It will interest you to know that many just hop on the celebration of International Women’s Day without having knowledge about the reason for commemoration of the eighth the day of March every year. If you are one of such people, then you need to know these 10 facts related to this particular day.
1. March 8, 2021 marks the 110th celebration of International Women’s Day. The first celebration occured in 1911.
2. The first celebration of IWD took place in 4 countries; Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
3. It’s predecessor was “National Women’s Day” which was celebrated in the United States of America every February 28 from 1909 to 1913. This came into being following the declaration by the Socialist Party of America.
4. In 1975, the International Women’s Day was officially adopted and recognized by the United Nations.
5. In some countries it is a day for protests, calling for gender equality and enforcement of women’s rights. In other countries, it is a day for celebrating the unparalleled efforts of women flourishing despite the political, social and economic ills of the society.
5. The colours Green, Purple and White are significant to International Women’s Day. Green symbolizes hope, Purple; dignity and justice while White is purity in the midst of velitation.
6. It is recognized as an official holiday in 27 countries. These countries are Cuba, Burkina Faso, China (for only women), Zambia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Madagascar (for only women), Russia, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Angola, Uganda, Armenia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Laos, Ukraine, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Tajikistan.
7. In some countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Uzbekistan, IWD is synonymous to Mother’s Day therefore people acknowledge, celebrate and gift mothers on this day.
8. In Italy, a unique flower called Yellow Mimosa is gifted to women by men in celebration of IWD. This flower known to be a symbol of IWD in Italy.
9. According to Wikipedia, the 2021 United Nations theme for International Women’s Day is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” spotlighting the influence of girls and women worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic as caregivers, community organizers, health care workers and innovators.
10. This year’s official theme is Choose To Challenge; challenging women globally to be a source of change in the world. According to IWD, “A challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change”.
What have you recently done about the day dedicated to the magnificent women of the world?