International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year.^[2] In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation,


 and love towards women for their economic, political, and social achievements. In some regions, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for people to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. Some people celebrate the day by wearing purple ribbons.
The earliest celebration was held as a Socialist political event in 1909. It blended the culture of many countries, primarily in Europe, especially those in the Soviet Bloc.^[3] Declared a national holiday in the Soviet Union in 1917, it spread to other nearby countries. It is now celebrated in many Eastern countries.

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Official UN themes
  • 2.1 IWD 2010
  • 2.2 IWD 2011
  • 2.3 IWD 2012
  • 2.4 IWD 2013
  • 2.5 IWD 2014
  • 2.6 IWD 2015
  • 2.7 IWD 2016
• 3 In modern culture
• 4 Ongoing events: worldwide register of IWD local events
• 5 Controversies
• 6 Apocrypha
• 7 See also
• 8 Notes
• 9 References
• 10 Further reading
• 11 External links