The history of the 8 March holiday is rather complicated. There are two main versions. According to the first, it is believed that the holiday originally dates back to the period of the first century BC, and the second version is associated with a modern interpretation of the appearance of the holiday.
Version 1
In ancient Rome, there was a tradition to celebrate the day of March 1, which was dedicated to the patronage of the goddess Juno-Lucia, who was the wife of the revered god Jupiter. Juno had a great gift for changing the weather, improving crops, and bringing great luck.
But the main power of the goddess was in the ability to help women improve their health and give birth to healthy offspring. On the first day of spring (Matrona), all the women of Rome gathered together, took wreaths of flowers in their hands, and then went to the temple of the goddess. There you could ask Juno to protect the family and children, as well as women's happiness. On the holiday, men were freed from any work, not only spouses, but also slaves. The city was decorated with flowers and folk festivals were organized throughout the day. In accordance with the new calendar, the holiday is celebrated on March 8th.
Version 2
The modern version of the origin of the holiday dates back to the middle of the 19th century (1857). This year, on March 8, the women's collective of garment factories in New York went on strike with the aim of achieving better working conditions, higher wages and equalizing their rights on an equal basis with the men's collective. After this event, women's trade unions began to actively form in America, and the fair sex was given the right to vote in elections.
The specific date of the formation of the holiday is March 8, 1910, when the famous representative of socialism, Clara Zetkin, proposed celebrating Women's Day on an international scale. In Russia, March 8 began to be celebrated for the first time in 1913, and in 1976, International Women's Day was officially adopted by the UN.
