Men all across Italy are expected to lavish all the women in their lives with bunches of mimosa in early March, when these yellow flowers bloom and are at their finest.
In Italy, the day is commemorated with exhibits and plays that focus on women’s rights. In places like Rome, many museums, archaeological monuments and exhibits will open their doors free of charge to women and will emphasise the role of women both as an object in art and creator of art. Many women will take the opportunity to round up a group of friends for a night of dinner, movies and fun.
The flowers, and their association with the day, have also inspired the creation of other Italian culinary treats to indulge in on March 8. The torta mimosa, a cake made of two layers of sponge cake covered in cream, custard and crumble is intended to take on the yellow, crumbly appearance of the flower. Linguine mimosa is a dish which relies on curry to give pasta a yellow shade and tagliatelle mimosa include fishballs fashioned to portray the mimosa flower. The mimosa cocktail, made of a combination of champagne and citrus fruit juice, is another yellow refreshment with which to celebrate on the day.
While festivities for International Women’s Day may be more low-key in Australia, and the mimosa flower element missing, there will still be plenty of activities for women to participate in on March 8. Events including inspirational talks, leadership masterclasses and concerts celebrating the contribution of women to music, have been organised for 2017, focused on the theme Be Bold For Change.
While the celebration of women was first implemented as a national day in America in 1909, it was not until 1910, at the International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen, that International Women’s Day was founded and observed, firstly by Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. The initial values it was based on included campaigning for universal voting rights for women, protesting against warfare, maintaining the wellbeing and care of mothers and children, and combatting price rises. The day also began to draw attention to issues such as poor and unequal working conditions and regulations, intensified somewhat by the Triangle Fire. The fire occurred at a factory in New York which produced clothing and caused the deaths of 146 people in total, of which 123 were women. Many of the fatalities comprised Jewish and Italian immigrants. The event added momentum for campaigns aimed at improving safety conditions and regulations within factories, particularly for women.
International Women’s Day was originally scheduled for a different date every year and the reason that the day now falls on March 8 can be traced all the way back to St Petersburg in Russia, in 1917. On that day, a group of women took to the streets to protest against war, food shortages and the position of the Czar. This event helped to pave the way for the February revolution, which was influential in bringing an end to Russian imperial rule.
It was in 1922 that the day first came to be celebrated in Italy, and in 1946 that it took the status of a national day. Themes of the day have focused on inequality between genders in rural areas, as well as in science and technology, and also the eradication of violence against women. For Italy, the day has become a crucial platform to campaign for women’s rights in divorce, contraception and abortion, as well as to celebrate women’s achievements.
