How did Women’s Day come about and why is it celebrated on March 8?

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day in which women’s achievements in terms of rights, economics and politics are recognized. It is therefore a symbolic day that aims to make people reflect on the discrimination and violence that still affect women around the world.

The origins of this holiday date back to the early twentieth century and are often linked, mistakenly, to the tragedy of 1911, when a fire in a textile factory in New York City killed 146 victims. The truth is that Women’s Day was only made official in 1977 by the United Nations.

Why are mimosas given on International Women’s Day?

In 1946, Women’s Day was then associated with its symbol: the mimosa. It is a yellow flower that blooms at the very beginning of March, it was chosen by the organizers of the celebrations in Rome because it is an inexpensive seasonal flower. Actually, then, even the color of the flower has taken on a meaning: yellow is in fact the color of strength, vitality and joy and also represents the passage from death to life. The mimosa has therefore become the symbol that reminds the battles of women for equality between the sexes.