Women's Day, International

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Women's Day, International Woman's Day

***** Location: Russia, worldwide
***** Season: Spring, March 8
***** Category: Observance

*****************************
Explanation

For Mother's Day, Father's Day, see below.

International Women's Day is religiously celebrated in Russia on the 8th of March. Men buy flowers for their female loved ones on that day. The first available flowers are yellow mimosa, brought from the Caucasus. Thus you can see man standing in line to buy mimosa branches or walking on the streets with mimosa bouquets. What Russians call "mimosa" is in fact Acacia dealbata or Silver Wattle. It blooms with aromatic yellow puffs of flowers.

Mimosa, Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata)

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/13723/
Copyright © Dave's Garden 2000-2005

Every year, from the end of February to the beginning of March some 200 tons of mimosa branches are brought from Abkhazia to Russia.

Here is an article about the origin and meaning of the International Woman’s Day.

International Women's Day (8 March)
is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

Read the full history of the development of this day here:
http://www.global7network.com/russia/russian-holidays/International-Women-Day.asp

However, in Russia these days, it is more like a hybrid of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. It's the day when females of all ages receive special attention from the males.

Thus there are two kigo words for March in Russia:
"Women's Day" or "International Women's Day," and "mimosa".

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::




Even though the Internaitonal Women's Day was founded in 1910 by the socialists as a political day for women's right to vote, it's now celebrated widely in the world as a day of the beautiful half of the mankind :-). In Russia, it has always been one of the favorite holidays (especially after it had become a day off in 1965). It is now a holiday for which I have a right just because I am a woman :-).

And men, real men, understand this, and enjoy the fact that these beautiful creatures -- women -- live next to them, work with them side by side. It is as totally aimless, unpractical, and silly as to enjoy a nice spring morning, for instance, or beautiful music, or tasty meal, or just enjoy this life... it is as simple as to love the life itself.

Since the very early age, Russian boys are taught that girls are future women: mothers, wives, keepers... and they need to be loved, cared for, and supported by men. The March 8th day is the big part of such education. Traditionally, boys congratulate girls even in the first grade in school, and then, through the whole 11 school years :- ). Then, the "relay" are passed on to the young men, to all men... They storm the flower shops at this day, they wash and clean in the house, cook a holiday dinner, etc. -- and of course, give their women flowers and gifts!

I am still a woman here, and my family, men and women, enjoy this day with me now. Men give their women flowers -- and we all enjoy this wonderful spring celebration of life, love, and beauty. Today, I want to give this gift to all the wonderful women in the WHC -- we deserve
it just because we are women! :-)

women's day --
beautiful dreams and hopes
in full bloom

Olga Hooper (Origa)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/origa/

*****************************
Worldwide use

France
Jour des Femmes

Germany
Frauentag, Internationaler Frauentag

Der erste internationale Frauentag fand am 19. März 1911 in Dänemark, Deutschland, Österreich, der Schweiz und den USA statt. Millionen von Frauen beteiligten sich. Die Wahl dieses Datums sollte den revolutionären Charakter des Frauentags unterstreichen, weil der 18. März der Gedenktag für die Gefallenen in Berlin während der Revolution 1848 war, und auch die Pariser Commune in den Monat März fiel.

Read a lot more here in German:
http://www.frauennews.de/themen/taggesch.htm

*****************************
Things found on the way


*****************************
HAIKU

Women's Day -
men walking with bouquets
of yellow mimosa

Zhanna P. Rader

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

international women's day come and gone

One-line Haikuk by Julia Shaver
http://www.millikin.edu/haiku/writerprofiles/ShaverOnMountain.html

*****************************
Related words

***** Mother's Day (second sunday in May), Muttertag :
kigo for early summer
Mothers' day exists in most westernised countries, dates vary, and those indicated apply to the US.

Mothers' day in Ireland (and the UK) is called Mothering Sunday and is a church-based festival which falls before Easter.
Saijiki for Europa: Mothering Sunday, Laetare

In Germany, Muttertag has a somewhat tainted legacy, since Hitler used to make use of the occasion to give awards to mothers of large families -- I knew at least one such who refused to accept the award, as she felt she had not produced her children to be Hitler's followers or to end up as cannon fodder in his war...

Isabelle Prondzynski

............................................................

The Story of Mother's Day

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday". Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter*), "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.

During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.

In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

.. .. ..

M - O - T - H - E - R
"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell
"MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mother's Day: Honoring Our Many Mothers
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

More, much more about this day:
http://www.holidays.net/mother/story.htm


Mother's Day
her dandelion bouquet
and yellow nose

Michael Baribeau

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haiga by Natalia L. Rudychev, 2006



xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

mothers day ---
slow traffic
at the cemetery

Fred Masarani, 2006

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


***** Father's Day (second sunday in June,
Vatertag, Christi Himmelfahrt in Germany) :
kigo for mid-summer
http://www.kirchenweb.at/feiertage/

Father's Day: three Hawaiian shirts hang in the closet

One-liner by Chibi Dennis Holmes

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


father's day celebration
the light on my path leading
homewards

kenneth daniels (GY)

Father's day is celebrated in the wet season of Guyana.
WKD : South American Saijiki

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Back to the Worldkigo Index
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::