The history behind this day takes us back to 1857, when on March 8th of that year hundreds of women working in textile and clothing factories in New York protested their working conditions. Most of the protesters were female Eastern Europeans. The rally became a yearly tradition and on March 8, 1908 there were 15,000 women marching the streets of New York. The following year the Socialist Party made the date a day of uniting in effort to establish women's rights.

After the Russian Revolution in October 1917, the Socialist Party in Russia declared March 8 as International Women's Day in honor of the role of the women who opposed World War I in Europe. The date later became official in the Bulgarian calendar after 1921, when Bulgarian women attended the International Women's Secretariat of the Third Communist International.

At the beginning, the day was celebrated as a socialist holiday honoring working women. With time, it lost its political meaning and became a cherished holiday. On this day we pay respect to the women that play various roles in our lives: mother, sister, teacher, coworker, etc. In the custom of the holiday, freshly cut flowers are mandatory, presents big and small are given, with banquets and festive programs held also; but mainly, Women's Day is a non-working day. It is a day to celebrate the beauty and importance of women.

By Daphne Karcheva-Orris

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