Not only March 8: what other holidays in honor of women are there in the world

March 8 - International Women's Day. It is popular not only in the post-Soviet expanses, but all over the world. But the attitude towards him is different: somewhere he became a triumph of femininity and beauty, and somewhere - a reason to remind about the value of equality and freedom. About what other women's holidays are in different countries of the world, the edition told with the BBC.

Holidays dedicated to women are celebrated all year round around the world and in individual countries. These are professional holidays, traditional festivals, and dates of major achievements in the struggle for women's rights.

International Holidays

Mother's Day is one of the most famous women's holidays in the world, dedicated to motherhood and the role of mothers in society. It is celebrated in over 40 countries, most of which fall on the second Sunday in May.

In the United States, Mother's Day became a national holiday in 1914 thanks to the efforts of Anna Jarvis. Her campaign to have such a day celebrated at the state level began with the sad event - the death of her mother, civil activist Anna-Maria Jarvis, who fought to improve the quality of health care.

Anna Maria established a network of women's organizations in the United States, known as Mother's Day Workers' Clubs, to help those in need get the medicines they need and to fight to improve medicine.

Then US President Woodrow Wilson agreed to make Mother's Day a public holiday, and dozens of countries around the world followed his example. In many states, it is he who is still considered the main women's holiday.

October 15 is another international holiday called International Day of Rural Women. This day was formally introduced by the UN General Assembly in 2007, in a resolution which noted "the vital role of rural women, including women belonging to indigenous peoples, and their contribution to accelerating the development of agriculture and rural areas."

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It is not celebrated in the traditional way; on this day, the UN discusses the problems of women living in rural areas. For example, last year, officials talked about "Building the resilience of rural women during the COVID-19 pandemic."

In various countries of the world, there are many professional women's holidays in various fields of activity. For example, June 23 is International Women's Day in Engineering. It was first established by the British community of women engineers in 2014 and was recognized by UNESCO in 2016 and became international a year later. This day is dedicated to the merits of women in the field of engineering and the advancement of the role of women in this profession.

USA

Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the USA on August 26. This date was not chosen by chance: in 1920, on this day, the 19th amendment to the US Constitution was approved, which provided women with active suffrage. Thus, the long-term struggle of suffragists to give women the right to vote was crowned with success.

The holiday was first celebrated in 1972, when President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation declaring August 26 as Women's Equality Day. “Despite the importance of the ratification of the 19th amendment, it did not become a reason to end the struggle of women for full rights in our society. On the contrary, it has drawn even more attention to those rights that have not yet been exercised, ”the document says.

Japan

As such, there is no Women's Day in Japan, but on March 3, Japan celebrates Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri), also known as Dolls Day. On this day, the Japanese pray for the health and happiness of girls. The first mention of Hinamatsuri dates back to the Heian period in Japanese history (794-1185).

On Girls' Day, Japanese families with daughters set up multi-tiered platforms covered with red cloth in their homes, on which handmade dolls are seated. The dolls are arranged in a special way - by seniority, with the most expensive dolls symbolizing empresses on the first level, court ladies on the second, court musicians on the third, and so on.

Traditionally, on this day, these families invite guests to the house. And the girls dress in traditional kimonos and treat the guests with sweets. Although in the past the festival was dedicated only to girls, in recent years it has become a celebration for women of all ages.

Armenia

On April 7, Armenia celebrates the Day of Motherhood and Beauty. In the 1990s, after the declaration of independence, the country discussed the issue of removing March 8 from the number of public holidays and replacing it with Motherhood Day. But in the end, residents of the country celebrate both holidays.

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The Day of Motherhood and Beauty coincides in Armenia with the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is celebrated by the Apostolic Church. On this day, many pregnant women go to church to receive a blessing.

South Africa

National Women's Day is celebrated in South Africa on August 9. This day is dedicated to a memorable event in the history of the country: on August 9, 1956, more than 20 thousand women came to the government building in Pretoria to protest against the laws of apartheid. The women stood outside the government building for 30 minutes in silence, after which they sang a song, the name of which can be translated as "When you raised your hand to a woman, you hit a rock."

Since 1995, National Women's Day has been considered a public holiday in South Africa and is celebrated every year. In 2006, women marched in Pretoria to mark the 50th anniversary of the event.

Mozambique

National Women's Day in Mozambique is celebrated on April 7th and is also known as Mozambican Woman's Day. The holiday was established in memory of the national heroine Josina Machel, who died in 1971.

Josina Machel was the wife of the country's first president, Zamora Machel, but became known as an activist of the Mozambique Liberation Front, which played a huge role in the country's struggle for independence.

On this day, Mozambican women dance and sing to traditional music, while residents of the capital Maputo carry flowers to the Heroes Monument.

Tunisia

And in Tunisia, Women's Day is celebrated on August 13. In 1956, on this day, the Personal Status Code was adopted, recognizing women as subjects of law. The code, passed by Prime Minister Habib Bourguiba, abolished polygamy, introduced a legal procedure for divorce, and made the mutual consent of both partners to marriage a prerequisite for marriage.

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On Women's Day 2018, President Beji Qaed Ess-Sebsi announced his intention to grant women equal inheritance rights with men. This caused fierce controversy in society, and the law was never approved by parliament.

Latin America

International Day of African-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and African Women is celebrated in Latin America on July 25. The day was first celebrated in 1992, when the Dominican Republic hosted the first summit of Latin American and African Caribbean women from 32 countries in the region. The main topic of this meeting was the fight against racism and sexism.

On the same day, an organization called the Afro-Hispanic and Afro-Caribbean Women's Diaspora Network was formed to combat racial and gender discrimination in Latin American countries.

Today, this date continues to serve as a reason to draw attention to the problems of black women in Latin America.

According to the UN, the level of violence against women in this region is one of the highest in the world: 20 million women and girls are victims of it every year. The pandemic has exacerbated their situation: in Venezuela alone, according to human rights activists, in April last year, the number of murders of women increased by 65%, and in Colombia, the number of reported cases of domestic violence increased by 50%.