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

Version one, official: Day of Solidarity of Working Women

The official version of the USSR states 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 there was not a single note about the strike in the press of that time. And historians have found out that March 8, 1857 was actually a Sunday. It is very strange to organize strikes on a day off.
In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, 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 marches, and thereby draw public attention to their problems. Well, we all already know this story.
Initially, the holiday was called the International Day of Women's Solidarity in the Fight for Their Rights. The date of March 8 was summed up by the same textile workers' strike, which, perhaps, never actually happened. More precisely, there was, but it was not the textile workers who went on strike. But more on that later.
This holiday was brought to the USSR by Zetkin’s friend, the fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. The same one that conquered the Soviet Union with the “great phrase”: “You should give yourself to the first man you meet as easily as drinking a glass of water.”

Version two, Jewish: praise of the Jewish queen

Historians have never agreed on whether Clara Zetkin was Jewish. Some sources claim that she was born into the family of a Jewish shoemaker, and others into a German teacher. Go figure it out. However, Zetkin’s desire to connect March 8 with the Jewish holiday of Purim cannot be silenced.
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 by 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.
This happened on the 13th day of Ard according to the Jewish calendar (this month falls at the end of February - beginning of March). Praising Esther, Jews began to celebrate Purim. The date of the celebration was flexible, but in 1910 it fell on March 8th.

Version three, about women of the oldest profession

The third version is perhaps the most scandalous for all representatives of the fair sex, anxiously awaiting International Women's Day.
In 1857, women did protest in New York, but they were not textile workers, but prostitutes. Representatives of the oldest profession demanded to pay wages to sailors who used their services but did not have the money to pay.
In 1894, on March 8, prostitutes demonstrated again in Paris. This time they demanded that their rights be recognized on an equal basis with those women who sew clothes or bake bread, and that special trade unions be established. This was repeated in 1895 in Chicago, and in 1896 in New York - shortly before the memorable suffragette convention in 1910, where it was decided to declare this day a women's and international day at Zetkin's suggestion.
By the way, Clara herself carried out similar actions. All in the same 1910, together with her friend Rosa Luxemburg, she brought prostitutes onto the streets of German cities demanding an end to police excesses. But in the Soviet version, prostitutes were replaced with “working women.”

Why was March 8 introduced?

Many historians agree that March 8 is an ordinary political campaign of the Social Democrats.
At the beginning of the 20th century, women protested throughout Europe. And to attract attention, they didn’t even need to show their breasts. It was enough to simply walk through the streets with posters on which socialist slogans were written, and public attention was guaranteed. And to the leaders of the Social Democratic Party, a tick, they say, progressive women are in solidarity with us.
Stalin also decided to increase 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 adjusted. But no one really bothered to look into it. Since the leader said it, it means it was so.

March 8 is World Women's Day, the holiday of love, female beauty, wisdom and tenderness. Today this day is considered a holiday of spring and attention to the female sex, regardless of her status and age. We thank women for being in our lives. On this day, it is customary to show attention to your beloved women, give them compliments, and delight them with care and gifts.

March 8 Wikipedia history of the holiday: versions of the appearance of the holiday

World Women's Day has not always been considered a spring holiday. Initially, it was associated with struggle in the political, economic and social fields. Then, the goal was to defend their rights and establish equality between men and women.

In 1966, in the USSR this day became not only a holiday, but also a non-working day. Over time, the holiday ceased to be tied to politics and women’s struggle for their rights, and simply became the March 8 holiday without any explanation.

There are several versions about how this holiday appeared.

According to the official version - “Day of Solidarity of Working Women”. According to tradition, celebrating March 8 was associated with the “March of Empty Pots.” It was carried out by textile workers from New York in 1857. They wanted to achieve equal rights, so they came out to protest against unacceptable working conditions and low pay.

In 1910 in Copenhagen, German communist Clara Zetkin raised the question of choosing one day a year when women could express their problems, thereby attracting society to pay attention to her. From the very beginning, the holiday was called the International Day of Women’s Solidarity in the Fight for Their Rights, and the date of March 8 referred specifically to the performance of working women.

According to the Jewish version, Clara Zetkin wanted the events associated with Women's Day to be connected with the history of the Jewish people. According to legend, Xerxes wanted to destroy all Jews, and Esther, who was his beloved, on the contrary, convinced him to destroy all Jewish enemies, including the Persians themselves. Glorifying Esther, Jews began to celebrate Purim, which fell on March 8 in 1910.

A version of the oldest female profession. This option is the most unpleasant for female representatives. According to this version, the protest that took place in New York in 1857 was attended not by textile workers, but by prostitutes. They insisted that the sailors who used their services be paid.

Such demonstrations were held in Paris in 1894, in Chicago in 1895 and in New York in 1896, Wordyou reports. This time, prostitutes demanded that they have the same rights as women in other professions. And in 1910, this day was nevertheless recognized as women's and international, as Clara Zetkin proposed.

March 8 Wikipedia history of the holiday: how the holiday is celebrated today

After the collapse of the USSR, March 8 remained a state holiday in the Russian Federation and is considered a day off. According to tradition, on this day the most desired and sought-after gift is flowers.

Fresh flowers are the most universal way to show attention to the woman you love.

March 8 is "International Women's Day", a holiday of spring and attention to women. On this day we are freed from work, and our “beautiful halves” expect signs of attention, flowers and gifts from us. This is the tradition. We rejoice at the holiday without particularly delving into its meaning. Time passes, the meaning of the holiday completely disappears, and we sometimes ask ourselves: what, exactly, and why are we celebrating?

The holiday of March 8 was conceived not as a day of glorification of the Beautiful Lady, but of a revolutionary woman. At the dawn of the revolution, the newspaper "Pravda" called this holiday "the day of the Women's Workers' International", this is a holiday of women striving to have equal rights with men, this is the day of emancipation. Today the holiday has lost its historical purpose. Although on this day mass feminist actions still take place in many countries, and this day is considered by many to be the day of struggle against the stronger sex...

America, or the first women's union

On March 8, 1857, workers from clothing and shoe factories gathered for a demonstration in New York. They demanded a reduction in working hours, improved working conditions, and equal wages with men. At that time, women worked up to 16 hours a day, receiving pennies for their work. After decisive actions, the men managed to achieve the introduction of a 10-hour working day. Trade union organizations have emerged at many enterprises in the United States. And after March 8, 1857, another one was formed - for the first time women became its members. On this day, hundreds of women demonstrated in many cities in New York, demanding the right to vote.

Europe, or Clara Zetkin

We traditionally associate the history of this holiday with Clara Zetkin, who created a revolutionary detachment consisting of women, so to speak, decided to include the uncontrollable energy of women in the fight against exploiters. And although its creation was not a matter of one day, it was decided to choose a day that could be considered the birthday of the “female proletariat”.

In 1910 in Copenhagen, at the 2nd International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen, at the proposal of Clara Zetkin to establish a “day for the struggle for women’s rights,” a resolution was adopted to hold an annual women’s day, “which primarily serves as an agitation for the provision of women's suffrage." This sounded like a call to all women in the world to rise up to fight for equality. Responding to this call, women in many countries are joining the fight against poverty, for the right to work, respect for their dignity, and for peace.

The date of International Women's Day, at the proposal of Elena Grinberg, a member of the Central Committee of the Social Democratic Party, was approved as March 19. And the first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland on March 19. In 1912, it took place in the same countries, but on May 12. In 1913, due to organizational difficulties, there was complete inconsistency: in Germany they celebrated March 12, in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, and Holland on March 9, in France and Russia on March 2. And only in 1914, for the first time, International Women’s Day was celebrated everywhere on March 8, since it coincided with Sunday, that is, a non-working day. And so I settled on this date.

Anti-Semitism, or A Little Dirt...

But there is a fairly popular theory by Deacon Andrei Kuraev that the choice of the number belonged to Clara Zetkin, who connected the birth of a new detachment fighting against injustice with the history of the Jewish people (for me personally, at least with the history of the Martian-Venusian people). Many centuries ago, Queen Esther saved her people from destruction by cunning. The annual, most joyful Jewish holiday - the holiday of Purim - is dedicated to her. It is celebrated at the turning point from winter to spring, and in 1909 it was celebrated on the eve of March 8...

I will not rehash this article, which is clearly trying to sow the seeds of hostility and hatred. But what can you do? The Church, after all, is also affected by all the ailments that plague our society today. If the general declares his party to be the “Movement against the Jews”, if the leader of the largest faction in the State Duma, the communist-internationalist Zyuganov, declares that “the intelligentsia is divided into two parts, which I conventionally call for myself “Ivan Ivanychs” and “Abram Abramychs”, then why not and an Orthodox priest should not have his own “private opinion”? In the end, extremes always meet...

The official position of the Russian Orthodox Church was unambiguously expressed by Alexy II at the end of 1991 in New York at a meeting with American rabbis: “The unity of Judaism and Christianity has a real basis of spiritual and natural kinship and positive religious interests. We are united with the Jews, without renouncing Christianity, not in spite of Christianity, but in the name and power of Christianity, and the Jews are united with us not in spite of Judaism, but in the name and power of true Judaism... The Jewish people are close to us in faith. Your law is our law, your prophets - these are our prophets. The Ten Commandments of Moses oblige Christians, as well as Jews. We wish to live with you in peace and harmony, so that there are no misunderstandings, enmity and hatred between us."

The holiday of Purim, or the “Sibling” of Maslenitsa

Purim does not apply religious holidays, he is the brother of our Maslenitsa, the European Carnival, the Greek Dionysius (or Bacchanalia), the Bulgarian Kukere, the Persian Novruz-Bayram. This is a holiday in honor of the beating of enemies and dates back to 480 BC, when the Old Testament people, the “stiff-necked” people, with the help of Esther’s cunning, freed themselves from the power of the Persians. The story of Queen Esther is described in detail in the book of the same name, which is part of the Bible.

Queen Esther is revered by our Church along with other Old Testament righteous people on the week of the Forefather (two weeks before the Nativity of Christ).

Briefly, the story goes something like this:

After the end of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, everyone could return to Jerusalem. But, having taken root in Babylon for centuries, thousands of Jews did not want to leave their homes and remained to live in the cities of the Persian Empire.

The current situation began to irritate the Persians over time. Looking around, they ceased to understand: who conquered whom. Did the Persians conquer Jerusalem, or did the Jews conquer Babylon? The Persian Minister of Defense, General Aman, goes to the royal Xerxes and shares his sad observations. Xerxes' reaction was decisively pagan: exterminate all Jews. His wife, Queen Esther, who hid her nationality from the king, learns about Xerxes’ plan. She did not directly ask the king for mercy, but decided to use the king’s love for herself. At the moment when the king was completely under the influence of her irresistible charms, she demanded a promise from him that he would destroy all enemies who encroached on her people. And Xerxes, who without much hesitation answered with consent to all these questions, is now surprised to discover that he agreed to destroy all the enemies of the Jews he hated...

“All the princes in the regions, and the satraps, and the executors of the king’s affairs supported the Jews. And the Jews beat all their enemies, and destroyed them, and dealt with the enemies according to their own will” (Esther 9:3-5).

As a result, the 13th day of Adar is considered by the Jews to be a holiday of deliverance from mortal danger and punishment of all enemies. And this holiday is considered the greatest. Among the Talmudic sages, “there is even an opinion that even if all the books of the prophets are forgotten, the book of Esther will still not be forgotten, and the holiday of Purim will not cease to be observed.”

Russia, or Woman Loader

In Russia, International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time in 1913 in St. Petersburg. The petition addressed to the mayor announced the organization of “... a scientific morning on women's issues.” The authorities gave permission and on March 2, 1913, one and a half thousand people gathered in the building of the Kalashnikov Bread Exchange on Poltavskaya Street. The agenda of the scientific readings included the following issues: the right to vote for women; state provision of maternity; about the high cost of living.

From the first years of Soviet power, March 8 became a public holiday in our country. In March 1917, women in Russia received the right to vote, and the Constitution of 1918 enshrined the policy of equal rights for women as a state policy, and Soviet authorities began to implement it (it may be recalled that the Soviet idea of ​​“gender equality” led to the emergence of such a “purely female "Professions like asphalt paver...).

Gradually, International Women's Day lost its political overtones.

Since 1965, this day has become a non-working day. There was also a festive and official ritual: at ceremonial events, the state reported to society on the implementation of state policy towards women.

But then perestroika broke out and many women were literally thrown to the sidelines of life. Terms appeared: “the female face of unemployment”, “violence against women”, “male parliament”, “maternal family”, “maternal mortality”, “social orphanhood”, “ female alcoholism" Discrimination against women in the labor market was officially recognized.

Government Russian Federation declared at the IV World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) its obligations to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. In 1996, the Concept for the Improvement of the Status of Women and the National Action Plan for the Improvement of the Status of Russian Women were adopted. Similar documents were adopted in the constituent entities of the Federation. However, neither on March 8, nor on Mother’s Day in November do we hear any reports on the implementation of these important government documents.

After the breakup Soviet Union March 8 remains on the list public holidays Russian Federation. Women's Day is also celebrated in the CIS countries: in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine as International Women's Day; in Belarus and Uzbekistan as Mother's Day; In Armenia, April 7, Motherhood and Beauty Day is celebrated.

Russia, XXI century, or the Declaration of Human Rights

“And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis, chapter 1, v. 27). If human society had been guided in its development by these words, the need for International Women's Day would not have arisen, since women would not have to prove that they are people too and fight for their human rights.

But, alas, only in the 20th century did humanity, represented by its best representatives, grow to realize this truth, and in 1948 the United Nations adopted a document - the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, which says:

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin. , property, class or other status.

The Declaration became the basis on which other international documents were adopted aimed at protecting the social, political, economic and universal rights of women (on September 1, 1985, the governments of 88 countries signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women).

However, declaring a right and ensuring its implementation are far from the same thing. After all, even today women and children are subjected to violence and humiliation: this is human trafficking, forced prostitution, cruelty shown in armed conflicts and wars. Growing poverty and disregard for human rights are the root causes of violence, and poverty itself is already a form of violence. And as we know, the victims of poverty are primarily women and children.

Today festive mood for women directly depends on the economic situation of the family and its real income. And prices are rising, motherhood is becoming a luxury, because children's goods are becoming more and more expensive, education and healthcare are becoming paid, child benefits are ephemeral. Poverty and misery have become the norm for most families with children, and the stratification of society into rich and poor is growing. The country cultivates a spirit of violence, permissiveness, feminine dignity trampled upon. As a result, there are up to 4 million homeless and neglected children in Russia, 15 thousand women die annually from violent acts, the birth rate is two times lower than the death rate.

Therefore, it is hardly appropriate to consider March 8 only as a spring holiday and reduce the whole range of problems to one: what to give to the woman you love.

The twentieth century was marked by socialist, scientific, technical, cultural and sexual revolutions, and one can only regret that in this series there was no place for a spiritual revolution. And without this, all the declarations and calls of the UN, UNESCO and other organizations will remain a voice crying in the wilderness.

The founders of the Soviet state were militant atheists, and were unlikely to be guided by Jewish religious motives when choosing a date for “Women’s Day.” They needed to create their own system of beliefs, rites and rituals as opposed to the Church. Soviet traditions- a parody of spiritual life, a fake, a propaganda dummy. The party instead of the Church, the corpse of a leader instead of the Savior, portraits of leaders instead of icons, party congresses instead of church councils, demonstrations instead of religious processions... Instead of veneration of the Most Pure Mother of God, the lumpen worker-peasant crowd was offered “Women’s Day”, which fit so well into the Soviet calendar . And it's hard to choose best time for celebration than early spring, when nature awakens from its winter sleep, the sun begins to shine like spring and the first snowdrop flowers bloom.

Our contemporaries do not think much about the origins of the celebration of March 8, but simply perceive this day as an occasion to give flowers to their dear women. But it is worth remembering and honoring traditions, especially since in the Orthodox Church the third Sunday after Easter is dedicated to the memory of the myrrh-bearing women, who on the morning of the Resurrection hurried to the Tomb of Christ and were the first to receive the joyful news of His rising from the dead. And if so, then let us remember that we can congratulate our wives and mothers, sisters and colleagues when the Church glorifies the care and fidelity of the myrrh-bearing women. And even better: let's not forget them on other days! Therefore, give gifts and flowers to your beloved women not only on March 8th.
History of the holiday March 8 (only facts)

Why is International Women's Day celebrated on March 8? It turns out that there are no special reasons for this.

It all started in the early spring of 1857... when New York textile workers marched through Manhattan on a “march of empty pans.” They demanded higher wages, better working conditions and equal rights for women. The demonstration was naturally dispersed, but due to its unusual nature it caused quite a bit of noise. This event even began to be called Women's Day...

More than 50 years passed and on the last Sunday of February in 1908, thousands of women again took to the streets of New York. This demonstration, as you might guess, was timed to coincide with that same “Women’s Day” in 1857. Women again began to demand suffrage and spoke out against terrible working conditions, and especially against the labor of children. The police received orders to disperse the demonstration. Hoses filled with dirty, ice-cold water were used.

The following year, 1909, Women's Day was again marked by women's marches and strikes. In 1910, socialists and feminists celebrated Women's Day throughout the country. Later that year, the delegates traveled from the United States to Copenhagen for the Second International Conference of Socialist Women, where they met Clara Zetkin...

Inspired by the actions of the “American Socialist Sisters,” Clara Zetkin proposed that the conference ask women around the world to choose a specific day when they would draw public attention to their demands. The conference, which was attended by more than 100 women from 17 countries, enthusiastically supported this proposal by roll call vote, which resulted in the emergence of International Day solidarity of women in the struggle for economic, social and political equality. It should be noted that the exact date of this day was never determined at this conference.

For the first time, International Women's Day was held on March 19, 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and some others European countries. This date was chosen by the women of Germany because on this day in 1848, the King of Prussia, facing the threat of armed rebellion, promised reforms, including the unfulfilled introduction of women's suffrage.

In 1912, women celebrated this day not on March 19, but on May 12. And only in 1914, for some reason, this day began to be celebrated spontaneously on March 8th.

Since Russia then lived, unlike the rest of Europe, according to the Julian calendar, International Women’s Day in our country was celebrated not on March 8, but on February 23.

In Russia, women have celebrated this day every year since 1913. And so, on February 23, 1917, this day came again in Russia: the women of Petrograd took to the streets of the city to protest against the war. Some spontaneous rallies turned into mass strikes and demonstrations, clashes with Cossacks and police. On February 24-25, mass strikes developed into a general strike. On February 26, isolated clashes with the police resulted in battles with troops called to the capital. On February 27, the general strike developed into an armed uprising, and a massive transfer of troops began to side with the rebels, who occupied the most important points of the city and government buildings. The Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was created, and at the same time the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was created, which formed the government. On March 2 (15), Nicholas II abdicated the throne. On March 1, a new government was established in Moscow, and throughout March throughout the country.

Thus, it was International Women's Day in 1917 that was the trigger that led to the February Revolution, which in turn led to the October Revolution and the emergence of the USSR...

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

By the way, since 2002, International Women's Day has been celebrated in Russia as a “non-working holiday” no longer according to the 1965 Decree, but according to Article 112 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation in the list of other nine public holidays of the Russian Federation.

P.S. Many doubt that this holiday is truly “international”. However, back in 1977, the UN adopted resolution 32/142, calling on all countries to proclaim March 8 as a day of struggle for women's rights - International Women's Day. This day has been declared a national holiday in the republics former USSR, as well as in: Angola, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Cambodia, China, Congo (there is a holiday not for “international” women, but for Congolese women), Laos, Macedonia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea and Uganda. In Syria, March 8 is celebrated as Revolution Day, and in Liberia - even as the Day of Remembrance of the Fallen.

The holiday of the dishes washed by the husband once a year, the holiday of Mimosa pudica (popularly called “mimosa”), the holiday of obligatory children’s matinees…. One of my friends talks about this date exclusively with a disdainful shrug of her lips: “We don’t celebrate gender holidays in our family.” At the same time, the word “gender” at this stage of society’s development has a derogatory and, at times, offensive meaning. That is, a 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 celebration of life, a celebration of rebirth and rebirth, a celebration of the hearth and hearth - a celebration of women. No, not like that: Women's Day. Celebration of the goddess Vesta and her “wards”. A holiday in which all women of Rome and the surrounding area, regardless of their social status (both freeborn and slaves), enjoyed incomparably big amount freedoms than in other days (Roman women, even freeborn ones, did not have the rights that we have, modern women). The matrons and slaves, who had dressed up in the morning, decorated themselves with wreaths of flowers and went to the temple of Vesta to make sacrifices and worship the goddess. In addition, donkeys also had special rights on this day (jokes aside) - they had an official day off, because, according to mythology, it was the donkey who saved Vesta from rape by Priapus - the deity responsible for fertility, but who had, let’s say, oddities in psyche. Among other things, Priapus measured the size of his penis with a talking donkey and, having lost, killed the latter in a rage.
Despite the fact that the holiday was previously celebrated on June 9, that is, at the beginning of summer, after its ban in 382, ​​the holiday gradually shifted to spring. Actually official holiday not left, but the habit was preserved and it was put “in the service of the Fatherland,” already associating spring with women and forgetting about the donkeys who suffered for women’s honor.

Ancient Persia

Xerxes - the same one who crushed three hundred Spartans and King Leonidas - is not important to us now. But his wife, Esther, is interesting and has no connection with Sparta. She was a Jew and a worthy daughter of her people. In fact, she saved the Jews from yet another total destruction by directing her husband’s anger at her own subjects and a general loyal to the king.
480 BC - death, "s light hand» Esther about 75,000 Persians instead of about the same number of Jews. This woman has her own book, 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 holiday of Purim - 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 people.
Where is the humiliation of honor and dignity here?..

America

1857 March 8. There is literally nothing to eat. The working day for women is 16 hours. The wages are meager. There was no sign of suffrage. “March of empty pots” - they would later say about the textile workers who took to the streets of New York to protest against working conditions. They didn’t want so much: a 10-hour working day, dry and illuminated workplaces... Think about this word - “dry”.
On March 8, 1908, those who had the strength to protest further demanded a ban on the use of child labor and granting women the right to vote. The very rights that Roman women never had: neither the right to vote, nor the right to real estate, nor the right to children.
And already in 1909, the Socialist Party of America decided to proclaim the last Sunday of February as 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 celebrating March 8 annually in honor of the events that happened more than fifty years ago. Her proposal was supported, although the date in different countries transported 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 in 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 provision motherhood ( maternity leave) etc.. In 1914, at the beginning of 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 came out with the slogans “Bread and Peace” on the last Sunday of February (in honor of the American National Women’s Day), and after the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne, they “demanded” their voting rights from the provisional 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.

There is probably no person in our country who, when hearing the words “Eighth of March,” would not think of International Women’s Day. Of course, even at a very tender age, preparing for the “mother’s” holiday in kindergartens, we diligently wrote “Happy March 8!” on homemade postcards. And then they glued small pieces of foam rubber on top and painted them with yellow gouache - the result was a mimosa. We also learned poems with the teachers and read them with expression at the matinee. The kindest and brightest memories from childhood are associated with this holiday.

Of course, then we didn’t even think about where this holiday came from. Meanwhile, the history of its origin is quite interesting and unusual. If we try to remember everything we know about the origins of International Women's Day, what comes to mind is Clara Zetkin and the fragmentary memories that she fought for women's rights around the world. This ideological communist was indeed the first to put forward the idea of ​​uniting women in the struggle for their equality with men, on her initiative at the beginning of the 20th century. International conferences of socialist women were held. At one of them, in 1910, Clara Zetkin came up with a proposal to celebrate the Day of Solidarity of Working Women on March 8 of each year, i.e., in fact, this holiday was originally political.

Why did Clara choose the eighth day of spring? There are three versions on this matter, which are not mutually exclusive.

Firstly, Zetkin made a proposal to create such a holiday precisely on March 8, 1910. Secondly, half a century earlier, on March 8, 1857, a protest was held in New York by female factory workers who were dissatisfied with the appalling conditions of their work: the working day lasted as long as 16 hours, and they paid pennies for it. And finally, thirdly, the history of the March 8 holiday is associated with biblical events. Around the 5th century. Before the birth of Christ, Persia was ruled by King Xerxes, whose wife’s name was Esther. She was Jewish, but hid her origins from her husband. The Persian ruler, known for his cruelty, preferred radical measures in everything: in order to get rid of the former captive Jews who inhabited Babylon and did not want to leave, he ordered their extermination. Esther, having learned about this, decided to save her compatriots at all costs. She cheated: she persuaded her husband to destroy the enemies of her people. Xerxes, of course, had no idea that we were talking about the Persians themselves. But he had to keep his promise. And so, just at the beginning of March according to our calendar, the Persian tyrant issued a decree that allowed the Jews to exterminate all their enemies. Of course, the Jews did not miss this chance: in the shortest possible time, more than 50,000 Persians were killed, including the richest and most influential. The Persian Empire never recovered from this blow, losing the entire top of its society. And for the Jews, the day of issuing the saving decree was greatest holiday, they still celebrate Purim at the very beginning of spring - a celebration dedicated to Esther.

Clara Zetkin, being Jewish by nationality, probably took into account this moment in the history of her people. And although the holiday of Purim is celebrated every year with a slight calendar shift of several days (like Easter, for example), Zetkin proposed a fixed date for the celebration - the eighth day of March. Perhaps she made just such a choice, taking into account not only biblical legends, but also the events of the 19th century, which we talked about earlier. Clara Zetkin's proposal was accepted and the holiday was introduced. In 1911, it was already celebrated by two continents: North America and Europe (more precisely, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Austria).

In Russia, this day was first celebrated in 1913, in St. Petersburg. On this day, a meeting was organized in the grain exchange building. 1500 people came to see it. Among the issues discussed were problems related to women's rights. It became a national holiday after the revolution of 1917, under Soviet rule. Gradually, year after year, International Women's Day increasingly lost its political significance and acquired a universal meaning. After the collapse of the USSR, March 8 is celebrated both in the Russian Federation and in some CIS countries. By the way, this day is a national celebration in countries such as Cambodia, Angola, Macedonia, China, Burkina Faso, North Korea, and some others.

Now we no longer think about the original concept of this holiday and its origin. For us, this day is a celebration of female beauty, love and the coming spring. On this day, men give all their attention, care and tenderness to the ladies around them. And since this wonderful tradition brings pleasure to representatives of both sexes, you can be sure that the March 8 holiday has entered our lives for a long time.

Festive interior for March 8

Since March 8 is a spring and feminine holiday, the decoration should correspond to the spirit and mood of this celebration. Let it be light, weightless, gentle. To decorate the interior, select accessories pastel colors: soft pink, light blue, light green, lilac and other soft shades.

If the hall for the celebration is large enough, then you can order a garland of balloons. Colors such as milky white and pink, beige and light green combine very beautifully. To decorate the space, multi-colored ribbons are suitable, which can be used in different ways. You can make a “curtain” out of them: tie them to a fishing line, which you then stretch under the ceiling. Then you need to collect the tapes beautiful laces with tassels in two bundles, as is usually done with curtains. In addition, you can make compositions from ribbons and balloons and decorate the hall with them. This idea is also good for small spaces that need to be decorated. And, of course, don’t forget about flowers - you can’t do without them. After all, the holiday is not only women’s, but also spring, and flowers are the main symbol of spring, love and beauty.

A composition of fresh or dried flowers can be ordered at any florist salon - you can be sure that the execution will be top notch. You can do something similar with your own hands, using various available materials: ribbons, beads, sparkles.

The main flower of the holiday is, of course, the mimosa. Therefore, try to use it in your creative experiments, but remember that this plant cannot be placed in a vase with others, as such a bouquet will quickly wither.

If you have ordered several flower arrangements, you can “revive” them yourself. Cut out butterflies from paper and color them in bright colors, glue pieces of foil to the wings and plant them on the flowers, attaching them with a needle or pin. “Butterflies” can “fly” to the windows, window sills, office desks of your employees - anywhere. They will delight with their presence for a long time and remind you of the coming spring.