March 08, 2015

Celebrating Women on Women's Day


Celebrating Women on Women's Day

Imagine; Valentine's Day and Mother's Day all in one! This is what International Women's Day (IWD), in Russia, is like. March 8th is a national holiday and a non-work day. Several nations celebrate IWD, but only a few acknowledge it as an official, non-working holiday. In the West, where Mother's Day falls in May, IWD is typically celebrated by feminist and women's rights groups.

On IWD, Russian men bestow gifts, flowers and other expressions of praise and gratitude on the ladies in their lives. While this holiday does have its roots in the women's rights movement, it is important to remember that it, also, reflects the respect that Russian people have for the role of women in their culture. All women are honored, not just mothers!

In 1910, German socialist, Klara Zetkin, presented the idea of marking March 8th as a day of international solidarity of women' social equality. IWD was first celebrated, in Russia, in 1913. Russian women wanted the right to hold paying jobs. Later, the Soviets agreed and opened the workplace to women. March 8th was not a non-work day. By 1966, opinion had changed and this year marked the first celebration of IWD as a non-work holiday.

Brief Chronology of IWD

1908 - Socialist, trade and professional women, in the U.S., celebrated first Women's Day, on the last Sunday of February. This was a day of demonstrations and rallies for women's equal rights and the right to vote.

1910 - Socialist International meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark, established IWD to bring attention to world-wide women's suffrage.

1911- IWD observed, for the first time on March 19th in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. March 25, 1911; so called Triangle Fire in New York City in which over 140 women garment workers were killed.

1913-1914 - First observance of IWD in Russia; held on the last Sunday of February and seen as a demonstration for peace as Europe headed into WWI.

1917 - By this time, over 2 million Russian soldiers had died in WWI. On the last Sunday of February, Russian women held a protest for bread and peace. Four days later, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated and the new Provisional Government granted Russian women the right to vote. This was February 23rd (old or Julian calendar) and March 8th on the Gregorian calendar.

1922 - Lenin proclaimed IWD an official Soviet State holiday.

IWD had encouraged world-wide attention and action regarding women's rights. In 1975, the United Nations declared this year, International Women's Year and 1975-1985 as the Decade for Women. UNESCO established March 8th as International Women's Day and UN World Conferences on Women have been held, in various locations, in 1980, 1985 and 1995.

Role of Women and Russian Cuisine

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955