WOMEN IN FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS CELEBRATE MARCH 8 HOLIDAY

2005-03-08

MOSCOW, March 8 (RIA Novosti) – Women residing on post-Soviet space
still consider March 8, the International Women’s Day, their holiday.

The history of the International Women’s Day is traditionally tied
to the name of famous female revolutionary Clara Zetkin. In 1910,
during the Copenhagen International Women’s Conference, she announced
the idea of celebrating March 8 every year as the “birthday of female
proletariat.”

Kiev

March 8 is proclaimed a public holiday in Ukraine. According to the
majority of Ukrainians, the State Customs Service gave Ukrainian women
the biggest “present” by introducing new customs duty evaluation
standards on imported flowers. As a result, retail prices for the
largest Latin American roses may go up from $2.5 per flower to $10-$11.

No official March 8 celebrations with participation of state leaders
are planned in Kiev, although the president and other state officials
will congratulate Ukrainian women on the occasion of the holiday.

Worth notice is the trend among Ukrainian male population to increase
the amount of money are willing (or forced) to spend on presents for
women. If a couple of years ago a present worth $2-3 was considered
moderate, today it might offend women.

Although, the majority of women still claim that the price of a present
does not matter; what is really important is who gives them presents.

Minsk

March 8 is officially celebrated on a large scale. Following
the tradition, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko addressed
Belarussian women with a congratulatory statement. On occasion of
the holiday, Belarussian manufacturers of cosmetics, confectionery
and perfumes increased the volumes of supplies to the retail outlets
of the republic.

In addition, hot-bed flower farms specialized in decorative flowers
supplied retail chains with a record amount of flowers.

Chisinau

This year, March 8, celebrated in Moldova as “a red date of the
calendar,” has its specifics. It nearly coincides with March 6
parliamentary elections in the country; therefore, the majority of
men in Moldova, including the president, started to congratulate
their female colleagues in advance.

There is no doubt that the celebration of March 8 holiday sharply
increased the rating of men’s affection toward women, judging by empty
flower sales stalls and happy female faces on the streets of Chisinau.

In addition, there is another important occasion to celebrate. In
January 2005, Moldavian women gave birth to 2,962 babies – 6.5% more
than in January 2004, which means that Love – the major party of life
— rules in Moldavia on that day, despite parliamentary elections
and related public unrest.

Baku

Azerbaijan officially celebrates March 8 as the International
Women’s Day.

On this day, men give women various presents. Flowers are the most
popular among them. According to local tradition, which is not really
popular among men, prices for flowers, especially roses, are twice
higher on the eve and during the holiday than on regular days.

Women also receive jewelry, souvenirs and perfumes as presents.
Contrary to flower prices, those for perfumes decrease during the
holidays.

Yerevan

In 1991, the new Armenian leadership – the All-Armenian National
Movement – decided to throw anything that relates to Communist and
Soviet past of the country to the gutters of history and immediately
abolished March 8 as the International Women’s Day, announcing April
7 as the Day of Motherhood and Beauty, instead.

Women only benefited from that decision, because they continued to
celebrate both holidays. Men were at a loss, though. They could not
figure out what was better – to forget about March 8, or to ignore
April 7. As a result, since then, the Armenians celebrate two holidays,
one as a tradition and another as an official holiday.

Tbilisi

The Georgian Parliament proclaimed the International Women’s Day, on
March 8, a stateholiday and an official day-off only on March 2, 2002.

At the beginning of its independence, first Georgian President Zviad
Gamsakhurdia decided to substitute the International Women’s Day
with a new holiday – the Mother’s Day – on March 3. However, despite
the official abolishment of the holiday, Georgian women continued to
celebrate the International Women’s Day, and on March 8 men always
presented women with flowers and souvenirs.

Since 2002, Georgia has been celebrating both holidays – the Mother’s
Day and the International Women’s Day.

Astana

Kazakhstan celebrates March 8 as the International Women’s Day. It
is an official holiday in the republic.

Traditionally, on the eve of the International Women’s Day, Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbaev holds an official reception at his
residence in the capital, inviting women from all regions of the
republic.

More than 150 non-governmental women’s organizations conduct their
activities on the territory of the republic. Kazakstan has joined
international conventions on the protection of family, women’s and
children’s rights.

Tashkent

On March 6, a solemn meeting of female veterans of the Great Patriotic
War, dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Great Victory and the
International Women’s Day was held in Tashkent.

Head of representative office of the Russian Center for international
scientific and cultural cooperation under the Russian Foreign Ministry
Tatyana Mishukovskaya told RIA Novosti correspondent, “the meeting
is part of a series of events dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of
the Great Victory.”

About 100 female veterans gathered at the meeting. Women were invited
to attend a concert specifically dedicated to the International
Women’s Day after the conclusion of the official part of the meeting.