In the United States, nobody really celebrates International Women`s Day, but in my country it’s a huge national holiday. We celebrate it on the 8th of March. No schools, no work for this day. Stores closes early.
All men congratulate all women that they know—wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues, coworkers, and even kids’ teachers. We appreciate every single female in our life. As a woman, you started to expect this holiday maybe a week before. It`s something in the air…
At kindergartens and schools, there are performances where kids invite their mothers, grandmothers and pay tribute to them by reading poems, singing songs, dancing, and giving presents. Also, male kids congratulate their female classmates with the performance as well and give them little souvenirs. As a parent, I gave my boys candy or flowers, so they could give it to their female teachers and congratulate them with the 8th of March.
Usually one day before, at work, our male colleagues give us little presents or a cake. I used to have a boss who came to every department with a bottle of champagne and a box of candy to congratulate women in person. Sometimes, when it wasn’t a busy day, all women were allowed to go home early to make all necessary preparations for the International Women`s Day.
When the day comes, you wake up with stupid feeling of happiness, with a smile on your face. You don`t have to do much today because it`s your day, and you are the queen today! You see a bouquet of beautiful flowers on the table. Your man and your kids give you presents and tell you how much they love you, how they are lucky to have you, how much you mean to them. Your phone is ringing, and messages keep coming and seem to never stop. You will hear a lot of compliments today. Even walking on the street some guy that you have never met before make you feel really special by smiling and saying, “Congrats with 8th of March!”
Of course, there are cases when something went wrong—no expected bouquet or gifts. For that man who messes it up, we have an idiom, “The way you faced the 8th of March is the way you spend the whole next year.” Which means we women have the full right to remind you men, as many times as we want, that you messed it up!