Without which holiday is it difficult to imagine the beginning of spring? Of course, without March 8th. The history of the creation of the March 8 holiday has already been forgotten by many of us. Over time, it lost its social and political significance. Now this day simply symbolizes respect, love and tenderness, which, undoubtedly, all representatives of the fair sex on the planet deserve: mothers, grandmothers, daughters, wives and sisters.
The origin of the March 8 holiday is not known to everyone. Most of us only know about the official version. However, there is more than one story about the creation of the March 8 holiday. Moreover, each of them has the right to exist. Which of these versions to believe in, everyone decides for himself.
Official version
According to the official version of the USSR, the origin of the March 8 holiday is associated with a protest march organized by textile factory workers. Women came out to protest against harsh working conditions and low wages.
It is noteworthy that the newspapers of those years did not publish a single article about such strikes. Later, historians managed to find out that in 1857 March 8 fell on a Sunday. It may seem strange that women went on strike on a day off.
There is another story. On March 8, Clara Zetkin spoke at the women's forum in Copenhagen with a call to establish a German communist who implied that on March 8 women would be able to organize marches and rallies, thereby drawing public attention to their own problems. The date was framed as a strike by those same textile workers, which in reality never happened.
In the USSR, this holiday appeared thanks to Clara Zetkin’s friend, the fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. So in 1921, Women's Day became an official holiday in our country for the first time.
The Legend of the Queen of the Jews
Historians' opinions about the origins of Clara Zetkin are divided. No one can say for sure whether she was Jewish. Some sources say that Clara was born into a Jewish family. Others claim that her father was German.
Clara Zetkin’s desire to connect the holiday with the date of March 8 ambiguously indicates that she still had Jewish roots, since March 8 is celebrated as an ancient Jewish holiday- Purim.
What other versions of the creation of the March 8 holiday are there? The history of the holiday may be connected with the history of the Jewish people. According to legend, Queen Esther, who was the beloved of King Xerxes, saved the Jews from extermination with the help of her spells. The Persian king intended to kill all the Jews, but the beautiful Esther was able to convince him not to kill the Jewish people, but, on the contrary, to exterminate all enemies, including the Persians.
Praising the queen, Jews began to celebrate the holiday of Purim. The date of the celebration was always different and fell at the end of February - beginning of March. However, in 1910 this day fell on March 8th.
Women of an ancient profession
According to the third version, the origin of the March 8 holiday is scandalous and unpleasant for women who look forward to this day.
According to some reports, in 1857, the women of New York did organize a protest, but they were not textile workers, but representatives of the oldest profession who demanded wages for the sailors who used their services, since the latter could not pay them.
March 8, 1894 women lung behavior again held a demonstration, but in Paris. They demanded recognition of their rights on an equal basis with other workers who sew clothes and bake bread, and also asked to organize trade unions for them. The following year, rallies were held in Chicago and New York.
It is noteworthy that Clara Zetkin herself participated in such actions. For example, in 1910, she and her friend brought prostitutes onto the streets of Germany demanding an end to police brutality. In the Soviet version public women had to be replaced by “workers”.
Why was it necessary to implement March 8?
History of international women's day in Russia is of a political nature. March 8 is essentially an ordinary political campaign carried out by the Social Democrats. At the beginning of the 20th century there were active protests to attract public attention. To do this, they took to the streets with posters promoting socialist calls. This was to the advantage of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party, since progressive women were in solidarity with the party.
This is probably why Stalin ordered the recognition of March 8 as Women's Day. Because it was impossible to connect the date with historical events, the story had to be slightly adjusted. If the leader said it, it had to be done.
Women from Venus
Traditions associated with the International are no less interesting than the origin of the March 8 holiday. For example, on this day it is customary to wear purple ribbons.
And this is not surprising, because this color represents Venus, which is considered the patroness of all women. That is why all famous ladies (politicians, teachers, medical workers, journalists, actresses and athletes) wear purple ribbons when taking part in March 8 events. Typically, they take part in political rallies, women's conferences or theater performances, fairs and even fashion shows.
The meaning of the holiday
There is no city where March 8 is not celebrated. For many, the history of the holiday personifies the indomitable spirit of women fighting for equality and their own. For others, this holiday has long lost its political overtones and has become an excellent occasion to express love and respect for the fair sex.
On the day, words of congratulations on March 8th are heard everywhere. In any organization, company or educational institution they honor female employees and give them flowers and gifts. Along with this, official events are held in cities on March 8th. A festive concert is held annually in the Kremlin in Moscow.
How is March 8 celebrated in Russia?
On March 8th, all women forget about household chores. All housework (cleaning, cooking, washing) is put off. Often men take on all the worries so that once a year they feel the complexity of carrying out the everyday tasks that our women cope with. On this day, every representative of the fair sex should hear words of congratulations on March 8th.
This holiday never ceases to be the most long-awaited for all women. On March 8, it is customary to congratulate not only loved ones, but also colleagues, neighbors, store employees, doctors and teachers.
Don't skimp on kind words on this wonderful day. After all, without women, life on Earth would cease to exist!
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March 8: the non-women's history of the holiday. The celebration of International Women's Day is usually associated with the leader (leader?) of the world communist movement Clara Zetkin, who proposed introducing this day in 1910. This happened at the Second International Women's Conference in Copenhagen. . But few people know that the holiday was originally celebrated on March 19th. And in general in different countries the date was “floating”; in Russia, for example, in 1913 it was celebrated on March 2. But starting from 1914, March 8 was celebrated everywhere, because in the year the First World War began, March 8 fell on a Sunday, and the date was fixed. Some researchers associate this holiday with the Jewish Purim, when they remember Queen Esther, the wife of Xerxes, who prevented Jewish pogroms in Persia. The date of this holiday is also floating - but in 1910 it fell on March 8th. Some recall both the famous Judith and the day of the Harlots of Zion (Babylon). Others say that back in 1848, the King of Prussia (as a result of the workers’ uprising on March 8!), among other things, promised women the right to vote. And then they remember another socialist, Elena Grinberg, who proposed a specific date. But perhaps the closest to the truth is another event: on March 8, 1857, workers in the textile industry and clothing factories of New York, protesting against low wages women and poor working conditions, organized a march through the streets of Manhattan. Let me remind you that these women had to work 16 hours a day for pennies! Democracy after all... But after these protests, women were “equalized” in rights with men, and they received a 10-hour working day (like men!!!). On March 8, 1901, the first ever protest march of women housewives took place in Chicago - the so-called “pot riot” or “march of empty pots.” Using these dishes as drums, women sought equal political rights, the opportunity to work in production without restrictions or restrictions, but most interestingly, the right to serve in the army and police. Since then, all leftist parties in the United States began to apply these demands in their programs. So the date of the holiday and its reasons can be discussed for a long time. But the main fact is that after the victory of the Bolsheviks in October 1917, this day began to be celebrated annually in Russia. At the global level, it was consolidated in 1921, when the 2nd Communist Women's Conference finally approved March 8 (February 23, old style!!!) in the USSR as International Women's Day. Why did they start from February 23, which can cause all men to be confused? It's simple - it was on February 23, 1917 that thousands of women took to the streets of Petrograd demanding “bread and peace!” So what subsequently happened was a unique coincidence between Defender of the Fatherland Day and International Women’s Day with a difference in calendar styles. However, as they say smart people , there are no coincidences. And although March 8 remained a working day for a long time, the Soviet government “celebrated” it in every possible way: it reported to the people about its achievements in the field of women’s rights, and in 1925, for example, discounts on galoshes were announced for women in USSR stores! March 8 became a non-working holiday in the USSR in 1966. This was announced on May 8, 1965, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. And in 1977, the USSR convinced the UN to declare March 8 International Women's Day. More precisely, the International Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. True, it is no secret that in the Western world - at least at the state level - this holiday has not become a holiday. It should be noted that in the late USSR and modern Russia it ceased to have a political connotation. This is a day of universal male admiration for women. One of my friends from Germany in the mid-90s told me, watching how bouquets were being bought up on the eve of March 8: “Oh, tomorrow is your Russian Valentine’s Day!” To which I answered him that this is not Valentine’s Day for us, but we are simply reminding ourselves that we can’t live without women, that everything rests on them, that men are strong in attack, and women are strong in constancy. And in general, we always love women, and March 8 is a kind of culmination for us, in which there is no political or any other background. By the way, many foreigners, and especially foreigners from Western Europe and the USA, openly envied our women on March 8th. Journalists wrote about how Femininity Day is celebrated in the USSR, and even in schools boys place bouquets and cards on the desks of their classmates... It is noteworthy that the Soviet Minister of Culture Furtseva even wanted to cancel this day (back in 1961!), considering it offensive to Soviet women. One way or another, the day of femininity remains with us. It remained throughout the entire USSR in one form or another. Today March 8th is officially celebrated in 31 countries around the world. But not in all countries March 8 is International Women's Day. This day is celebrated in the following countries: Azerbaijan, Angola, Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Vietnam, Guinea-Bissau, Georgia, Zambia, Israel, Italy, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, People's Republic of China (but working day), DPRK (North Korea), Congo (“Congolese Women's Day”), Costa Rica, Cuba, Laos, Madagascar (day off for women only), Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan (“Mother’s Day”), Ukraine, Croatia, Montenegro, Eritrea. It is celebrated in different ways... For example, in seemingly socialist China, on March 8, it is customary to congratulate only elderly and honored party leaders and public figures. The rest of the women on this day continue to build a bright future... And here in Russia - after Europe’s distortions towards same-sex marriage and other “gender equality”, the day of March 8 has also acquired, as men now say, the “correct” meaning. This is the day of love for a woman... On one of these days I ironically wrote: Once upon a time you took us away from paradise, To the ends of the earth, to the very, very edge... Why did you do this - I don’t know, Probably so that by loving and seducing us to return to paradise, at least for a short time... And how can the Earth not spin now, We definitely won’t return there without you!
The celebration of International Women's Day is usually associated with the leader (leader?) of the world communist movement Clara Zetkin, who proposed introducing this day in 1910. This happened at the Second International Women's Conference in Copenhagen.
But few people know that the holiday was originally celebrated on March 19th. And in general, in different countries the date was “floating”; in Russia, for example, in 1913 it was celebrated on March 2. But starting since 1914 March 8 was already celebrated everywhere, because in the year the First World War began, March 8 fell on a Sunday, and the date was fixed.
Some researchers associate this holiday with the Jewish Purim, when they remember Queen Esther, the wife of Xerxes, who prevented Jewish pogroms in Persia. The date of this holiday is also floating - but in 1910 it fell on March 8th. Some at the same time remember both the famous Judith and the day of the Zion (Babylonian) harlots... Others say that in 1848 the king of Prussia (as a result of the workers' uprising on March 8!), among other things, promised women the right to vote. And then they remember another socialist - Elena Grinberg, who proposed a specific date.
But perhaps the closest thing to the truth is another event: on March 8, 1857, women workers in the textile industry and clothing factories of New York, protesting against women’s low wages and poor working conditions, organized a march through the streets of Manhattan. Let me remind you that these women had to work 16 hours a day for pennies! Democracy after all... But after these protests, women were “equalized” in rights with men, and they received a 10-hour working day (like men!!!).
March 8, 1901 The first ever protest march of women housewives took place in Chicago - the so-called “pot riot” or “march of empty pots”. Using these dishes as drums, women sought equal political rights, the opportunity to work in production without restrictions or restrictions, but most interestingly, the right to serve in the army and police. Since then, all leftist parties in the United States began to apply these demands in their programs.
So the date of the holiday and its reasons can be discussed for a long time. But the main fact is that after the victory of the Bolsheviks in October 1917, this day began to be celebrated annually in Russia. At the global level, it was consolidated in 1921, when the 2nd Communist Women's Conference finally approved March 8 (February 23, old style!!!) in the USSR as International Women's Day. Why did they start from February 23, which can cause all men to be confused? It's simple - it was on February 23, 1917 that thousands of women took to the streets of Petrograd demanding “bread and peace!” So what subsequently happened was a unique coincidence between Defender of the Fatherland Day and International Women’s Day with a difference in calendar styles. However, as smart people say, there are no coincidences.
And although March 8 remained a working day for a long time, the Soviet government “celebrated” it in every possible way: it reported to the people about its achievements in the field of women’s rights, and in 1925, for example, discounts on galoshes were announced for women in USSR stores! March 8 became a non-working holiday in the USSR in 1966. This was announced on May 8, 1965, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. And in 1977, the USSR convinced the UN to declare March 8 International Women's Day. More precisely, the International Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. True, it is no secret that in the Western world - at least at the state level - this holiday has not become a holiday.
It should be noted that in the late USSR and modern Russia it ceased to have a political connotation. This is a day of universal male admiration for women. One of my friends from Germany told me in the mid-90s, watching how bouquets were being bought up on the eve of March 8:
- Oh, tomorrow is your Russian Valentine's Day!
To which I answered him that this is not Valentine’s Day for us, but we are simply reminding ourselves that we can’t live without women, that everything rests on them, that men are strong in attack, and women are strong in constancy. And in general, we always love women, and March 8 is a kind of culmination for us, in which there is no political or any other background.
By the way, many foreigners, and especially foreigners from Western Europe and the USA, openly envied our women on March 8th. Journalists wrote about how Femininity Day is celebrated in the USSR, and even in schools boys place bouquets and cards on the desks of their classmates... It is noteworthy that the Soviet Minister of Culture Furtseva even wanted to cancel this day (back in 1961!), considering it offensive to Soviet women.
One way or another, the day of femininity remains with us. It remained throughout the entire USSR in one form or another. Today March 8th is officially celebrated in 31 countries around the world. But not in all countries March 8 is International Women's Day. This day is celebrated in the following countries: Azerbaijan, Angola, Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Vietnam, Guinea-Bissau, Georgia, Zambia, Israel, Italy, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, People's Republic of China (but working day), DPRK (North Korea), Congo (“Congolese Women's Day”), Costa Rica, Cuba, Laos, Madagascar (day off for women only), Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan (“Mother’s Day”), Ukraine, Croatia, Montenegro, Eritrea. It is celebrated in different ways... For example, in seemingly socialist China, on March 8, it is customary to congratulate only elderly and honored party leaders and public figures. The rest of the women continue to build a bright future on this day...
And here in Russia - after Europe’s distortions towards same-sex marriage and other “gender equality”, March 8th also acquired, as men now say, the “correct” meaning. This is the day of love for a woman... On one of these days I ironically wrote:
Once upon a time you took us away from paradise,
To the ends of the earth, to the very, very edge...
Why did you do this - I don’t know, probably to love and seduce,
To return us to paradise, at least for a little while...
And how can the Earth not spin now?
We definitely won’t be able to return there without you!
Almost the whole world celebrates March 8. The origins of this celebration are women’s defense of their equality and independence. This women's day they are surrounded by care, they are given attention and gifts.
March 8: let's turn to history.
The history of International Women's Day has several versions. The article reflects only a few of them, which are considered the most reliable.
The Jewish people have a holiday called Purim, which is celebrated on March 4th. The holiday is dedicated to the wife of the powerful ruler Xerxes, Esther. According to legend, it was she who saved the Jewish people living on the territory of the Persian Empire from death. With her wisdom and feminine cunning, she directed her husband against the enemies of the Persian Jews, who were exterminated.
Celebrating Purim, Jews express gratitude to the woman they consider their savior. That is why you can link the day of creation International Women's Day to the day of the salvation of the Jews from extermination.
In Ancient Rome (1st century BC) there was a custom on March 1 to worship and pray to the Goddess Juno. It is known that the Goddess Juno was the patroness of families; people turned to her for help during childbirth and marriage. The day of worship of Juno was also called Matrons. Traditionally, dressed in their best clothes, they carried wreaths of flowers to the place of worship and asked for the happiness and well-being of the family. It is noteworthy that on March 1, female slaves also had a holiday; they did not work, their responsibilities were transferred to men. On March 1, the Romans traditionally presented expensive gifts to their wives, mothers, and even maids.
Manifesto of 1857
In New York March 8, 1857 workers in shoe factories held a manifesto to demand changes to current working conditions, namely to shorten the working day and increase wages. At that time, women had a 16-hour working day and their wage level would be much lower than that of men. After this demonstration, women were given the opportunity to participate in elections and also create trade unions.
In her speech in Copenhagen, the famous feminist Clara Zetkin took the initiative to make March 8 a holiday dedicated to female. This happened in 1910 at a conference of women who were socialists. In this way they wanted to declare their rights.
First celebrated in 1911 women's day, but not on the 8th, but on the 19th of March. On that day, the streets of cities in several European countries were filled with thousands of men and women. The manifesto was more like a call for socialism, but, nevertheless, it is believed that people then spoke out specifically for women and their rights.
In the USSR holiday March 8 was extremely politicized and women were given not flowers and gifts, but certificates for success in production.
The United Nations only publicly confirmed the existence of World Women's Day in 1976.
Today, the whole world knows about March 8 as a day of favor for a woman, her magnificence, prudence, and strength. Read about how it will be held in different cities of Russia on the 1NNC website. Men look after and care for their mothers, wives, grandmothers and give generous gifts. Few people turn to the origins of this holiday, but it is necessary to know the history and remember why women have such a holiday. A day on which everyone remembers that the world cannot exist without a woman. It’s interesting that a real woman should be beautiful, smart, successful every day. Improve yourself, work on yourself, strive for the ideal and then men will respect you, appreciate you and give you flowers not only in day March 8.
Happy holiday to you, women, girls and girls!
International Women's Day (or the UN International Day for Women's Rights and International Peace) is celebrated on March 8th.
In a number of countries, International Women's Day March 8 is a national holiday: in China, North Korea, Angola, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia and Uganda.
After the collapse of the USSR, some republics of the former Union continue to celebrate March 8, some hastened to get rid of the Soviet legacy. In Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Abkhazia, March 8 is still celebrated as International Women's Day.
In Tajikistan, on the initiative of the country's president, since 2009 the holiday began to be called Mother's Day. This day remains a non-working day in Tajikistan.
In Turkmenistan, International Women's Day was not celebrated until 2008 - women's holiday was moved to March 21 (vernal equinox), connected with Navruz - the national holiday of spring, and was called National holiday spring and women. In January 2008, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov introduced changes to the Labor Code and
Good afternoon First of all, I would like to congratulate our lovely ladies on this wonderful holiday. Men have long admired and deified women, considering them to be beautiful creatures on our planet. And the eighth of March, accordingly, is a holiday of love and spring joy.
But few people know that March 8 was not created as a day of admiration for women, it has a political essence. That is, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, this holiday was purely political. This day was a symbol of women's desire to exercise their voting rights. A symbol of their equality with men.
But time flows according to its own laws. From different dates, political husks fall off. At the moment, this day is considered a day of spring joy. On this day we thank women for existing and making us men happy!
In Russia, everyone knows about March 8th, but not everyone knows what the real history of the March 8th holiday is? How did it appear, what is its essence? Although quite recently every Soviet schoolchild knew about this.
The history of the holiday March 8, how it appeared
Few people know, but this holiday appeared, strange as it may seem now, in America, in the mid-19th century. In that distant time ordinary people worked sixteen hours a day.
People received mere pennies for their work. Therefore, many of the workers began to go on strike and fight for better working hours. And, most importantly, they succeeded. Many enterprises introduced a ten-hour working day and increased wages.
But all this applied specifically to men. Women continued to work 12–16 hours, receiving pennies for it. And so on March 8, 1857. In New York City, thousands of women, workers of local factories producing clothing and footwear, came out to rally. They demanded that they be given voting rights, higher wages and a reduction in the working day to 10 hours. Some of their demands were indeed satisfied.
Further, in 1910 The International Conference of Women Socialists was held. It happened in Copenhagen. The most active speaker on this day was Clara Zetkin. She proposed celebrating March 8 as the day of women's struggle for their rights (in memory of the above-mentioned American events). She openly called on women to start fighting poverty, for their dignity, for respect for women’s work, and so on.
Some of her words were actually heard, this day really began to be celebrated, but in different days. So, in 1911 women in Denmark, Switzerland and Germany celebrated it on March 19th. They demanded the right to vote and the opportunity to occupy leadership positions, lower working hours and increase wages. The following year, this holiday was celebrated on May 12.
The history of the March 8 holiday in Russia developed in a similar way. This holiday was celebrated for the first time in St. Petersburg in 1913. Government officials allowed it to be celebrated on March 2. The day was called “Scientific morning on women's issues.”
The meeting took place on Poltavskaya Street on the territory of the grain exchange. On that day, various issues were discussed, including the right to vote for women, assistance to mothers from the state, and the issue of prices was considered. The following year, women marched in various European countries in March to protest the war.
In Russia, women protested through the streets of Petrograd at the beginning of the seventeenth. They demanded to stop the war and give people bread. On the fourth day after this, Russian autocrat Nicholas II signed his famous abdication of the throne. The provisional government allowed women to vote in elections. By coincidence, this day according to the Julian calendar fell on. Based on the Gregorian calendar, it fell on March 8th.
In the USSR, March 8 began to be celebrated from the beginning of the creation of the country. Since 1965, this day has become a red day (a day off). It was widely celebrated at the state level. The top officials of the state congratulated the women on television and radio. From the plenum of the Central Committee, officials gave a report on the work done to improve the lives of women.
The story of March 8 did not end there. Over time, the holiday began to lose its political meaning and become popular. At every enterprise, women began to be congratulated on Women’s Day, without taking into account the political implications.
Even in schools and kindergartens, children began to congratulate women teachers and girls on this holiday. At home, children began to congratulate their mothers and grandmothers.
The union fell apart, but the holiday remained approximately the same as it was. With the exception of the political subtext, it is completely missing. At the same time, do you know why the holiday is called “International”? Now it is clear that this holiday is celebrated in many countries of the former union.
But during the time of the Union it was also considered International! The thing is that besides Russia it is also celebrated by another great country, it is celebrated in China. There on March 8 everything happens approximately the same as here. The same congratulations at enterprises, institutes, schools, etc. People also rejoice on this day!
On March 8, the history of the holiday in Russia is a little mysterious. Once again to all the beautiful ladies with the upcoming international women's day! Congratulations to you, girls! We love you!
