A Little History
8 March is now recognized worldwide as the day that celebrates women but it started as a socialist political event long time ago in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Soviet Bloc.
International Women’s Day was first launched in Europe on 19 March 1911, as a result of Clara Zetkin’s proposal, but socialist women in U.S. had been already initiated a move on this topic back in 1908.
Clara Zetkin was a leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany and she came up with the idea that every country should celebrate in the same day, Women’s Day- for all ladies to demand their rights. Later, in 1913 the festivity was moved on 8 March and since then, this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day.
Today, on 8 March we praise all women because they deserve, but this day belongs, first of all to those women, who have given us the right to vote, the right to education and culture, contraception and divorce, the right to choose and to say “No”, the right of being free!
8 March in Romania
In Romania, International Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1945, but with the arrival of Nicolae Ceausescu as a leader of Socialist Republic of Romania, the meaning of this day was denatured and politically replaced with Mother’s Day. The communist regime has always placed woman somewhere at the bottom, but today, thanks to our patience, hard work, wisdom and courage, we came to celebrate, alongside all women in the world, our victory and freedom, each year, on 8 March.
Now, this holiday is a reason of joy for ladies, especially mothers, as they are rewarded with flowers and gifts for the happiness they bring into our lives.
At school, children are creating ingenious handmade crafts, beautiful cards from their pictures or they compose sweet poems in order to provide the most beautiful gift for their mothers.
The entire country, recently brought to life by the blossoming spring becomes animated, swarming, but still picturesque and comfy.
The streets of Romania are filled with flowers (the most common are: snowdrops, tulips and hyacinths); the shops, malls and supermarkets are bursting of all kinds of beautifully wrapped gifts and wide-ranging offers, perfume shops and jewelries provide discounts almost impossible to refuse and the markets are more colorful than ever as a lot of people come from the rural side of Romania with huge bags full of fresh flowers picked from their gardens.
The display is even more enchanting as you notice both the excitement and the awkwardness of men who are striving to choose the perfect gifts and the loveliest flowers. Among this crowd of men, can be easily seen a few curious children, walking among the shelves, eager to find a nice present for their mothers, teachers or aunts and to sneak as well, a little gift for the prettiest girl in class.
Now, that you have been introduced in this 8 March Romanian landscape that abounds in men and children, you may wonder where all the women are. Well, most of us are shopping or taking by storm the beauty salons because today we don’t cook, we don’t clean, today we have no worries or problems, no schedule and we don’t spend our personal money. Today we take care of us, we are spoiled and treasured, beautiful and respected and we spend the entire day preparing for the evening.
The evening of 8 March, in Romania is more complicated than you may think. Each restaurant, bar, clubs or any other local is coming up with a tempting offer for this special night. Whether you are single, in love, married or engaged in a relationship, 8 March is girl’s night out and you must treat it properly. There are so many parties in town that you will actually find it difficult to choose one. Some of them are more daring with strippers and champagne, others are thematic and interesting like a real pajama party held in an extravagant club or a free drinking night offered by skilled bartenders. Whether you pick one of these, or just dancing, singing at karaoke or having a discreet dinner with your girlfriends in an elegant restaurant, make sure that you’re beautiful, well dressed and happy, make sure that you shine and you enjoy it.
There are, of course a few women who prefer to spend the evening with their partners, dining, dancing, having fun or walking and you shouldn’t blame them as long as you can grasp the smile on their faces, the happiness in their eyes and the joy of being together because in the end, 8 March is all about love, happiness, gratitude and about how important it is to feel free and pleased.
Most of the companies grant raw, flowers and days off to women on 8 March or at least they allow them to go home a few hours earlier. Some of them are also organizing parties or trips exclusively for women, paid by their male colleagues.
From a celebration of working women, the International Women’s Day has evolved, becoming what it is today- the day we are grateful for being women, the only day of the year when we- the ladies of this planet are thinking the same, we are equal no matter the color, the nationality, the social position, the weight, or any other difference that society or nature is planting between us and …this is beautiful!
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