How wonderful it is to have more reasons to celebrate this month! The Romanian people have a double reason in this respect, as March 8th marks not only Mother’s Day but also International Women’s Day.
Although many countries around the world celebrate Mother’s Day on various days, there are a little over twenty countries which celebrate this special day on March 8th, with countries like Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Belarus being just a few of them.
On this special day, we honour our mother traditionally with flowers, tokens of appreciation and beautiful expressions of love, be they in person, in writing or by phone if they’re not near.
It is a well known fact that it’d be an impossible endeavour to express in words the love we feel for our mothers or the contribution that they have made to our lives, nor it could be celebrated on one specific day, only once a year. She has given and shaped our life. She has guided us with love and wisdom. She has incessantly nurtured us with unconditional love. She is an intrinsic part of us.
In our memories of her, we find the warmth of the hands we used to hold as children, the loving look of her kind eyes and the safe, protective presence of abundant love which we still seek as adults, just to regain our much needed balance.
And most of all, a Mother is so much more…
Happy Mother’s Day!
On a different yet similar note, International Women’s Day, celebrates ALL women, not just the mothers. March 8th is the day when attention is drawn to cultural, economic and socio-political issues that have impacted and continue to impact on women’s lives.
The roots of this important day can be traced to over a century ago, when the First World War started. In 1914, March 8th marked a day of protests of women against war, with women rallying together expressing international solidarity. There’s no surprise that nowadays, parades and protests still take place around the world in support of women’s rights.
It was also on this day, in 1975, when the United Nations highlighted the need to celebrate the ordinary women, who played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights, thanks to their acts of courage and sheer determination.
With this thought in mind, let’s start celebrate the mothers and the women in our lives, and those before us who have made such outstanding contributions to the world we now live in!
Wishing you all a Happy International Women’s day!