The Story Behind the International Women’s Day Flowers
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
by Oprah Winfrey
Every 8th of March of the year, many people around the world celebrate International Women’s Day to give significance to all women. Simply giving flowers is one of the ways to show recognition of women’s rights and achievements. Fun fact, the color theme for the day is associated with the color purple. It originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union in the United Kingdom in 1908 where women’s equality is represented by the colors purple, white, and green. The color purple symbolizes all the efforts to accomplish gender equality. For that reason, every International Women’s Day celebration all around the world is incorporated with wearing the color purple as a form of support to women. But do you know there is a lot to grasp why women get flowers on International Women’s Day? If not, we will look back to the past and tackle this.
It is a must to know the origin of International Women’s Day
Before you can thoroughly understand the definition behind the importance of handling flowers to women, it is a must to know the origin of International Women’s Day. According to The History Channel, 19th of March 1911, was the first celebration of International Women’s Day across Europe. The celebration aimed to give importance to women’s contributions to society and also raise awareness in terms of improving the aspect of gender equality in our society. To add more information, there is an official theme every year. Through sharing quotes, thoughtful messages, and many more about the celebration are ways to remember all the women that have made an impact in their lives.
Flowers had huge importance as well in communist and socialist countries especially during the end of World War II, March 8, in Italy. Mimosa flower was picked by Italian feminists as a representation of strength, sensitivity, and sensibility for Women’s Day. The flower is very delicate however it is very strong and literally can grow in hostile lands just like the characteristic of being a woman!
The mimosa flower is just the beginning of the International Women’s Day celebration in Italy. A holiday named Festa dell Donna is also celebrated every March 8 to give importance to women. Italian women have been given benefits to take the day to have leisure dinners, drink a glass of wine, and also have some mimosa flowers. Mimosa flower is also the first type of flower to bloom in Italian fields and this indicates the upcoming spring season.
Russia had an impact on the importance of International Women’s Day and the significance of flowers as well. In 1917, Russian textile diligent workers was led by a Russian feminist named Alexandra Kollontai to protest World War I and was called “ women’s demonstration for bread and peace.” The result was a success when the government granted Russian women the right to vote when Czar Nicholas II stepped down the throne for four days after the protest according to The History Channel.
According to The New York Times, a century later, men and women extended an effort, gave and showered women with flowers to manifest their appreciation to women who have a special and huge part of their lives on International Women’s Day. Around 150,000 roses every International Women’s Day are being sold in different flower shops in Russia and is equivalent to a worth of monthly sales. The other beautiful bloom that is famous in Russia is tulips, which can be exceptional gifting flowers. Tulip is a popular spring flower that bursts into color and is elegant at the same time.
International Women’s Day is not just a mere celebration that has been given importance since 1911 – that’s over 100 years and there are deep root meanings behind it. Gender equality and the contributions of women in terms of social, economic, cultural, and political success are the reasons. Showing acknowledgement by giving charming flowers, letters, etc. are ways in which will be highly appreciated by all women. Especially this upcoming International Women’s Day 2022 theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.
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