertones of March 8 have disappeared, and it has become a day when women are pampered with flowers, sweets and gifts.

In Romania, as we well know, March 8 means lots of flowers, candies, marigolds and various gifts for women. Festive meals are also prepared, some ladies and girls go to the theater or to musical performances, and others go on vacation.

A few dozen years ago, children gave gifts to mothers, teachers, colleagues, grandparents on March 8. In the 80s, the idea of ​​”Mother’s Day” was very much emphasized, the school organized small holidays, mothers were invited, and children made and offered small cards.

In the US, this is not a big problem

Although March 8 is not an official holiday in the United States, many women’s rights organizations and “rights” groups organize events and campaigns to draw public attention to the issue of gender inequality and women’s rights.

As for gifts, in the USA there is another holiday similar to International Women’s Day, namely Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. On this day, women and mothers receive many gifts.

Sources: History.com, Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia, Agerpres

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