When did Russia start celebrating International Women's Day?
Today, in Russia, March 8 is associated with the beginning of spring, odes to women and flower madness. But, the history of the holiday is far from being as graceful as its current perception (many in the West consider it even sexist), as it is connected, primarily, with the struggle for women’s rights.
The first demonstration of women in Russia took place in 1913. While the working women's demonstration in the streets of Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) on February 23 (March 8, Gregorian calendar), 1917, practically started the revolution in Russia.
Women's demonstration in the streets of Petrograd on February 23 (March 8), 1917
At that time, women were demanding better working conditions, as well as the right to vote. And the emperor was forced to grant it.
And, from 1919, Soviets began to pay tribute to women on this day by establishing the International Female Workers' Day, which went on to become International Women's Day in the 1920s.
Mimosa for sale on the eve of International Women's Day on March 8
In 1966, March 8 became a non-working day in the USSR and it remains a public holiday today.
Man preparing for the Women's Day
