Feliz Dia

I got a text message from a co-worker at 8:30 saying Happy Day (in Spanish) and had to stop and think what on earth my he was talking about. It is International Women´s Day (IWD), observed in Ecuador by men (in the non-profit world at least) wishing women a good day, in honor of us being women. It bears saying that this isn´t the first time I´ve found myself in another country, observing the holiday. 13 years ago today I was a college student in Northern Ireland and I helped plan an event, which I vaguely remember involving a Tai Chi demonstration and little sandwiches. (The highlight of that was that I got to go out and illegally flypaste our posters all over Derry, Northern Ireland, with my punkie friend Leah, on whom I had a tremendous crush.) Anyhow, today I started wondering today why on no one in the states ever seems to remember March 8, at least outside of explicitely feminist places like the offices of NOW or NARAL.

Wikipedia had some insight:

"Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their sympathy and love to the women around them - somewhat similar to Western Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner....The first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America."

So, it´s a holiday started by American socialists, and was often celebrated in conjunction with commemorations of events important to American labor like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. No wonder it doesn´t get any play in the mass media. Leaving aside the fact that the United States seems to be oblivious of a) its own social history and b) the global observance of women´s rights and talents, here are how IWD is observed throughout the world. Again from Wikipedia...

"In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women. [1] [2]

In the UK, women take their work colleagues out to lunch.[citation needed]

In Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, the custom of giving women flowers still prevails. Women usually get gifts from their employers too.[citation needed]

In India, IWD holds a lot of significance. One can see a lot of celebrations going on on this day. This portrays the power of women in the modern era and how vital their role is in the society.[citation needed]

In 1975, which had been designated as International Women’s Year, the United Nations gave official sanction to and began sponsoring International Women's Day."

So, here is my suggestion, if there is a woman in your life, especially one who has been doing cool stuff for other women, in whatever form or political ideology that might take, do something nice to acknowledge that. We can all use a little encouragement these days.

Happy Women´s Day, Comrades.