Women’s Day celebration in Russia

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anti-war movement, Happy International Women's Day, History, International Women's Day, March 8, Mother Nature, peace, Russia, sacred feminine, spring, Spring flowers pics, Women, Women's Day celebration in Russia, Women's rights

Retro Russian poster: March 8, International Women’s Day! On banners: words “Peace” and “Friendship” in different languages

Happy March 8! Happy Women’s Day! This is an almost forgotten phrase I grew up with and loved so much. On this day, March 8th, men in Russia would bring colorful tulips and daffodils, as well as lily-of-the-valley and mimosa flowers to their women – mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters and daughters. Many companies and organizations would host parties to honor their female employees and give them gifts. My parents worked for the Russian Railroads, a rich organization by any measure, and my mom used to bring fab gifts from work on this holiday. My personal favorite was a set of filigree gilded silver coffee spoons she once received from her administration.

March 8 is a national holiday in Russia. All the women would usually be treated like pampered goddesses, being showered with flowers, kicking back and relaxing, as men of the house would take over all the cleaning, cooking and other chores, while their better halves would enjoy a fabulous day off. This, by the way, is a very strictly and solemnly observed Russian tradition. Even if a man is not a domestic type, or a high profile tycoon or political leader, he will show his humility and try his rusty domestic skills on this day. Following the Russian example, celebrating March 8 like this has become a tradition in many other countries, including those where women are normally treated as inferior, like the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

This post card reads: Happy March 8!

I love March, as it’s my birthday month and as it’s also the beginning of Spring. I remember our warm and joyful March 8 celebrations back in the old country, those huge bunches of fragrant tulips and mimosa – my mom’s favorite flowers we always had in our house, the open windows to let in the scents and sounds of spring….

At this time, we are still buried in the snow up to your ears here, in NY. Spring in the USA comes very late, and when it does, it hardly lasts for a couple of days, and all of sudden, it’s hot summer. I miss that wonderful, incomparable springtime, when all of nature awakens slowly and luxuriously, when the first flowers appear and snow slowly melts, feeding the earth and allowing the new growth to start in abundance.

By March 8, spring already awakens in Russia, and its essence, filled with the sounds of birds and fragrance of the spring flowers, permeates the air. Women’s Day is about that wonderful spring celebration and it’s also about honoring the Sacred Feminine, the Mother Earth and nature.

This holiday is also traditionally celebrated as a day of peace and unity around the world, hence the name: International Women’s Day. It started 102 years ago in Russia as a revolutionary celebration of women’s rights, and it also has its roots in the anti-war movement. Today, March 8 is a beloved and widely celebrated holiday not only in Russia, but in most other countries of the world.