Associated holiday is March 8th. History of International Women's Day

The holiday of the dishes washed once a year by the husband, the holiday of Mimosa pudica (popularly referred to as "mimosa"), the holiday of mandatory children's matinees .... A friend of mine speaks of this date with an extremely dismissive shrug of her lips: “We do not celebrate gender holidays in the family.” At the same time, the word “gender” at this stage of the development of society has a pejorative, and at times even offensive meaning. That is, the holiday of women, Women's Day, in her view - and not only in her - a day that humiliates women's honor and dignity. Is it so? Let's figure it out.

Ancient Rome

A holiday of life, a holiday of rebirth and birth, a holiday of the hearth - a holiday of women. No, not like this: the Women's Day. Feast of the goddess Vesta and her "wards". A holiday on which all the women of Rome and its environs, regardless of their social status (both freeborn and slave), enjoyed incomparably big amount freedoms than in other days (Roman women, even freeborn, did not have the rights that we have, modern women). Dressed up in the morning, the matrons and slaves decorated themselves with wreaths of flowers and went to the temple of Vesta to offer sacrifices and worship the goddess. In addition, donkeys also had special rights on this day (joking aside) - they had an official day off, because, according to mythology, it was the donkey who saved Vesta from being raped by Priapus - a deity responsible for fertility, but who had, let's say, oddities in psyche. Among other things, Priapus measured the size of a penis with a talking donkey and, having lost, killed the latter in a rage.
Despite the fact that the holiday used to be celebrated on June 9, that is, at the beginning of summer, after its ban in 382, ​​the holiday was gradually shifted to spring. In fact, there was no official holiday left, but the habit was preserved and it was put "at the service of the Fatherland", linking spring with women and forgetting about the donkeys who suffered for women's honor.

ancient persia

Xerxes - the one who crushed the number of three hundred Spartans and King Leonidas - is not important to us now. But his wife, Esther, is interesting and beyond any connection with Sparta. She was Jewish and a worthy daughter of her people. In fact, she saved the Jews from another total destruction by directing her husband's anger at her own subjects and the general devoted to the king.
480 BC - death, "with light hand» Esther about 75,000 Persians instead of about the same number of Jews. There is a book about this woman, which is included in the Old Testament - the Book of Esther.
There is a legend that Clara Zetkin - who “appointed” us to celebrate March 8, proposed this date in honor of the Purim holiday - the day that marks the next preservation of the Jewish people in the Judean and Babylonian lands, the day dedicated to Esther. A woman who managed to save an entire nation.
Where is the humiliation of honor and dignity here? ..

America

1857 March 8. There is literally nothing. The working day for women is 16 hours. Wages are meagre. Suffrage and "did not smell." “March of empty pots” - they will say later about the textile workers who took to the streets of New York, protesting against working conditions. They didn't want too much: a 10-hour work day, dry and well-lit workplaces... Think about this word - "dry".
On March 8, 1908, those who had the strength to protest further demanded a ban on the use child labor and giving women the right to vote. The very rights that Roman women never had: neither the right to vote, nor the right to property, nor the right to children.
And already in 1909, the Socialist Party of America decided to proclaim last Sunday February National Women's Day.

Pre-revolutionary Russia

So, the same Clara Zetkin. The same woman who for some reason is now called a "prostitute", as if someone was standing next to a candle. The same woman who, in 1910 in Copenhagen, at an international women's conference, proposed to celebrate March 8 every year in honor of those events that happened more than fifty years ago. Her proposal was supported, although the date in different countries carried over to other days. So, in 1911, for the first time, International Women's Day was celebrated in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland on March 19, then, in 1912, other countries joined on May 12. In Russia, it was first celebrated on March 2, 1913 with the permission of the authorities. As a result, one and a half thousand women gathered to discuss pressing issues: suffrage for women, state maternity support ( maternity leave), etc. In 1914, in early March, in many European countries, women organized protest marches against the war, which would later be called the First World War.
In 1917, it was women who on the last Sunday of February (in honor of the American National women's day) came out with the slogans "Bread and Peace", and after the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne, they "demanded" their voting rights from the interim government. It so happened that this truly historic day fell on March 23 according to the old style and March 8 according to the new style.

On March 8, hundreds of thousands of women are celebrated annually in Ukraine. However, it is not so easy to explain why we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 and will be like the history of this holiday in general. How "prostitutes" in history were replaced by "workers" and about the protests of women - read in the material.

And if those women to whom we owe the holiday of March 8 - suffragettes, were told that in a hundred years women would begin to prepare for this day in beauty salons, and then accept flowers, perfumes and compliments from men, these ladies would definitely come out from yourself. And the reaction of the revolutionary Clara Zetkin, who granted Women's Day the status of an annual and international one, is generally hard to imagine.

History March 8- version one, official: Day of Solidarity of Working Women

Although this version of the creation of the holiday on March 8 from the times of the USSR was recognized as official (and no other versions were considered), it has several "errors".

So, according to the official version, the holiday is associated with the "march of empty pans", which took place on March 8, 1857 in New York.At that time, women who worked in textile dyes protested against poor working conditions and low wages.During the march, they beat these same pots, demanding that they be granted a 10-hour working day instead of a 16-hour one, equal wages with men and suffrage.

The same version also speaks of the famous German communist Clara Zetkin. It is she who is often called the woman who founded the holiday on March 8. In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, 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 demonstrations, and thereby draw public attention to their problems.

Here it is also worth recalling the controversial appeal of Zetkin. She was an avid communist, which means she was ready for anything for the sake of her own convictions. In 1920, during the war between Poland and Soviet Russia, Zetkin said the following from the rostrum of the Reichstag.

Not a single wagon with weapons for the Polish troops, with machine tools for military factories built in Poland by the capitalists of the Entente, should cross the German border.

To this end, Zetkin called for the mobilization of all "conscious proletarian women" who should offer their love to any "conscious" worker who refuses to participate in the execution of military orders.

This holiday came to the then Russian Empire through Zetkin's girlfriend, the fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. The one that conquered the Soviet Union with a "big phrase".

Surrendering to the first man you meet should be as easy as drinking a glass of water.

On March 8, 1917, a women's demonstration took place in Petrograd. While two million soldiers died during the war, women came out demanding "bread and peace." This historic Sunday falls on February 23 according to the Julian calendar, or March 8 according to the Gregorian - the beginning of the Russian revolution.

Four days later, the tsar abdicated and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. March 8 became official holiday in the USSR in 1921.

History March 8- version two: protests of prostitutes, not factory workers

This version of the origin of the holiday is perhaps the most scandalous and bad for everyone representatives of beauty gender , who await International Women 's Day with trepidation .

Detention of suffragettes in Britain

In 1857, in New York, women really protested (as we wrote above), but they were not textile workers, but prostitutes. They demanded to pay salaries to sailors, because they used their services and did not have money to pay.

Even later - March 8, 1894 - Another demonstration of prostitutes took place in Paris. This time they demanded recognition of their rights on an equal footing with those service workers who sew clothes or bake bread, and establish special unions .

Detention of suffragettes

Similar actions took place in 1895 in Chicago, and in 1896 in New York.These protests became the prerequisite for the memorable congress of suffragettes (from the English word suffrage - "suffrage") in 1910, where it was decided to declare March 8 as Women's Day and international, as Zetkin proposed.

By the way, Clara Zetkin herself also took part in such actions.In 1910, together with her friend Rosa Luxembourg, she brought prostitutes to the streets of German cities demanding an end to police excesses.But in the Soviet version, "prostitutes" were replaced by "working women."

History of March 8 - version three: honoring the Jewish queen

There is a version that Zetkin was born in the family of a Jewish shoemaker, and therefore she connected March 8 with the Jewish holiday of Purim.

According to legend, the beloved of the Persian king Xerxes, Esther, saved the Jewish people from extermination, 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 Jewish enemies, including the Persians themselves.It happened on the 13th day of Arda according to the Jewish calendar (this month falls at the end of February- early March). Honoring Esther, the Jews began to celebrate Purim.The date of the celebration was "floating", but in 1910 it fell on March 8th.

Detention of suffragettes in Germany

Other versions

Some are convinced that March 8 is Mrs. Zetkin's birthday.Others, either jokingly or seriously, claim that on this day Clara Zetkin (Eisner) became a woman, and then decided to inscribe this intimate date in world history, disguising it as the day of "international solidarity of the female proletariat."

The version about Zetkin's birthday can be easily refuted, because, according to historical documents, she was born on July 5th. But the other - about the loss of virginity - remains only a strange assumption. The very same holiday on March 8, over the years, more and more acquires similar and unlikely legends.

Caricature of suffragettes in the press

What do we celebrate on March 8?

Speaking dryly, March 8- the usual political "PR campaign" of the Social Democrats.At the beginning of the 20th century, women protested all over Europe.And in order to attract attention, they didn’t even need to show their breasts, as modern activists do.It was enough just to walk through the streets with posters on which socialist slogans were written.

March 8 was a regular working day for a long time, only on May 8, 1965, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, International Women's Day on March 8 was declared a holiday in the USSR.

Detention of suffragettes

If you say that March 8is a communist relic, you can't go wrong.However, one cannot ignore the fact that, on the other hand,– it is a manifestation of the women's movement.It doesn't really matter which professions took to the streets to protest.After decades, we are only interested in the fact itself.

Detention of suffragettes

As old as the world and known to all.

Just in case, I checked with my colleagues and realized that many people know only the official version. On the eve of Women's Day, we decided to collect all the stories that, one way or another, relate to the creation of International Women's Day. Some of them may shock and even discourage you from celebrating this day at all.

Version one, official: Working Women's Solidarity Day

The official version of the USSR says 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 in the then press there was not a single note about the strike. And historians have found that March 8, 1857 was a Sunday at all. It is very strange to go on strike on the weekend.

In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, the 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 processions, and thereby draw public attention to their problems. Well, we all know this story.

Initially, the holiday was called the International Day of Women's Solidarity in the Struggle for Their Rights. The date of March 8 was brought under the same strike of textile workers, which, in fact, may never have happened. More precisely, it was, but it was not the textile workers who were on strike. But more on that later.

This holiday was brought to the USSR by Zetkin's friend, the fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. The one that conquered the Soviet Union with the "great phrase": "You have to surrender to the first man you meet as easily as drinking a glass of water."

Version two, Jewish: praise of the Jewish queen

Historians have not agreed on whether Clara Zetkin was a Jew. Some sources claim that she was born in the family of a Jewish shoemaker, while others - a German teacher. Go figure it out. However, Zetkin's desire to connect March 8 with the Jewish holiday of Purim cannot be hushed up.

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, 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.

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

Version three, about women of the most ancient profession

The third version is perhaps the most scandalous for all the fair sex, who await International Women's Day with trepidation.

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

On March 8, 1894, prostitutes again demonstrated in Paris. This time they demanded recognition of their rights on an equal footing with those women who sew clothes or bake bread, and the establishment of special trade unions. This was repeated in 1895 in Chicago, and in 1896 in New York - shortly before the memorable congress of suffragettes in 1910, where it was decided to declare this day women's and international at the suggestion of Zetkin.

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

Why did they introduce March 8?

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

At the beginning of the 20th century, women protested all over Europe. And in order to attract attention, they did not even need to show their breasts. It was enough just to walk through the streets with posters on which socialist slogans were written, and public attention was ensured. And the leaders of the Social Democratic Party have a tick, they say, progressive women are in solidarity with us.

Stalin also decided to add to 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 corrected. And nobody really cared about it. Once the leader said - so it was.

International Women's Day (or UN International Day for Women's Rights and International Peace) is celebrated on March 8.

In a number of countries, International Women's Day on 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 Soviet 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, at the initiative of the country's president, since 2009, the holiday has become known as Mother's Day. This day in Tajikistan remained non-working.

In Turkmenistan, International Women's Day was not celebrated until 2008 - women's holiday was moved to March 21 (the day of the vernal equinox), connected with Navruz - the national holiday of spring, and was called the National Holiday of Spring and Women. In January 2008, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov amended the Labor Code and

The history of the holiday on March 8 has already crossed the century boundary. Naturally, over such a period of time, history and traditions have developed that relate to both gifts and the celebration of International Women's Day.

Which March 8 traditions can be marked as the most common or the most interesting?

Women's Day Traditions in Russia

Our people love this holiday and have been celebrating it with pleasure for more than a decade. What customs have developed around the Russian March 8?

1. On this day congratulations to all the beautiful half, without division into age and status. Very little girls, and young girls, and older ladies, and elderly women receive their share of gifts.
2. Traditional gift on this day - flowers. They can be in bouquets, and in flowerpots. It may be a luxurious designer bouquet, and a touching mimosa sprig, but flowers for March 8 are practically an obligatory gift.
3. On this day of women traditionally free from all women's chores around the house. Previously, men stood behind the stove, they cleaned the apartment, baked cakes with their own hands and tried in every possible way to honestly do that part of the housework, which is usually the female prerogative. Now many men follow the path of least resistance, limiting themselves to going to a restaurant or ordering food at home, in order not to force their beloved to do housework on a holiday.
4. Traditions on March 8 also affect gifts. Once upon a time, certificates of honor for production and professional success acted as them, then the holiday became less politicized, and gifts became more festive. Now on March 8, women are traditionally given jewelry, accessories, clothes, beautiful underwear. It is bad form to give kitchen utensils on March 8 - pots, pans, kettles, potholders and aprons. It's better to give household appliances if you definitely decide to make your loved one happy with something extremely useful.
5. Another tradition of the Russian March 8 is a day off on this day.. Since this holiday was declared a non-working day in 1965, it has been a legal holiday for the whole country. And no government in the era of change encroached on this indestructible folk tradition- celebrate March 8 widely and on a grand scale.
6. It can be called a tradition congratulations to women in the workplace and in teams. Each company and office prepares for this day differently. Somewhere they arrange a whole party filled with fun and surprises, somewhere they are limited to a weekend for women. Somewhere they just give small bouquets of flowers or cute souvenirs, but on March 8 in every institution and at work, women receive attention, congratulations and compliments.
7. It can also be noted culinary Russian traditions March 8. Traditional desserts - cakes or pastries, light fruit soufflés or low-calorie fruit salads - are an indispensable part of the treat. After all, women love sweets. Also, in most families they try to cook salads or dishes with the first spring vegetables - after all, you really want to treat yourself to what you have lost the habit of over the winter: fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, elastic salad greens.

March 8 traditions in other countries

March 8 is celebrated on the territory former USSR almost everywhere. Ukraine and Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - all these countries celebrate March 8, and their traditions are not much different from Russian ones. Still, for a long time we were one country, with a common cultural space, and similar traditions of celebrating this day. How are things going abroad? Indeed, since 1977, March 8 received the status of International Women's Day from the UN. What traditions on March 8 are inherent in other countries?

• In Vietnam, this day is a public holiday and is celebrated everywhere.. Previously, this one was in memory of the brave Trung sisters who fought against China's invasion of Vietnam and died bravely, preferring death to captivity. In the last century, this holiday has gradually changed, and now Vietnam celebrates March 8 as the International Day of Women's Struggle for Their Rights.
• March 8 is also celebrated in China. This day in this country is a day off, but only for women. The men continue to work. On this day, Chinese women meet with friends, go to cafes and shops, in general, they try to pamper themselves and their loved ones. And in the evening, men prepare the obligatory “Pumpkin of Fidelity”. The dish includes many different ingredients that are combined into a whole composition inside the pumpkin.
• France, as befits a liberal country, this holiday does not celebrate, but holds special events on this day, something like charity bazaars. The collected money is transferred to the fund of heroine mothers, so that they can go on vacation.
• But temperamental Italy, although it did not declare this day a day off, still did not stay away from the celebration. On this day, Italian women gather in women's companies, meet in bars, chat and eat. And in the evening they go to a disco or a club. Moreover, in Rome, men's strip clubs offer women free admission on this day.

March 8 is rich in traditions, but the most important of them: special attention to women from men. Take care of your women, congratulate, give flowers and gifts, pamper them, and not only on March 8, but on all other days.