What is March 8th? International Women's Day - history and traditions of the holiday

International Women's Day is a bright day spring holiday, which is celebrated annually on March 8 in many countries, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Cuba, China, Laos, etc. Every year on March 8, men congratulate all women - wives, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, friends, colleagues - trying to fill their day with pleasant emotions, high spirits and vivid impressions. In some countries the importance of the International women's day is equivalent to Mother's Day, dedicated to all mothers.

The date of Women's Day is extremely suitable for this holiday: at the beginning of spring, nature awakens after winter sleep and the first flowers adorn the earth. But the origin of the date of the holiday is connected with its centuries-old history.

The history of the holiday

All Women's Day is already celebrated more than a century. The first celebration of this occasion took place on February 28, 1909 in New York and was called “National Women's Day.” This event was organized by the American Socialist Party in honor of the rally on the same day in 1908 on the streets of New York of 15 thousand women who demanded improved working conditions and women's suffrage (i.e. to vote under the same conditions as men).

In 1910, at the Copenhagen International Women's Conference, representatives of socialist forces proposed establishing an International Women's Day dedicated to women's solidarity in the fight for their rights. This initiative was unanimously supported by more than a hundred women from 17 countries.

At the beginning of spring, on March 8, a wonderful spring holiday is celebrated: International Women's Day or World Women's Day. This day also marks the Ukrainian holiday - Land Surveyor's Day.

International holiday - Women's Day

This holiday is celebrated by all women, during this holiday the achievements of women in the economic, political and social fields are remembered.
In our time, the celebration of Women's Day does not have the goal of promoting equality; this day is simply considered a wonderful day of spring and female beauty, spiritual wisdom and tenderness.
Women's Day on March 8 is celebrated by the entire United Nations, and in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Armenia this day is also national holiday.
The leader of the women's group from the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Clara Zetkin, in 1910, at the 2nd International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, put forward the idea of ​​​​celebrating International Women's Day.
Clara Zetkin proposed, in order to fight for women's rights, to celebrate Women's Day in every country on the same day every year.
International Women's Day became an official holiday in 1975 by decision of the UN.
Today, International Women's Day is, first of all, a celebration of spring and attention to women. On this day, representatives of the strong half of humanity delight their relatives and beloved women with gifts and care.

Ukrainian holiday - Land Surveyor's Day

Land Surveyor's Day or Land Surveyor's Day is Ukrainian professional holiday, which has been celebrated annually since 2000 every second Saturday in March. The time for celebrating this day was established by the Decree of the President of Ukraine on December 11, 1999 “On Land Surveyor’s Day.” This year, the celebration of Land Surveyor's Day fell on March 8th. Land management in Ukraine ensures the protection of land resources, creates a favorable ecological environment and forms a rational system of land use.

Unusual holidays

Spring Wings Day

Today unusual holiday- Day of the wings of spring. Spring comes to us on the wings of a warm wind.
How to celebrate this holiday? Yes, very simple.
Spring has come, just enjoy the first warmth and clear sun. You can at festive table On March 8, prepare a spring dish - larks or “wings of spring.”
Ingredients for larks:
500 g flour, 1/2 cup milk, 1 packet (7 g) dry yeast (or 40 g yeast), 80 g butter, 2 yolks, 1 egg, 2 tbsp. sugar, salt, beaten egg with a teaspoon of sugar (for greasing baked goods), a handful of raisins for decoration
Cooking method:
Prepare the dough, add softened butter, hard, egg and the remaining flour, knead the dough, let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour, then knead the risen dough with your hands and let it stand for another half hour to an hour.
Divide ready dough into 10 equal balls, roll each ball into a rope 15 cm long and tie each rope in a knot, give one end the shape of a bird’s head by sculpting a beak with your fingers, flatten the other end of the rope and place the lark “bird” on a baking sheet. Let the dough sit for another 25-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Brush the surface of the dough with beaten egg and sugar. Bake the larks until golden color 15-20 minutes.

Holiday according to the folk calendar

Polikarpov day

On this day, the people honored the memory of Saint Polycarp, who was a disciple of the Apostle John and who later became the Bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp was often called "the leader of Asia in Christianity."
March 8 on Polikarpov Day unmarried girls in Rus' they tidied up their dresses and were sad, because if the girl did not have time to get married before Shrovetide, then they were already waiting for the end of spring. The people had this saying: “Get your chests away, girl, close your outfits.”
The girls, of course, didn’t waste any time anyway and after this holiday they tried to attract suitors. For this they used different rituals.
On Polikarpov's day, the girls waited until the young moon rose in the sky, and then, seeing it, they spun on the heel of their right foot and said: “Young moon, hover around me with suitors, as I hover around you.” Unnoticed by everyone, the girls swept rubbish from the street into the house, while saying: “I’m not driving thieves into my hut, but good fellows. Come to me, suitors from other people’s yards.”
They said about magpies on Polycarp: “A magpie in the forest has taken to its nest,” “It’s time for the magpies to go into the forest, and for the black grouse to start singing.”
Name day March 8 from Alexander, Alexei, Ivan, Clement, Kuzma, Mikhail, Moses, Nikolai, Polycarp, Sergei, Fedor.

March 7 in history

1965 - International Women's Day March 8 became a non-working day.
1968 - The Soviet diesel submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific Ocean during a combat patrol. According to various sources, from 98 to 105 sailors died.
1969 - Egypt breaks the truce with Israel.
1975 - The Soviet submarine PL-574 with nuclear missiles sank in the Pacific Ocean.
1976 - The largest known stone meteorite weighing 1,774 kg fell into China.
1982 - P. Todorovsky’s film “The Beloved Woman of Mechanic Gavrilov” with L. Gurchenko in the title role was released.
1983 - Reagan at the National Convention of Evangelicals called Soviet Union the center of evil in modern world, a true "evil empire", arguing that peace can only be achieved through force.
1984 - P.L. died. Kapitsa, Soviet physicist, academician, twice Hero of Socialist Labor.
1988 - The Ovechkin family from Irkutsk hijacks a plane and tries to escape from the USSR; the attack on the plane leads to casualties.
1992 - Sergei Vladimirovich Obraztsov (b. 1901), Russian Soviet director, actor, writer, artist, director of the Central Puppet Theater, died.

304 total views, 1 views today

class="title">

• Holiday September 8
• Holiday October 25 - International Women's Day for Peace
• Holiday November 17 - Students' Day, Premature Babies Day

Last year, International Women's Day turned exactly 100 years old. At the International Conference of Socialist Women, held in Copenhagen in August 1910, at the suggestion of Clara Zetkin, it was decided to designate a special day of the year dedicated to the struggle of women for their rights. The following year, on March 19, mass demonstrations took place in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland, in which more than a million people took part. This is how the story of March 8 began, initially “ International Day solidarity of women in the struggle for economic, social and political equality."

In 1912, mass demonstrations in defense of women's rights took place on May 12, in 1913 - on different days Martha. It was only in 1914 that the date of March 8 was finally fixed, most likely for the reason that it was Sunday. In the same year, the day of the struggle for women's rights was celebrated for the first time in then-tsarist Russia. With the outbreak of the First World War, demands for greater civil liberties for women were added to the struggle to end hostilities. The history of the March 8 holiday was later tied to the events of 03/08/1910, when demonstrations by women garment workers and shoe factories, requiring an increase wages, improving working conditions and reducing working hours.

Having come to power, the Russian Bolsheviks recognized March 8 as an official date. There was no talk about spring, flowers and femininity: the emphasis was placed exclusively on the class struggle and the involvement of women in the idea of ​​socialist construction. Thus began a new round in the history of March 8th - now this holiday has spread throughout the countries of the socialist camp, and in Western Europe it has been safely forgotten. An important milestone in the history of the March 8 holiday was 1965, when it was declared a day off in the USSR.

In 1977, the UN adopted resolution No. 32/142, which gave Women's Day international status. True, in most countries where it is still celebrated (Laos, Nepal, Mongolia, North Korea, China, Uganda, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Congo, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Poland, Italy), this is International Day the struggle for women's rights and international peace, that is, an event of political and social significance.

In the countries of the post-Soviet camp, despite the history of the origin of March 8, there has been no talk of any “struggle” for a long time. Congratulations, flowers and gifts are due to all women - mothers, wives, sisters, girlfriends, employees, toddlers and retired grandmothers. They abandoned it only in Turkmenistan, Latvia and Estonia. In other states there is no such holiday. Perhaps because Mother's Day is held in high esteem there, which in most countries is celebrated on the second Sunday of May (in Russia - on the last Sunday of November).

A very interesting fact from the domestic history of the March 8 holiday. The fact is that the famous February Revolution of 1917, which laid the foundation for the October Revolution, began in Petrograd with a mass rally of women protesting against the war. Events grew like a snowball, and soon a general strike, an armed uprising began, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. What happened next is well known.

The bitterness of the humor is that February 23 according to the old style is March 8 according to the new style. So, another day, March 8th, marked the beginning of the history of the future USSR. But Defender of the Fatherland Day is traditionally dedicated to other events: February 23, 1918, the beginning of the formation of the ranks of the Red Army.

Did you know that a special women's day existed in the Roman Empire? Free-born married Roman women (matrons) dressed in the best clothes, decorated their heads and clothes with flowers and visited the temples of the goddess Vesta. On this day, their husbands presented them with expensive gifts and honors. Even slaves received souvenirs from their masters and were freed from work. It's unlikely that there is There is a direct connection in the history of the origin of the March 8 holiday with the ancient Roman Women's Day, but our modern version is very reminiscent of it in spirit.

Jews have their own holiday - Purim, which lunar calendar falls on different days of March each year. This is the day of the warrior woman, the brave and wise Queen Esther, who by cunning saved the Jews from destruction in 480 BC, however, at the cost of the lives of tens of thousands of Persians. Some have tried to directly connect Purim with the history of the origin of the March 8 holiday. But, contrary to speculation, Clara Zetkin was not a Jew (although her husband Osip was a Jew), and it is unlikely that the idea would have occurred to her to link the day of struggle of European feminists to a Jewish religious holiday.

As old as time and known to everyone. Just in case, I checked with my colleagues and realized that many only know the official version. The day before women's holiday we decided to collect all the stories that, in one way or another, relate to the creation of International Women's Day. Some of them may shock and even discourage people from celebrating this day at all.

Version one, official: Day of Solidarity of Working Women

The official version of the USSR states that the tradition of celebrating March 8 is associated with the “March of Empty Pots,” which was held on this day in 1857 by New York textile workers. They protested against unacceptable working conditions and low wages. It is interesting that there was not a single note about the strike in the press of that time. And historians have found out that March 8, 1857 was actually a Sunday. It is very strange to organize strikes on a day off.

In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, German communist Clara Zetkin called on the world to establish International Women's Day on March 8th. She meant that on this day women would organize rallies and marches, and thereby draw public attention to their problems. Well, we all already know this story.

Initially, the holiday was called the International Day of Women's Solidarity in the Fight for Their Rights. The date of March 8 was summed up by the same textile workers' strike, which, perhaps, never actually happened. More precisely, there was, but it was not the textile workers who went on strike. But more on that later.

This holiday was brought to the USSR by Zetkin’s friend, the fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. The same one that conquered the Soviet Union with the “great phrase”: “You should give yourself to the first man you meet as easily as drinking a glass of water.”

Version two, Jewish: praise of the Jewish queen

Historians have never agreed on whether Clara Zetkin was Jewish. Some sources claim that she was born into the family of a Jewish shoemaker, and others into a German teacher. Go figure it out. However, Zetkin’s desire to connect March 8 with the Jewish holiday of Purim cannot be silenced.

So, the second version says that Zetkin wanted to connect the history of Women’s Day with the history of the Jewish people. According to legend, the beloved of the Persian king Xerxes, Esther, saved the Jewish people from extermination by using her charms. Xerxes wanted to exterminate all the Jews, but Esther convinced him not only not to kill the Jews, but, on the contrary, to destroy all their enemies, including the Persians themselves.

This happened on the 13th day of Ardah according to the Jewish calendar (this month falls at the end of February - beginning of March). Praising Esther, Jews began to celebrate Purim. The date of the celebration was flexible, but in 1910 it fell on March 8th.

Version three, about women of the oldest profession

The third version is perhaps the most scandalous for all representatives of the fair sex, anxiously awaiting International Women's Day.

In 1857, women did protest in New York, but they were not textile workers, but prostitutes. Representatives of the oldest profession demanded to pay wages to sailors who used their services but did not have the money to pay.

In 1894, on March 8, prostitutes demonstrated again in Paris. This time they demanded that their rights be recognized on an equal basis with those women who sew clothes or bake bread, and that special trade unions be established. This was repeated in 1895 in Chicago, and in 1896 in New York - shortly before the memorable suffragette convention in 1910, where it was decided to declare this day a women's and international day at Zetkin's suggestion.

By the way, Clara herself carried out similar actions. All in the same 1910, together with her friend Rosa Luxemburg, she brought prostitutes onto the streets of German cities demanding an end to police excesses. But in the Soviet version, prostitutes were replaced with “working women.”

Why was March 8 introduced?

Many historians agree that March 8 is an ordinary political campaign of the Social Democrats.

At the beginning of the 20th century, women protested throughout Europe. And to attract attention, they didn’t even need to show their breasts. It was enough to simply walk through the streets with posters on which socialist slogans were written, and public attention was guaranteed. And to the leaders of the Social Democratic Party, a tick, they say, progressive women are in solidarity with us.

Stalin also decided to increase his popularity and ordered to recognize March 8 as International Women's Day. But since it was difficult to tie it to historical events, the story had to be slightly adjusted. But no one really bothered to look into it. Once the leader said it, that means it was so.

TO THE POINT

Following the holiday of Defender of the Fatherland Day, which until recently was celebrated on February 23, International Women's Day - March 8, and Victory Day - May 9, may fade into oblivion.