The International Womens Day is one of the most important celebrations in the world because it values an aspect that weighs heavy in every society. Began primarily as a political movement meant to show the importance of the working woman, today the holiday represents much more than that; it has come to encompass all that is to be appreciated in a woman, and all her qualities.
The first time the International Womens Day was celebrated was over 100 years ago, in 1909, on February 28. It began as a Socialist movement, in the United States of all places. However, having Socialist valences, it soon gained popularity in those parts of the world where the movement was strongest, like in Russia, Eastern Europe and the Soviet bloc in general. Thus, on this day people showed their respect and appreciation for women, who were just starting to gain more independence and show their equality to men. The holiday was also meant to celebrate and militate for the women’s right to vote and for other rights that would truly make them equal to men in society.
Although the International Womens Day was important ever since its inception, it is good to keep remembering that this half of society is just as strong, and has offered just as many sacrifices across history. That is why in some places, over the years, the holiday lost most of its political ideals and became just an opportunity for men to show their love, appreciation and respect for the women in their lives. In that respect, the holiday became similar to Mother’s Day and to Valentine’s Day.
Many other celebrations which were political and local at some point lost their original intentions over time, but what is important is that their messages spread across the world and that more and more people came to celebrate them, and in that find another common point. It is also important that we remember that even though it begot a political movement that brought on a lot of suffering, Socialism at its finest, at its most idealist peak, was a people’s movement for the people. It was within Socialist movements that people were brought to understand that many aspects of the then societies were wrong and, more importantly, that they could be changed.
It was from Socialist movements that struggles for workers’ rights and protection were born; unfortunately, many people lost their lives in protests like these that fought to bring a better life for the common people, and to remove the outrageous claims of those who called themselves nobility. That is why the International Women’s Day should be remembered and celebrated each year, not just for sentimental reasons, but for its political and social history and impact as well.
