5 things you may not have known about Women’s Day

things you may not have known about
Women’s Day

A few interesting facts about this day that celebrates women!

As most of us are aware, International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world as a special day dedicated to women and women’s rights. However, don’t forget that while there is one day out of 365, that’s been honoured for women, it doesn’t mean that we forget about supporting women the remaining 364 days of the year. Instead, Libas strongly feels that each and every day is Women’s Day and should be celebrated as such. So, keep an eye out for the women you know — be there for them when they need a helping hand or a strong shoulder to lean on! Hurrah for all the women we love and those that we don’t know but who work hard to make it a better world, each day. Happy Women’s Day!

Mimosa is the official flower for
Women’s Day

The custom of giving the mimosa flower can be traced back to Italy around 1946. The flowers were intended to be given as a sign of respect. International Women’s Day or, as it’s more commonly called in Italy, la Festa della Donna, is celebrated by the giving and receiving of mimosa blossom. No one is sure why this began but it is documented that men in Rome on March 8, 1946, gave these fragrant yellow flowers to their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters as a sign of love and appreciation.

Purple is the colour for
Women’s Day

The National Women’s Party, USA, suggested wearing purple on International Women’s Day since “Purple is the colour of loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause.” It is also the colour of dignity and self-respect and so Purple it became!

When was Women’s Day
first celebrated?

The first National Woman’s Day was observed on February 28, across the US, in 1909. However, it was only in 1975, in International Women’s Year, that the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women’s Day.

The Theme for Women’s Day,
this year, is Gender Equality!

Women’s rights and gender equality are taking centre stage in 2020. We still have a long way to go before parity is achieved! But despair not, the struggle is on and much has been achieved. In India, for example, inducting women on company boards has recently become a mandatory and companies are scrambling to implement this. The military has just recognised women’s rights to be commanders in the army. And women are being recognised for their ability to lead. Ms. Kiran Shaw Mazumdar of Biocon, was just declared Entrepreneur of The Year by Ernst & Young, in India, one of the big four consultancy firms in the world.

Women’s Day first became a holiday
Elegance!in Russia, in 1917.

By 2014, the day was celebrated in more than 100 countries, and since has been made an official holiday in more than 25 countries across the globe. Over 20 countries, particularly in Asia, celebrate it with a day off work for all, while another three (including China) allow all women to take a day off.