How do you celebrate
International
Women's Day?

International Women’s Day is an official holiday in China. There are all kinds of celebrations and all women will receive small gifts from their employers, even from the residential community committee. On that day, the All-China Women’s Federation will honor female individuals with a special title. They are elite women of China who have inspired the whole nation and encourage women to learn from them.

I celebrate Women’s Day by helping other women and young girls like me empower ourselves with ideas on how we can better our future and health. How we can help those less fortunate to get to where we are and this can only work if we work together and build each other up.

March is traditionally the month to celebrate women in Romania. It normally starts with the “Mărțișor,” an ancient Eastern European tradition. Romanians buy silky red-white threads tied into a bow to which a small trinket is attached and offer them to their female family members, friends and work colleagues to show friendship, respect or admiration. March 8th is also a huge deal for us Romanians: it is International Women’s Day, but most importantly, it is Mother’s Day in our country. So it is a must to get something nice for your mum and grandma and pay them a visit. Women are very much the backbone of our families and in Romania we like to show our appreciation by showing them with all kinds of gifts and flowers!

When I was living in Italy, I used to celebrate Women’s Day buying Mimosa flowers for my mum and my cousin. Now, that I live abroad and given that Mimosa flowers are not available here, I still buy flowers for my apartment, preferably yellow ones. This year, I will celebrate at a ladies dinner with seven other women at a friend’s place, with all my best friends eating Moroccan and Italian food. I don’t give Women’s Day too much importance. It has now become a very commercial day, but it is a nice excuse to buy something for myself and to celebrate with my closest friends

In Macedonia, we celebrate the International Women’s day by marking the significance of women’s struggle for economic, political and social equality with the men. On this day, in my city, there have always been plenty of events organized to capture the spirit of the holiday like cultural events or book fairs – all with one purpose and that is to empower women. When I was younger, my father and I used to take my mother out for a nice lunch and get her a bunch of flowers on this day, and now I usually celebrate the day by having lunch with friends and some other activities, depends on the plan.

In Mexico, this is a day when many people march in favor of women’s rights. I guess this year, it will be particularly significant. For me, this is a good chance to reflect how much we’ve accomplished and how much work still needs to be done. A good way to celebrate is by sharing women’s success stories which inspire and help to close the gender equality gap.

International Women’s Day is a national holiday in Ukraine. It’s an official day off and everyone is celebrating. Men give presents and flowers to their girlfriends, wives, mothers and in general to all women in the family. Tulips are especially popular. Every woman feels like a princess on this day! I always receive wishes from friends and family back home, which makes my day here special, too.

To be quite honest, I have barely noticed Women’s Day until now. But when I think about it, we should really not forget to celebrate women’s political and social achievements in the last few decades, because we are benefiting from that every day. On top of this, I will ask my husband for some flowers this year, as women are machines and everybody takes for granted that we work, raise our kids, clean the house and still look good.

I celebrate being a woman every day, and perhaps this might sound so cliché, but it is true for me specifically. As a Latin American woman, where many women have little or no access to education, I was raised by a single woman who against significant odds, instilled in me a sense of womanly pride through her example. So on March 8th, I specially celebrate my mother who planted in me a little seed that has guided me in my own struggles to find a place for myself in the world. I have come a long way from Honduras in the hopes of helping other women reach for their dreams as well! Even though at home we celebrated with flowers for my mom, she always used to say “everyday should be a women’s day!” and I truly believe that.