This month started awesomely since the sun is shining and the air is warmer here in Edinburgh. March is not only one of my favourite months of the year because of the approaching spring and summer seasons, but also because it is when International Women’s Day on the 8th March.
In case you are wondering what this day is and what it means, here is a short explanation that will clarify all your doubts. International Women’s Day, also known as Working Women’s Day, is an international celebration that takes place every year on March 8 in many countries worldwide. March 8 commemorates all the efforts made by international women over the years in order to achieve their social, economic and political independence.
This is why, on this extraordinary day, it is important to have a special thought about all those women who fought to change the world and who daily work very hard in order to improve societies and lives around them, making a difference on this big and messy planet.
Legendary characters as the women’s rights activist Millicent Fawcett, Coco Chanel, Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, feminist Emmeline Pankhurst, Oprah Winfrey, philosopher Simone De Beauvoir, Anne Frank, Michelle Obama, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, legendary pilot Amelia Earharth, as well as medical researcher, scientist and Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini, are some of the examples that everyone should look up to in order to admire and remember all the great achievements that these women have obtained with their charismatic will-power and the great impact they had on global culture.
Every woman is wonderful in her own way, no matter her social background, age, work experiences or level of education, because every woman, in some way, contributes to create something good for people living around her.
Here in the UK, International Women’s Day is less known and celebrated than in other European countries. In Italy, for example, March 8 is seen as an incredible day that every woman and man has to commemorate. According to the Italian tradition, every year on March 8, men give women a bright yellow and soft-looking type of flower (called mimosa) as a gift, while in the evening the majority of women celebrate their independence with their girlfriends with a dinner, drinks or a party, wishing each other happy women’s day.
It would be amazing if also in the UK people took some time to commemorate such a historically important day, following the example of Italians. We should all book a table in a good Italian restaurant and enjoy this unique moment while celebrating our beloved women who adore and sustain us every day. So, why don’t you take your mom, grandma, aunt, friend, girlfriend or whoever you want out in order to remember her how fundamental she is in your life?
If you are based around Edinburgh, you can check out this delicious Italian restaurant called Ciao Italia, which is located in Dunfermline and offers great prices in a very pleasant ambiance http://www.ciaoitalia.co/. Not far from Edinburgh, in West Calder, there is another fantastic Italian eatery, La Salute, which is absolutely worth a try if you are a Mediterranean food lover http://lasaluteitalian.com/.
Don’t forget to celebrate and have a lovely Women’s Day!
Clarissa