Happy San Ba Fu Nuu Jie!~
Happy International Women's Day~!
the following is extracted from
wikipedia
International Women's Day
The International Women's Day, or International Woman's Day, is on
8 March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the
economic, political and social achievements of women. Amongst other
relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Factory Fire
(New York, 1911), where over 140 women lost their lives.
The idea of having an international women's day was first put
forward at the turn of the 20th century amid rapid world
industrialization and economic expansion that led to protests over
working conditions. Women from clothing and textile factories
staged one such protest on March 8th, 1857 in New York City. The
garment workers were protesting what they saw as very poor working
conditions and low wages. The protesters were attacked and
dispersed by police. These women established their first labour
union in the same month two years later.
More protests followed on March 8th in subsequent years, most
notably in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City
demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Even so, the
first IWD was observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States
following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. In 1910
the first international women's conference was held in Copenhagen
by the Socialist International and an 'International Women's Day'
was established. The following year, IWD was marked by over a
million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
However, just six days later, the Triangle Factory Fire in New York
City killed over 140 garment workers. A lack of safety measures was
blamed for the high death toll. Furthermore, on the eve of World
War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on March 8,
1913.
Demonstrations marking International Women's Day in Russia proved
to be the first stage of the Russian Revolution. Following the
October Revolution, the Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai
persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday, and during the
Soviet period it continued to celebrate "the heroic woman worker".
The day remains an official holiday in Russia, and is observed by
men congratulating women (any woman) and giving them gifts.
In the West, International Women's Day was commemorated during the
1910s and 1920s, but dwindled. It was revived by the rise of
feminism in the 1960s. In 1975, the United Nations began sponsoring
International Women's Day.
for more info & activities, u may visit International Women's Day Website
