8 March in Romania

In Romania, March 8 is not an official holiday, but it’s held nevertheless. Note that here, this day is also the equivalent of Mother’s Day, and there is no other official or unofficial day to celebrate motherhood other than this. The custom, similar to all customs in the countries that celebrate the day, is for men to give ALL the women in their lives flowers or gifts. Female teachers receive small gifts from their students too, whether boys or girls. The idea that the female teacher is the equivalent of a mother figure prevails.

At school, children are creating ingenious handmade crafts, beautiful cards from their pictures or they compose sweet poems in order to provide the most beautiful gift for their mothers.

The entire country, recently brought to life by the blossoming spring becomes animated, swarming, but still picturesque and comfy.

The streets of Romania are filled with flowers (the most common are: snowdrops, tulips and hyacinths); the shops, malls and supermarkets are bursting of all kinds of beautifully wrapped gifts and wide-ranging offers, perfume shops and jewelries provide discounts almost impossible to refuse and the markets are more colorful than ever as a lot of people come from the rural side of Romania with huge bags full of fresh flowers picked from their gardens.

The display is even more enchanting as you notice both the excitement and the awkwardness of men who are striving to choose the perfect gifts and the loveliest flowers. Among this crowd of men, can be easily seen a few curious children, walking among the shelves, eager to find a nice present for their mothers, teachers or aunts and to sneak as well, a little gift for the prettiest girl in class.

Official or not, for Romanians March 8 is a national celebration. After work, women colleagues or friends often dine together, but the greatest joy is for mothers who receive that little special attention from their children. So while the world celebrates IWD, think of March 8 as Mother’s Day in Romania, and you will understand its significance.

From a celebration of working women, the International Women’s Day has evolved, becoming what it is today- the day we are grateful for being women, the only day of the year when we- the ladies of this planet are thinking the same, we are equal no matter the color, the nationality, the social position, the weight, or any other difference that society or nature is planting between us and …this is beautiful!