International Women’s Day: Why is this Day becoming more popular in Canada

March 8 has been celebrated as a special day for women for more than a century. As women protested for more rights back in the day, people around the world celebrate and remember this day.

How was International women’s day created?

There was a lot of unhappiness and heated discussion among women. Women were becoming increasingly outspoken and involved in the fight for change as a result of the oppression and unfairness they faced. Later, in 1908, 15,000 women staged a march through New York City to demand better working conditions, higher wages, and the right to vote.

The inaugural National Woman’s Day (NWD), according to a proclamation by the Socialist Party of America, was honoured on February 28 across the country. Up until 1913, women still observed NWD on the last Sunday in February.

Copenhagen hosted the second World Congress of Working Women in 1910. The concept of an International Women’s Day was proposed by a lady by the name of Clara Zetkin, who served as the leader of the “Women’s Office” for the German Social Democratic Party. She suggested that every year on the same day, in every nation, there should be a celebration honouring women in order to further their causes. Zetkin’s suggestion was enthusiastically embraced by the conference of more than 100 women from 17 different countries who represented unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs, and the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. As a result, International Women’s Day was established.

Russian women celebrated their inaugural International Women’s Day on February 23, the penultimate Sunday in February, as they campaigned for peace on the eve of World War I. Following deliberations, it was decided to observe International Women’s Day on March 8 each year, which corresponds to February 23 in the widely used Gregorian calendar. Since then, this day has been observed around the world. Many women held demonstrations in 1914 to protest the war and show their sympathy with one another. For instance, on March 8, 1914, there was a march in favour of women’s suffrage from Bow to Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom. On her way to speak in front of Charing Cross station, Sylvia Pankhurst was detained in Trafalgar Square.

Sylvia Pankhurst was a political activist and women’s rights advocate who is most known for her adoption of aggressive strategies in the struggle for the right to vote for women.

How is International Women’s Day celebrated around the World?

International Women’s Day is observed as a national holiday in a number of countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam where flower sales quadruple in the three to four days leading up to March 8.

In former Yugoslav countries, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Northern Macedonia, International women’s day is celebrated with organized excursions for women on that day with gifting of red clove and mimosa flowers.

Italy celebrates the Festa della Donna, or International Women’s Day, by exchanging mimosa blossoms. This habit is said to have started in Rome after World War Two, however its exact origins are uncertain.

Argentinians usually observed International Women’s Day by offering gifts to the ladies in their lives. It has been observed since the 1900s. Protests, however, have increased in frequency over the past few years as more people take to the streets to voice their opposition to violence, the ongoing pay gap, fair representation in the arts, and other societal changes.

In Canada, International Women’s Day is becoming more famous as many female activists promote the right of women. Many gatherings and events around Canada honour and celebrate the achievements of women all around the world, ranging from small random informal gatherings to large highly organized events.

Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8.