March 8th, Women’s Day in Russia
What is women’s day in Russia and why it is so important
March 8th is Women's Day in Russia, and a non-working day. March 7th's workday is shortened by one hour because it precedes a public holiday.
The official name of March 8th is “International Women's Day”. I do not know if it is observed anywhere else outside the former USSR, but some former Soviet republics still have it as a festivity. Women’s Day, as a holiday, was established in Soviet times, but very few people know why observance of this holiday started back in 1921. Originally, March 8th was a day of gender equality and women's rights. By now, the historical meaning of March 8th has been completely lost, shifting from a political agenda to social and cultural values. In fact, the deeper meaning of this holiday nowadays is praising the gender differences in women and their specialness.
Russia has a multitude of public holidays, yet few holidays carry personal importance and are celebrated on a family and private level. Women's Day is one of them.
Roles of women in Russian culture
Modern Russian culture embraces a clear separation between genders. People of each gender ought to follow specific, society-assigned roles. Gender roles are among the most deeply and firmly rooted in the Russian mindset. This is why any deviations from what is considered “normal” in terms of gender roles are not well-received, as they threaten the core values of the Russian cultural mindset.
Unlike many other cultures striving for gender equality, Russian culture embraces gender differences.
The role of women in modern Russian culture is dualistic. On one hand, the expected behavior of a woman is “femininity,” which sometimes is taken to an extreme. Women are supposed to be beautiful and gentle. This is where high heels, makeup, and dressing up, along with flirtations and manners, appear. In Russian men's eyes, women are sort of precious creatures that are hard to get hold of because they are very demanding in choosing who they will spend their time with. Men are supposed to fight for women by attracting and pleasing them in different ways. Women sort of expect this, but they are supposed to be mysterious and unapproachable. Gifts, diamonds, flowers, restaurants, romantic gestures, but nothing seems to satisfy her, and she wants more signs of appreciation of her beauty and womanhood. She knows, as a woman, she has the birthright of having everything from the men around her. “What does a woman want?” you hear everywhere in Russia, a rhetorical question emphasizing the unresolved issue of making women happy. She is given special rights and privileges of all kinds just because she was born a woman. These are not legal privileges; they are mindsets about treating women as a very special gender. Women must have a man by their side and, for that matter, depend on him. Women are not supposed to work and provide for themselves; their man's role is to fully support them.
On the other hand, women are supposed to give birth, raise children, and run a household. Being a good cook is one of the most praised virtues of a good wife in Russia. Women are expected to be smart and wise, keeping harmony in relationships and families. Women are supposed to take good care of their men. If their man is a lousy husband, women are to take on his roles and responsibilities. Men cannot do without women in their lives. Women are to be loved, adored, and praised not only because of their beauty, but also for all the responsibilities they are bearing in life.
These are typical and very traditional roles for women in modern Russian culture. Even if they seem a bit exaggerated, on average, in most instances, they work out as described above. Yet, is it always the case with every woman and every family? Not necessarily, as we see a multitude of different life situations and personal choices women make, not in line with societal expectations.
So what is March 8th?
March 8th is a celebration of womanhood. Women's Day is a worship of gender inequality, celebrated in full swing. It's a celebration of femininity as a cultural value in itself, that separates genders and makes women unique and very special. It's a holiday where traditional women's roles are acknowledged and appreciated. Official names for women in the Russian cultural context are “weak gender” (which, in the harsh reality of daily life, often proves otherwise and appears more like a “strong gender”), and “beautiful gender”. And since in everyday life women do not always receive appreciation of their gender uniqueness and role, March 8th is the day when men have a chance to make up for all the unspoken words and care not given. When words are not enough, gifts become really handy.
March 8th holiday themes evolve from notions of the beauty of women, women's uniqueness, spring (calendar spring), the beauty and freshness of nature waking from a long winter, flowers, kind men, love, and relationships between men and women.
On March 8th, every woman gets attention, gifts, nice and kind words, and good treatment. Gifts, flowers (the flower business makes half its annual revenue on March 8th), food fixed by her men (family or boyfriend) especially for her, entertainment specially prepared for her.
There are countless ways to celebrate March 8th. As an unspoken rule, every woman has to receive flowers from all the men in her life. Most women receive gifts on March 8th from spouses, kids, relatives, or other men they encounter daily.
Guide for men on giving gifts on March 8th.
For any woman you only happen to know, gifts and flowers are not a must unless you would like to show special attention and appreciation. Saying words of congratulations would be appropriate, in Russian that is: “Поздравляю с восьмым марта! [Pozdravlyayu s vos’mim marta!”]
For women who are present in men's lives daily, small gifts and/or flowers are a must. That also includes the ladies you work with, like your female coworkers and maybe even your business partners. Chocolate, or something practical like gift certificates or perfume samples, makes a nice gift. It really depends on the number of women you have to buy gifts for and your budget. Some men simply buy a flower for every woman they work with. Sometimes all the men from the office put some money together and buy identical gifts for all the women. As an option, you can make a small celebration with food and champagne. Gifts and celebrations in this case are symbolic, and it's about attention and appreciation for women being women.
For women you do not deal with daily, but know really well and have good personal relationships with. This category includes female friends and relatives. It really depends on whether you intend to show special attention to them by spending money on gifts and flowers. If you see each other regularly, buy her a small gift or flowers next time you see her. If you do not see each other too often, just give them a call or write a personal text or email with some nice words in it.
For your girlfriend or spouse. On March 8th, Russian women normally expect at least flowers (an absolute must) or a gift of some kind. It does not necessarily have to be something really expensive or materialistic. Treat this holiday like a second birthday, or as an occasion to show your feelings.