Women’s day celebrated on 8th of March every year is an occasion to celebrate women in general. Also, the day is dedicated to acknowledge the contributions of women in different walks of life in many parts of the world. What is good is that women are no longer celebrated as idols of sacrifice and domesticity. They are appreciated for whatever role they choose to play whether it is that of a home maker or that of a professional.
Despite all the criticism that the festival invites, no one can deny the fact that the Women’s Day does serve as an occasion to bring a smile to the faces of women who are pampered a little by all the important males in their life, who are appreciated for all the efforts they put in and who are just in love with womanhood.
Last Updated on 10/21/2011
History
Women’s day was celebrated for the first time on 28th February 1909 in the United States of America at the national level. Taking a cue from the Americans, countries like Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and many others celebrated the occasion to revere women for the first time on 18th March 1911.Soon, all the other countries started catching up and Women’s Day became an international occasion to felicitate women. However, the connotations of the festival have changed from time to time. Initially, the festival was all about the rights of women and their struggle to be at equals with men, and then it started recognizing the different facets of women and appreciating her individuality. The emphasis then shifted to giving women any different treatment than men as an insult to them.Significance
All of us might have heard our mothers and grandmothers stating how blessed women today are when compared to women a century ago, on more than one occasion. All those familiar with history of women and their extremely tough battle to reach a point where they can raise their voice and make themselves heard would know that they have a point. Events like Women’s Day not only pay a tribute to this journey but also serve as motivating factors for women to continue to inspire and be inspired and make the World a better place to live for their counterparts.Controversies:
Dedicating a specific day to mark a particular occasion has always been a matter of debate and women’s day is no exception. Another belief has it that celebrating a day like this negates the essential purpose to which the festival is dedicated and that the festival emphasizes even more strongly the fact that women are to be treated differently from men and that this occasion only presents women as creatures who are to be sympathized with and who seek recognition and approval for each of their efforts.Despite all the criticism that the festival invites, no one can deny the fact that the Women’s Day does serve as an occasion to bring a smile to the faces of women who are pampered a little by all the important males in their life, who are appreciated for all the efforts they put in and who are just in love with womanhood.
Last Updated on 10/21/2011
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