How did Women's Day come about? International Women's Day - the history and traditions of the holiday

March 8, a celebration of expressing love and gratitude to women, has a long history and nebulous origins. The thirst to honor the weaker sex befell the ancient Romans. They usually showed it on March 8th. Then this holiday was celebrated by "matrons". Matronas - women who were born free, married - received gifts from their husbands and were surrounded by attention and care.

Surprisingly, on March 8, even slaves were released from their duties. The Roman women dressed in the best clothes and came to the temple of the goddess Vesta (keeper of the hearth).

In our country and on the territory of the former Soviet Union, the history of the celebration of March 8 is usually associated with the name of the revolutionary Clara Zetkin. In Copenhagen, at the International Conference of Women, in 1910, she proclaimed the idea of ​​celebrating March 8 as the birthday of the female proletariat. But why did Zetkin choose the day of March 8th? There are several options.

Clara Zetkin (drawing by artist I. Brodsky)

According to the official version, International Women's Day is a holiday that originated as a day of struggle for women's rights. Women's Day was timed to coincide with the events of 1857. On March 8 this year, shoe and clothing factory workers in New York City marched through the streets of the city, protesting against low wages and oppressive working conditions.

They demanded a 10-hour working day, bright and dry work premises, equal wages with men. Women then had a 12-hour day, constant sexual harassment in the workplace, and pay was minimal. But after this speech, there were no changes. On March 8, 1908, women reconvened in New York and fought for women's suffrage.

But some sources speak of a religious reason for the holiday. According to her, Zetkin wanted to connect the history of the women's socialist movement with the history of the Jewish people, or rather, about Esther, the wife of the Persian king Xerxes.

Taking advantage of the irresistible effect on Xerxes of her charms, Esther saved her people from extermination. She took a promise from the king that he would destroy all enemies who encroach on her people. The king did not know about her Jewish origin. Thus Esther prevented the planned "Jewish pogroms".

Esther turned the royal order against the Persians, who wanted to exterminate the Jews. In honor of what, the day of Adar 13 (end of February - beginning of March) began to be celebrated as the holiday of Purim. The date of the celebration of Purim in the Jewish religious calendar is "sliding", as in the Orthodox - the date of the celebration of Easter. However, the date of the celebration of Purim, which fell on March 8 in 1910, was fixed and took root.

Queen Esther. Fresco. Florence, 15th century

The first National Women's Day was celebrated in the United States on February 28, 1909.
In 1910, in Copenhagen, at the II International Conference of Women Socialists, at the suggestion of Clara Zetkin to establish a Day for the struggle for women's rights, 100 women delegates representing 17 countries adopted a resolution to celebrate Women's Day every year, which, in first of all, it will serve as agitation for granting women the right to vote.

At the suggestion of a member of the Central Committee of the Social Democratic Party, Elena Grinberg, the date of International Women's Day was approved on March 19. Later, the date of this holiday varied, and only in 1914, for the first time everywhere, International Women's Day was held on March 8, since it coincided with Sunday, that is, with a non-working day. It was decided to leave this date.

All the women of the world have joined the fight for equality. Responding to the call of Clara Zetkin, women of many countries join the struggle against poverty, for the right to work, respect for their dignity, for peace. Already in 1911, this holiday was celebrated on March 19 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. On this day, more than a million men and women took part in demonstrations. Women sought the right to elect and hold leadership positions, equal production rights with men. Later it was celebrated on May 2, 1912.

In Russia, this holiday was first celebrated in St. Petersburg. The mayor received a petition to hold a meeting on the right to vote for women, the provision of motherhood by the state and the high cost of living. The authorities approved the holding of such a meeting, and on March 2, 1912. a lot of people gathered on Poltavskaya Street to discuss these issues.

In subsequent years, International Women's Day in most of Europe became a mechanism for protesting the world war. As part of the peace movement, Russian women celebrated their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday of February 1913.

Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai (1872-1952)

Women's Day came to Russia with Alexandra Kollontai. For Russian women, this was an opportunity to equalize their rights with men. After the war, women's departments were organized to help women solve all sorts of problems, from illiteracy to kindergartens, employment and advanced training.

In 1917, on the last Sunday of February, the women of Russia took to the streets with the slogans "Bread and Peace". After 4 days, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne, the interim government guaranteed women the right to vote.

This historic day fell on February 23 according to the Julian calendar used in Russia at that time, and on March 8 according to the Gregorian calendar. Since then, International Women's Day has taken on a new global meaning for women in developed and developing countries. The international women's movement grew from year to year.

In 1975, during the "International Year of Women", the United Nations (UN) began celebrating International Women's Day on March 8th. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution "Proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace", which will take place on any day of the year designated by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting this resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace and called for an end to discrimination and increased support for women.

International Women's Day March 8 from the first years of Soviet power was declared a public holiday. Since 1965, this day has become a holiday. There was also his festive ritual. On this day, at solemn events, the state reported to the society on the implementation of state policy towards women. But gradually, March 8 lost its political connotation.

In the Russian Federation, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this holiday was left as a state holiday. Also, Women's Day is celebrated in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Belarus - as International Women's Day; in Uzbekistan - as Mother's Day; in Armenia it is celebrated on April 7 - as the Day of Motherhood and Beauty.

Now, for some, March 8 is the holiday of Spring, Love and Beauty, and for others, it's just another day off.

Each of us associates the holiday of March 8 with spring, flowers, beauty and tenderness. But few people know that initially this date had a political connotation, as it is the day when the revolutionaries announced their intention to fight for the whole world. How it was? How did the holiday of March 8 come about? We will talk about this in this article.

How it all began?

Back in 1857, in the city of New York, workers from factories producing shoes and clothes came out to a demonstration. At that time, their working day was a full 16 hours a day, and the wages were minimal, it did not even correspond to the living wage. The workers put forward the following demands: a ten-hour day, improved working conditions (dry premises, new equipment), an increase in wages, the participation of women in And so, on March 8, 1857, hundreds of American workers came out to rallies. This protest march had positive results: employers revised the requirements for up to 10 hours. In addition, the first trade union organizations arose at many enterprises, headed by representatives of the weaker sex.

Where did the holiday of March 8 come from? We say "Thank you!" for this to Clara Zetkin

In 1910, a conference was held in Copenhagen, in which socialist women from many countries participated. Clara Zetkin, in her speech, proposed that the date of March 8 be declared International Women's Day. The idea of ​​the holiday was to show the whole world that women are ready and able to fight for their rights. Representatives of many countries supported this proposal. Since then, the revolutionary Clara Zetkin is considered the author of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcelebrating Women's Day.

The first "swallows"

Literally a year after the conference in Copenhagen, at the beginning of spring, Women's Day began to be celebrated in many countries. On March 19, 1911, this date was celebrated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark. More than one million people came out to the demonstration, both women and men. As a result of these activities, the working women won the right not only to participate in election campaigns, but also to hold leadership positions. In production activities, their work began to be valued and rewarded in the same way as the work of men. In 1912, this event was celebrated on May 12.

History of March 8 in Russia

In our country, International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time in 1913. It happened in St. Petersburg. On March 2, in the building of the Grain Exchange, scientific readings were held, where issues of the right to vote of women and the provision of motherhood were discussed.

The idea of ​​celebrating this date was brought to Russia by the revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. In our country, she was supported by millions of women who are ready to equalize their rights with the strong half of humanity.

How did the holiday of March 8 appear in our country at such a difficult time for it? In the last days of February 1917, working women took to the streets of cities for rallies. In their hands were slogans with the inscriptions "Bread and Peace". In the same days, Tsar Nicholas II renounced power. The new government, among other promises, guaranteed equal rights for all women and men. This historical event happened on February 23, according to the old style. According to the new time reckoning, Gregorian, this is March 8.

The history of the holiday (as a state holiday) dates back to 1918. This date became a day off only in 1965.

On this day, solemn meetings were held at all enterprises, where representatives of the state authorities presented a report on the implementation of political programs regarding women. The best workers at these events were awarded with awards and valuable gifts. But over time, March 8 becomes just a women's holiday, losing its political meaning.

International Women's Day in the countries of the former USSR

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, March 8 did not cease to be celebrated. It has remained the International Women's Day in such CIS countries as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Belarus, Turkmenistan. They began to call this Mother's Day In Armenia, the date has its own name - Motherhood and Beauty Day, it is celebrated in the second month of spring,

Women's holiday in other countries: traditions

Continuing the theme of how the holiday of March 8 appeared, it is interesting to know how such a day is celebrated in different parts of the world. And the ideas for its implementation are quite unusual. For example, in China, Women's Day is a holiday only for the fair sex. The traditions of this country allow the ladies to walk and have fun, and the men go to work, and after that they also prepare a festive dinner. In Colombia, on this day, representatives of the strong half of humanity are forbidden to go out, so as not to spoil the holiday for women with their presence. In Italy, young ladies gather in large companies and noisily walk in places of entertainment without their soul mates, thus demonstrating independence and self-sufficiency.

How did the holiday of March 8 come about? From the article, you learned that the process of the emergence of International Women's Day was very difficult. But thanks to the courage and strength of women workers, we have the opportunity every year at the beginning of spring to celebrate a good date, symbolizing, in our understanding, beauty, tenderness and love.

On the eve of the main day of all women on the planet, I want to talk about the history of this holiday and its origin. In fact, there are quite a few versions, but most of them have nothing to do with International Women's Day.

Version 1. Official (false)

According to this version, the establishment of March 8 as a women's holiday is associated with the "march of empty pans", which took place in New York on March 8, 1857. The march was allegedly attended by women workers in the textile industry and they were on strike against low wages and terrible working conditions.

According to the version, after this march, the world community listened to the problems of women and created a special holiday for them.

In fact, there was no strike. Moreover, March 8, 1857 is Sunday. Agree, striking against working conditions on a day off is not a good idea.

Undoubtedly, women around the world really fought against injustice and wanted to achieve good wages and comfortable working conditions, but these strikes have nothing to do with March 8th.

Version 2. Representatives of the oldest profession (false)

According to this version, on March 8, 1857, there was a march, only it was not textile workers who were on strike, but women of easy virtue.

And they allegedly went on strike in order to pay the sailors their salaries, since they used their services, but could not pay them.

This march really took place, only it could not become the reason for the establishment of the holiday for obvious reasons.

Version 3. Clara Zetkin (partially true)

In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, the German communist Clara Zetkin called for the establishment of International Women's Day on March 8th. Only now she wanted to make it not a holiday, but a day when women from all over the world can go to rallies and loudly declare their problems.

Why is this version only partially true? Because Women's Day really began to be celebrated on March 8, but for completely different reasons.

Version 4. Political (true)

And so we got to the latest and real version.

March 8 is a political campaign designed to add popularity to the politicians of that time. In different countries, the establishment of March 8 as a holiday fell on different years. As a rule, for those periods when the patience of women was coming to an end and they demanded better working conditions, greater rights and higher wages.

To appease the fair sex, the authorities went to such tricks as the establishment of a holiday.

By the way, contrary to the opinion of many, International Women's Day is not celebrated in all countries. In all of Western Europe, except for Portugal, such a holiday simply does not exist. It is also not observed in the countries of South and North America and most African countries.

THIS IS INTERESTING: China and Madagascar are the only countries where March 8 is a day off for women only.

Well, in conclusion, on behalf of myself and all men, I want to congratulate my beautiful readers on this holiday. Know, whatever the reason for the emergence of International Women's Day, we love and appreciate you always. Happy holiday, ladies!

On March 8, 1857, the famous "Empty Pot March" took place in New York City. Light industry workers went on strike, demanding a reduction in the sixteen-hour working day. Unbearably harsh working conditions and low pay forced women to take to the streets in protest. Their demands were heard, the result was a reduction in the working day to 10 hours.

On March 8, 1908, the Social Democratic Women's Organization of New York raised about 15,000 women to a rally demanding decent wages, a shorter working day, and suffrage. Marching women with slogans filled the streets of the city, calling on the public to listen to urgent problems. Since 1909, the Socialist Party of America has established Women's Day as the last Saturday in February.

On August 27, 1910, the Second International Socialist Women's Conference took place in Copenhagen, where fighters for women's equality from the United States met the communist Clara Zetkin, who proposed to elect March 8 as International Women's Day. A day officially approved so that on this day women can fight for their rights and be heard.

Since then, March 8 has been closely associated with the name of Clara Zetkin. Born Clara Eissner, the daughter of a German parochial school teacher, received a teacher education. In one of the political circles that had great importance for the youth of that time, Clara met Osip Zetkin, the future husband and father of her two sons. Soon their revolutionary activities began to cause concern among the German authorities, and Osip was expelled from the country. The young moved to Paris. Clara - an attractive woman, very interesting, active, mobile - became friends with Laura Lafargue (daughter of Karl Marx) and learned a lot from her. In 1889 she was widowed and was able to return to Germany in 1890, where she became friends with another famous woman, Rosa Luxembourg. Together they led the left branch of the German Social Democrats. In the personal life of Clara, too, there were changes, Georg Zundel, a well-selling fashion artist, became her lover. The newly-made couple was able to purchase a house and a car. A beautiful, intelligent woman became one of the prominent socialists in Germany. V. I. Lenin liked to stay in her house. She became the editor of the newspaper "Equality", sponsored by the famous Robert Bosch, which only added to Clara's popularity. Her presence at the Copenhagen conference was quite natural and undeniable. In 1914, the alliance with Georg collapsed on the basis of political differences, the husband signed up as a volunteer for the front, while Clara was an ardent opponent of the war. She was a member of the Reichstag, led an active political life, and after Hitler came to power, she moved to the friendly Soviet Union. In 1932, she made her last political appeal to the Reichstag to oppose Nazism by all means and transferred the presidency to the majority faction. Hermann Goering. In the USSR, Klara died on June 20, 1933, she was cremated, the urn was placed in the Kremlin wall in Moscow.

It is believed that the date of March 8 was chosen as a tribute to the memory of 1857, for the sake of political events. But there is another version according to which Clara Zetkin chose this date more deeply and consciously. One Jewish legend, whether coincidentally coincided with the New York rally by day or by the will of providence. Esther, the beloved of the Persian king Xerxes, used her influence over him to save the Jewish people from destruction. This significant event in the history of the Jewish people took place on the day of Adar 13, which became the holiday of Purim. The date of the holiday according to the Jewish calendar is sliding, but in 1910 this day fell on March 8th.
After the Copenhagen convention in 1910, for several years International Women's Day in many countries was celebrated not on March 8, but on a date close to it. From the end of February to March 19th. Different countries dated this day to different historical events. In 1914, March 8 fell on a Sunday, so it was celebrated for the first time in six countries at once.

On March 8, 1917, in tsarist Russia, a decision was made to arrest the tsar and his entire family, overthrowing the autocracy. This day is considered the beginning of the February Revolution. Power was transferred to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers. Women actively participated in this coup, and in 1921, by decision of the 2nd Communist Women's Conference, it was decided to celebrate Women's Day on March 8, as a symbol of respect for women who helped overthrow the monarchy.

In 1966, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, March 8 was officially recognized in our country as a “non-working day”, a holiday for all women. The political subtext had already exhausted itself by that time.

Since 1975, the UN General Assembly has put forward a proposal to celebrate March 8 as a day of struggle for women's rights and international peace.

In our country, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, March 8 remained among the public holidays. And although the political coloring of this day has long been peeled off, Russian feminists hold rallies on this day, drawing attention to the problems of women.

The Orthodox Church is ambiguous in its judgments about Women's Day. Many church ministers urge not to forget that the day of March 8 is a revolutionary day, which entailed numerous sufferings for Orthodox people. This period was difficult and martyr for the church. In the post-Soviet period, the church appealed to ignore the holiday of the revolutionary woman, offering an Orthodox analogue of Women's Day, celebrated on the third week of Easter - the Week of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women. But over time, when the church and society became united again, and the day of March 8 became the personification of Spring and Beauty, the disputes subsided. Later, on March 8, 1998, the uncovering of the relics of the Holy Matrona of Moscow, very revered by Orthodox people, took place. And that day became a great memorial day for the church.

Today it seems to us that this bright holiday, saturated with the first spring sun and warmth, has always existed. And if representatives of the older generation still remember the meaning of the name "International Women's Day", and some have not forgotten the name of the one who came up with March 8, then young people know almost nothing about him. School history lessons of the beginning of the 20th century are remembered, perhaps, by a few. Meanwhile, the history of the origin of the women's holiday is far from being as romantic as we would like. But there is a very specific name behind it, and, in fact, the foundation of this day is the story of the life of one woman, the one who invented the March 8 holiday 100 years ago.

Clara Zetkin - revolutionary and just a woman

On March 8, 1857, a demonstration was held in New York by women workers of textile and shoe factories, who demanded a reduction in the working day (at that time 16 hours) and better working conditions. And half a century later, the women's holiday will be timed to coincide with this event. The date is clear, but who came up with the holiday on March 8, you ask. So, the year 1857 is also significant because it was then that the daughter Clara was born in the family of a modest rural teacher from Saxony named Eisman.

It is not known how the fate of a smart and respectable girl would have developed if, as a student of a pedagogical educational institution, she had not met the emigrant socialists and had not been carried away by their ideas. Among the participants in the youth circle was her future husband, the Russian Jew Osip Zetkin, who fled to Germany from the persecution of the tsarist authorities. Clara Zetkin joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany, became one of the activists of its left wing. Having shocked her relatives and friends a lot, the girl left her family forever for ideological reasons, for which she received the nickname "wild Clara".

In 1882, the one who later came up with March 8 was forced, following Osip, to emigrate to Paris, where she became the common-law wife of a revolutionary (they never officially got married). In marriage, they had two sons, Maxim and Kostya, and in 1889 Clara's beloved husband died of tuberculosis. In order to somehow survive, a woman writes articles, translates, teaches and even earns money as a laundress. She is active in politics, becoming one of the founders of the Second International. Known as a theorist of the socialist movement in Europe, Clara Zetkin also became famous as a fighter for the rights of women, who sought to provide them with universal suffrage and soften labor laws.

Soon the opportunity arose to return to his native Germany. Here she not only continued her difficult struggle, but also became close to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, who became her close friend, but also married the artist Georg Friedrich Zundel, who was 18 years younger than Clara. Years later, a rather unusual union of a revolutionary and a talented painter will fall apart due to a different attitude towards the First World War, and the age difference will play its fatal role. For Clara Zetkin, this will be a serious blow.

Already a middle-aged, but still energetic lady, she is now organizing the Communist Party of Germany. Since 1920, she has been the oldest member of the Reichstag, the head of the International Organization for Relief of Revolutionaries, and one of the leaders of the Comintern. With the coming to power of the Nazi Party of Germany, in 1932, Clara Zetkin emigrated to the USSR, where she soon died at the age of 75.

The history and name of the holiday on March 8

As for the March 8 holiday itself, here it is necessary to mention the International Conference of Socialist Women, which was held on August 27, 1910 in Copenhagen. It is significant that Clara Zetkin made a proposal to establish an international day for the struggle for women's rights. The idea was supported, and starting next year, in many European countries in the spring, annual events were held dedicated to women's upholding of political, economic and social freedoms, as well as the struggle for peace. True, the date of March 8 was fixed only in 1914.

In the UN calendar of memorable dates, the name of the holiday on March 8 sounds like “Day for Women's Rights and International Peace”, and it is not a holiday at all. In all states that still celebrate it, this event is of an exclusively political nature. The status of a holiday and a day off on March 8 was received only in the Soviet Union and already in 1965, turning into a day of honoring all the fair sex. Gradually, it finally lost its ideological connotation, the one who invented the holiday on March 8 was also forgotten, and in most post-Soviet countries it is still celebrated today as a day of spring, beauty and femininity.