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Posted by Lada Ray

8 March International Women's Day

Dear women (and men too),

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

MAY ALL YOUR SACRED DREAMS AND WISHES COME TRUE!

This holiday in Russia is often also called the Day of Spring, Love and Beauty. On this day women expect to be pampered. According to the survey, this year up to 10% of the spoiled Russian women expect to get a car for March 8. 😉

8 marta belaya koshka i karsnie tufli

I find that many people in the West simply don’t get the meaning of this holiday.

HERE’s the real truth! The holiday did start in the beginning of the 20th century as a women’s rights and anti-war political movement. However, in the USSR it eventually evolved as a day of spring, flowers, relaxation and the honoring of the sacred feminine by men (at the bottom click on links to my previous posts to find out more and to see more cool images). And that’s how it’s now largely celebrated in Russia, all of post-Soviet Space and the world.

Vintage Soviet March 8 Posters:

8 marta vintage Soviet poster

‘March 8, International Women’s Day’

8 marta vintage Soviet poster2

8 marta CROP vintage soviet postcard

The important thing Westerners often don’t get is that Russian women get to be honored, treated with the respect, love and tenderness all women and mothers deserve, while at the same time they get to pursue careers and success in life equal to men. There is no BS ‘equality’ fights in Russia. Equality stays where it belongs: in the career and business world. But at the same time a man would still open a door or pull a chair for a woman. If you can imagine (I know it’s very hard if you live in the USA), a woman in that case would graciously say thank you, and she would NOT punch a man in the face or file a sexual harassment lawsuit! A woman would NOT perceive the man’s gallant gesture as a sign of her being considered weak, but she would accept this as a sign of her being honored and respected.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a positive world like this everywhere!

March 8 in Russia usually inspires poetry. Lots of businesses and organizations put out special ‘Happy March 8’ posters, often with poetic good wishes for their female employees and/or friends and family. And it all rhymes!

8-marta poem 2

This one reads:

‘Our Lovely Women, let your spring be forever, let the brooks run, let all the world’s flowers blossom just for you. Let the last snow wind take away any troubles, let the snow melting bring only happiness. May your sacred dreams and wishes come true! HAPPY MARCH 8!’

8-marta poem 3

This poster’s poem similarly wishes the end of any sorrows, and lots of love, joy, smiles and flowers. I am smiling just writing this 🙂

There are free concerts on streets and special concerts on TV, as well as major holiday programs in music halls on this day. Generally, Russians loooove their songs, concerts, and various fairs and events. When I was searching for images for this post I came across a large number of announcements for March 8 concerts in the ex-republics, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Latvia. It remains the holiday of choice in all those, despite attempts by the Latvian and Ukrainian authorities to ban it.

Russian children get it since they are little. Cutest Russian March 8 cartoon posters:

8 marta multik

‘March 8 – Congrats!’ – probably the most beloved Russian cartoon character, the sweet mystical animal Cheburashka, brings flowers and cake to the little squirrel girl.

8 marta Russian cartoon barrel of honey

Little bear boy brings a barrel of honey to his girlfriend.

otkrytki-s-8-marta-pozdravok-kotiki

And the cute March cats, of course 😉

March 8 is one of the coolest and most positive holidays, with lots of flowers and smiles. Tulips, mimosa, lily-of-the-valley, violets and lilac are the trademark flowers of this holiday. Men normally take over all the chores for the house, including cooking and cleaning, while women enjoy themselves. On this day husbands, boyfriends, fathers, sons, brothers and students honor their wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers and female teachers. This is how I remember it growing up.

8 marta best mom and wife

The cake reads ‘Happy March 8’; the boy’s tee says, ‘Love my mom’; the man’s, ‘My wife’s the best.’

March 8 is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a national holiday in Russia and some other post-Soviet/Russian World countries. It’s also widely celebrated in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

8-marta poem 4

If you celebrate, here’s another well-wishing March 8 poem! ‘May your life always blossom, may your children be happy and your home prosperous! Wishing you goodness, fortune & happiness!

If you live in a country where March 8 is not celebrated (that would be the Anglo-American world and a few others)…

Dear women, go pamper yourselves this weekend, celebrate YOU and the spring! Or get the men in your life to splurge on you!

Dear men, it’s a great idea to take the loved female(s) in your life out to a nice dinner this weekend, and/or buy her some nice flowers! If she asks what’s the occasion, you can say: ‘Spring is in the air!’ Or you can just tell the truth: ‘Lada says so,’ and show her this article! 😉