How did the women's holiday appear? The history of international women's day History of origin 8

About the history of the holiday March 8, why exactly March 8 became Women's Day, when and how it was first celebrated March 8. This is a story about the holiday of March 8 for adults and children. Teachers can use the materials in this article when developing holiday classroom hours and scenarios dedicated to March 8th.

Today, almost the entire planet celebrates March 8 as a day of worship of a real woman, her beauty, wisdom and femininity, who save the world.

From the history of the holiday March 8

This beloved holiday on March 8 dates back to the traditions of Ancient Rome in the 1st century BC. It was believed that the goddess Juno, the wife of the great Jupiter, was endowed with great power and had enormous capabilities. She had many names: Juno-Calendar, Juno-Coin. .. She gave people good weather, harvest, good luck in business and opened every month of the year. But most of all, the Roman women worshiped Juno - Lucia (“the bright one”), who patronized women in general, and during childbirth in particular. She was revered in every home; gifts were brought to her upon marriage and at the birth of a child.

The most joyful holiday for the female half of Rome was March 1, dedicated to this goddess and called the Matrons. Then the whole city was transformed. Festively dressed women walked with wreaths of flowers in their hands to the temple of Juno Lucia. They prayed, brought gifts of flowers and asked their patroness for happiness in the family. It was a holiday not only for respectable Roman women, but also for slaves, whose work on this day was performed by male slaves. On March 1, men gave generous gifts to their wives, relatives and friends, and did not ignore maids and slaves...

In the modern world, Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. The history of this holiday began in the 19th century, and it was dedicated to the day of the struggle for women's rights. It was on March 8, 1857 that a demonstration of women workers in clothing and shoe factories took place in New York. Then they demanded that they be given a ten-hour working day, acceptable working conditions and equal wages with men. Before this, women worked 16 hours a day and received mere pennies for it. After March 8, 1857, women's trade unions began to emerge, and women were given the right to vote for the first time. But only in 1910, at the International Women's Conference of Socialists in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin proposed celebrating World Women's Day on March 8th. It was a kind of call to women all over the world to join the fight for independence and equality; and they responded by joining the struggle for the right to work, respect for their dignity, and for peace on earth. This holiday was first celebrated in 1911, but only on March 19, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Then more than a million men and women took to the streets of these countries, and the demonstration took place under the slogan: “Suffrage for workers - to unite forces in the fight for socialism.” In Russia, International Women's Day was first celebrated in 1913 in St. Petersburg. Its organizers called for achieving economic and political equality for women. One of the most powerful performances by women took place in Petrograd on March 7, 1917. And in 1976, International Women's Day was officially recognized by the UN.

Today March 8 is a holiday of spring and light, a tribute to the traditional role of a woman as a wife, mother, and friend.

Who was the founder of the holidays on March 8: Clara Zetkin or Esther?

Many may have a question: was Clara Zetkin really the only ancestor of March 8? Historians also believe that the celebration of this holiday is associated with the legend of Esther. Many centuries ago, she saved her people from terrible death. Therefore, the most joyful holiday of the Jewish people, the holiday of Purim, is dedicated to her. It is celebrated almost at the same time as International Women's Day: at the end of winter - beginning of spring, on March 4.

Once upon a time, in 480 BC, all the Jews captured by the Babylonians gained freedom and could freely return back to Jerusalem. However, there were practically no people willing to leave Babylon, where the Jews spent almost their entire lives. Hundreds of thousands of Jews remained in the Persian Empire, and not at all as a labor force. Many of them managed to get a very good job and earn a good living.

Over time, the Jews became so accustomed to Babylon that even the indigenous inhabitants no longer understood who conquered whom: the Persians Jerusalem or the Jews Babylon. Then one of the ministers of the powerful ruler Xerxes, Haman, came to the king and told him that Jews had invaded their state. Xerxes decided to exterminate all the Jews.

His wife Esther, who hid her ethnic origin from her husband (she was Jewish), accidentally found out about Xerxes’ terrible plan. Clever Esther did not beg the king for mercy, but decided to use Xerxes’ love for herself. When the king was under the influence of her spell, she made him promise to destroy all the enemies of her people. Xerxes agreed to everything, and only some time later he discovered that he had promised his beloved wife to destroy all the enemies of the Jews, but it was no longer possible to retreat...

And on the 13th of Adar (a month in the Jewish calendar: approximately the end of February - the beginning of March), a royal decree regarding pogroms is spread throughout the Persian Empire. But it was radically different from what was originally intended to be created: Xerxes allowed this decree to be drawn up by Esther and her cousin and educator Mordecai.

“And the king’s scribes were called, and everything was written as Mordecai had ordered to the rulers of one hundred and twenty-seven regions in the name of the king - that the king allows the Jews who are in every city to gather and stand up for their lives, to destroy, to kill and destroy all the mighty in the people and in the region who are at enmity with them, children and wives, and plunder their goods” (Esther 8:8-11). And for two days “all the princes in the regions, and the satraps, and the executors of the king’s affairs supported the Jews. And the Jews slew all their enemies, and destroyed them, and dealt with their enemies according to their own will” (Esther 9:3-5).

Minister Haman, who gave Xerxes the idea of ​​exterminating the Jews, was executed by hanging along with his entire family. During this struggle, about 75 thousand Persians were destroyed. The Persian Empire was practically destroyed. The day of this significant victory for the Jews is still honored and celebrated.

Among the greatest sages, “there is even an opinion that when all the books of the prophets and hagiographers are forgotten, the book of Esther will still not be forgotten, and the holiday of Purim will not cease to be observed.”

Perhaps this legend was true, and Esther actually saved her people. And in gratitude for such a feat, Jews still honor the savior today, celebrating Purim. And everyone understands that such a legend about the celebration of World Women’s Day also has a right to exist.

International Women's Day, now celebrated in dozens of countries at the state and unofficial levels, was first celebrated on March 8, 1910. However, the tradition of giving gifts and paying special attention to the fair half of humanity is older. Similar holidays, albeit on a smaller scale, were in Ancient Rome, Japan and Armenia.

Days of honoring women in different countries

The history of the holiday dates back to the ancient era. In ancient Rome, celebrations in honor of freeborn women, matrons, were held on the calendars of March. Every year on March 1, married Roman women were given gifts. Dressed in elegant clothes and wreaths of fragrant flowers, the matrons headed to the temple of the goddess Vesta. Slaves also received their gift on this day: their mistresses gave them a day off.

According to the poet Ovid, the tradition of celebrating the holiday originated during the Sabine War. Legend has it that during the founding of Rome, the city was inhabited only by men. To continue the family line, they kidnapped girls from neighboring tribes. Thus began the war between the Romans and the Latins and Sabines. And if the men of the “eternal city” quickly dealt with the former, they had to fight for a long time with the latter.

The Sabines almost won, but the outcome of the battle was decided by the kidnapped women. Over the years, they started families, gave birth to children, and the war between fathers and brothers on the one hand and husbands on the other tore their hearts. During the battle, disheveled and crying, they rushed into the thick of it, begging to stop. And the men listened to them, made peace and created one state. The founder of Rome, Romulus, instituted a holiday in honor of free women - Maturnalia. He gave Roman Sabine women equal property rights to men.

More than a thousand years ago, the tradition of celebrating Women's Day in Japan began. It is celebrated on March 3 and is called Hinamatsuri. The history of the origin of the "Girls' Day" is not known for certain. It most likely began with the custom of floating paper dolls in a basket down the river. It was believed that this is how Japanese women ward off misfortunes sent by evil spirits. Hinamatsuri has been a national holiday for almost 300 years. On this day, families with girls decorate their rooms with balls of artificial tangerine and cherry flowers.

The central place in the room is given to a special stepped stand, on which beautiful dolls in ceremonial dresses are displayed. On the historical Women's Day, girls, wearing colorful kimonos, visit each other and treat each other with sweets.

The Armenian Holiday of Motherhood and Beauty has ancient Christian roots. It is celebrated on April 7 - the day when, according to the Bible, the guardian angels informed the Virgin Mary that she was expecting a child. In modern Armenia, both traditional and International Women's Day are celebrated. Thus, daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers here accept congratulations throughout the month.

The history of the holiday

Since the end of the 19th century, women have actively fought to obtain the same rights as men. The ideas of emancipation found a lively response among representatives of left-wing organizations. That is why many politically active women of that time joined the ranks of socialists and communists. One of the representatives of the labor movement, Clara Zetkin, in 1910, at an international conference in the capital of Denmark, called for the establishment of International Women's Day. The idea was not new. A year earlier, the American Socialist Party proposed celebrating Women's Day on February 28. Clara Zetkin chose a different day - March 8th.

There are several versions why the communist insisted on this particular date. According to one of them, the idea of ​​creating a holiday was linked to the first mass protest of working women. A demonstration of New York seamstresses and shoemakers took place in 1857. The workers demanded to reduce the working day to 10 hours, increase wages and improve working conditions. The appearance of the holiday on March 8 could also be associated with another political event - the 15,000-strong rally of 1908. New Yorkers fought for women's right to vote and a ban on child labor.

There is also a Jewish version of the origin of the holiday. Her supporters claim that the day of March 8 was chosen by Clara Zetkin in honor of the Jewish holiday of Purim. For Jews, this is a day of carnival fun, dedicated to the events of 2 thousand years ago. Then, under King Artaxerxes, his wife Esther saved the Jews of Persia from mass extermination. Several facts indicate the inconsistency of this version. Firstly, the Jewish origin of Clara Zetkin, née Eissner, is questionable. Secondly, Purim is a moving holiday, falling on February 23 in 1910.

Holiday of spring, beauty and femininity

The date chosen by Zetkin did not take root for a long time. At the suggestion of another left-wing activist, Elena Grinberg, International Women's Day in 1911 was held on March 19 in a number of countries. The following year, rallies took place on the 12th. In 1913, political actions were organized in eight countries, but they took place scatteredly during the first two weeks of spring. On the eve of the First World War, March 8 fell on a Sunday, which made it possible to coordinate events in six countries.

With the outbreak of hostilities, the activity of the women's movement in the world subsided. It increased again three years later, when the economic situation in European countries deteriorated noticeably. At the beginning of 1917, a social explosion occurred in Russia. On February 23, or March 8 according to the new style, Petrograd textile workers, taking their children with them, went on strike. Constant malnutrition and war weariness made them brave. Women demanded bread, approaching the soldiers' cordons, and asked the men to join them. Thus began the February Revolution, which put an end to the autocracy.

In the early 20s of the last century, already in Soviet Russia, they remembered the events of that March 8th, and the history of the holiday continued. Since 1966, this day has become a day off in the USSR, and in 1975 it was recognized by the UN. According to the map on Wikipedia, March 8, in addition to Russia, is officially celebrated in the following countries:

• Kazakhstan;
• Azerbaijan;
• Belarus;
• Turkmenistan;
• Mongolia;
• Sri Lanka;
• Georgia;
• Armenia;
• Ukraine;
• Angola;
• Uzbekistan;
• Moldova;
• Zambia;
• Cambodia;
• Kyrgyzstan;
• Kenya;
• Tajikistan;
• Uganda;
• Guinea-Bissau;
• Madagascar;
• DPRK.

For a long time, March 8 and the history of the holiday were associated with politics, since the appearance of the date was closely connected with the activities of the protest movement. And it was not intended as a celebration, but as a day of women’s solidarity in the struggle for their rights.

Over time, the feminist and socialist component of the holiday faded into the background.

In the 70s and 80s in the Soviet Union there was a gradual “humanization” of the event, and traditions were formed. Girls and women were presented with flowers. The symbols of the March 8th holiday are tulips and mimosa branches. In kindergartens and schools they made homemade cards for mothers and grandmothers. At home, as a rule, a festive table was set. All these traditions have migrated to modern times. Now March 8th is a holiday of femininity, beauty and the coming spring.

The idea of ​​a women's social movement first appeared in the second half of the 19th century, and it received a significant impetus for development at the turn of the 19th-20th century, when a period of militant ideas, an aggressive revision of the boundaries of the world, social upheavals, and significant population growth began in industrialized countries.

In 1857, on March 8th, New York textile workers and seamstresses took to the streets to protest. Their demands included a ban on inhumane working conditions and increased wages. Police detachments were deployed against the demonstrators and brutally dispersed the demonstration. 2 years later, again in March, these same textile workers created their first trade union, designed to protect the fundamental rights of working women.

In 1977, the UN adopted a resolution calling on all states to proclaim March 8 as International Women's Day. Countries of the former USSR and many others have declared this day a national holiday.

Another date, March 8, this time in 1908, is remembered in the United States. This is the so-called Bread and Roses Day. Gathering 15 thousand, women took to the streets of New York in an organized manner, demanding suffrage, equal wages with men, reduction of working hours, and a ban on the use of child labor. The bread in the hands of the demonstrators symbolized social security, and the roses symbolized high living standards.

In 1910, an international conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, bringing together more than 100 women from 17 powers. All of them - including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament - represented the socialist organizations of their countries. It was this women's international that unanimously supported the German representative Clara Zetkin, who proposed establishing Women's Day around the world on March 8, in memory of the strike of New York textile workers.

At the same time, the conference participants decided that they would fight for women to gain the right to work, study, vote, as well as the right to hold public office on an equal basis with men.

Interestingly, the International Women's Day logo is made in purple and white - these are the colors of Venus, considered the patroness of women. It is purple ribbons that are worn all over the world on March 8 by famous and accomplished women - politicians, businesswomen, teachers, doctors, journalists, athletes, actresses - when they participate in events dedicated to the improvement of the status of women. These could be government initiatives, political rallies, women's conferences, or theater performances, handicraft fairs and fashion shows.

In Russia, International Women's Day began to be celebrated in 1913. About one and a half thousand people took part in the first celebration, which took place in St. Petersburg in the building of the Kalashnikov Bread Exchange.

To the question of when the holiday of March 8 arose, history gives several answers. The officially accepted version in Russia connects the emergence of International Women's Day with the names of famous activists Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg. However, some researchers find brief mentions of special women's days in ancient texts dating back to Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. Whether to take this information into account or not is up to everyone to decide for themselves. This does not affect the modern form of celebration in any way and does not in any way prevent adults and children from celebrating the most beautiful, tender and joyful day of the year brightly, magnificently and cheerfully.

Where did the holiday March 8 come from - the history of International Women's Day according to different versions

The spring women's holiday has a rich history and several versions of its origin. According to one of them, the tradition of honoring the fair sex in a special way originated in Ancient Greece. It was there that the ladies, led by Lysistrata, first opposed the men and declared a sex strike in order to stop the hostilities.

In Ancient Rome, there was also a special day when men paid special attention to their matrons and presented them with valuable gifts, and slaves were freed from any work. All citizens dressed in elegant clothes and in an excellent mood went to the temple of the goddess Vesta, where they worshiped the beautiful guardian of family values ​​and the hearth.

Some experts connect the history of the holiday with the heroic and wise act of Esther, the beautiful wife of King Xerxes of Persia. A wise and beautiful woman, born into a Jewish family, managed to hide her Jewish roots from her husband and, under a plausible pretext, obtained an oath from her beloved to protect her people from enemies and any misfortunes. Her dedication allowed the Jews to escape the attack of the Persian army. In honor of this event, on the 13th day of Aidar, which usually fell from late February to early March, Jews began to celebrate a holiday called Purim. At the beginning of the twentieth century, specifically in 1910, when International Women's Day received official status, Purim fell on March 8th.

Another version, telling where the holiday of March 8 came from, has a very scandalous and ambiguous connotation. Historical sources claim that in 1857, the New York “priestesses of love” organized the first protest and demanded that the authorities pay wages to sailors so that they could pay for love services. The second demonstration of “night butterflies” took place in Europe. On March 8, 1894, representatives of the oldest profession held a rally in one of the central squares of Paris. They demanded recognition of their rights on an equal basis with any other working women and insisted on organizing their own trade union, which would defend their interests at the state level. In 1895, a wave of such performances swept through Chicago and New York. In 1910, public women took to the streets of Germany under the leadership of the legendary activists Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin. In their appeal to the authorities, the first point was the demand to immediately stop the excesses of the German police, who behave too rudely with girls who make a living by selling their bodies. For the Soviet Union, the description of these events was somewhat adjusted and prostitutes were called ordinary “working women fighting for their rights in the harsh world of business and capitalism.”

The official version is how the holiday of March 8 arose

The generally accepted official version of the origin of International Women's Day refers to March 8, 1908, when the social democratic organization of women in New York called on its supporters to take to the streets and support slogans about the equality of women. About 15 thousand beautiful ladies marched along the central streets of the city, loudly demanding a reduction in the length of the working day, equal fair wages with men and the opportunity to vote in elections. In 1909, the socialists of America declared the last Sunday in February as National Women's Day and managed to achieve official status for it. In this form the holiday lasted for four years.

In the summer of 1910, the 8th Congress of the Second International was held in Copenhagen. As part of this significant event, a women's socialist conference took place and Clara Zetkin, speaking at it, addressed those present with a proposal to establish a single international women's holiday. True, then it had a slightly different meaning. It was assumed that on this day women from different countries would go out into the streets for public speeches in order to attract public attention to themselves and their problems.

In 1911, International Women's Day was celebrated simultaneously in four European countries - Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark. It happened on March 19 in memory of the events of the Prussian Spring Revolution of 1848. The following year the holiday moved to March 12. In 1913, Russian and French women held a rally on March 2, Dutch and Swiss women on the 9th, and German women on the 12th. In 1914, for the first time, Women's Day was celebrated on March 8 and simultaneously in 6 countries. In the future, this date was assigned to the celebration, which remains relevant to this day.

March 8 - the history of the holiday in Russia

In Russia, the history of the holiday on March 8 began in 1913. It was then that Russian women expressed solidarity with the working women of Europe and celebrated their first International Women's Day on one February Sunday. The official date for the holiday was assigned only 8 years later and since 1921 it was always celebrated on the same day - March 8th. In 1965, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree according to which International Women's Day became not just a holiday, but also a day off and gradually lost its distinct feminist overtones.

Today, March 8 is considered a very tender, reverent and feminine holiday. On this day, ladies no longer take to the streets for public rallies and do not put forward any harsh demands to the government. Instead, they receive beautiful, sublime congratulations, flowers and pleasant gifts from the stronger sex. Work teams host cheerful corporate parties, banquets and buffets, at which women are honored by senior employees. On television and radio, the fair half of humanity is congratulated by top officials of the state, deputies and respected public figures.

On March 8, men take on the main women's responsibilities and free their girlfriends, wives, beloved girls, mothers and grandmothers from such traditional activities as washing dishes, laundry, ironing and cooking. The day passes brightly, pleasantly and at ease and gives every representative of the fair sex plenty to enjoy the attention and love of family, friends and everyone around.

History of March 8 for children and video presentation

In order for children at school to better understand the deep meaning of the holiday, they must be introduced to the history of March 8th and told in an accessible form which people were the ideologists of the creation of the celebration. In elementary school, it is not necessary to dwell in too much detail on the events of past years. It is enough to briefly explain what rights women fought for and what they managed to achieve over a period of more than a century. A bright thematic video presentation will help enhance the effect of words. It will slightly dilute the seriousness of the moment and enable children to better perceive the information received.

You can talk to high school students in more detail and, in addition to mentioning historical figures, tell them about modern ladies who have made successful careers and achieved success in business and science, in the cultural field and in the arts. Both boys and girls will be interested in hearing about Russian women who have shown their best in professions traditionally considered “male.” This information will inspire the children and serve as an incentive for further learning and development.