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What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day 2018 takes place on March 8th and is focussed on marking the achievements of women in a host of areas, including politics, culture, business and society and enhancing gender parity. The day is celebrated globally and grew from the labour movement, eventually being recognised as a yearly event by the UN. It has been held for over 100 years.
How did the event begin?
The foundations for the annual event were laid in 1908 when around 15,000 marched through New York in protest against long working hours, low pay and being unable to vote. The first official National Women’s Day took place the following year. The event was first recognised internationally in 1911. 2018 marks the 107th International Women’s Day. The UN first acknowledged the event in 1975, with different themes being included from 1996. The first ever theme for International Women’s Day was "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future".
Celebration and protest
The event is a chance to focus on what women across the world have achieved since the early 20th century whilst addressing continuing struggles. Many strikes and protests have been held to mark the event, with inequality across the genders continuing to be a big issue. The day is actually a national holiday in some countries, such as Russia. In Italy, the event is celebrated with mimosa blossom being given as a gift, and many women are given half the day off work in China.
This year’s theme
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #PressForProgress. The World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report found that gender parity is still two centuries away, with this year’s theme being centred upon avoiding complacency and pressing forward to progress and accelerate gender parity and be gender inclusive. During last year’s event, protestors around the world campaigned for women’s rights in the aftermath of the controversial Donald Trump being voted US president. The colour purple is used to symbolise dignity and justice on International Women’s Day, with green being used to reflect hope. Yellow has been used to symbolise a new dawn for feminism over recent years.
Past themes
Over the past two decades, themes have included "Women at the Peace table", World Free of Violence Against Women", "Empower Rural Women, End Poverty & Hunger" and "A Promise is a Promise - Time for Action to End Violence Against Women". Around the turn of the millennium, the profile of International Women’s Day and feminism in general had begun to fade away, leading to new attempts to relaunch the event and re-emphasise its importance, such introduction of the digital hub internationalwomensday.com.
New fights for parity
International Women’s Day 2018 comes at a time when there is a great deal of discussion around equal pay, sexual harassment and abuse, with movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp gaining more and more momentum. Although women have achieved great things since the seeds for International Women’s Day were first planted, the battle for equality and fairness for women is far from over.
Giving flowers for International Women’s Day
People have been giving flowers to mark International Women’s Day for many years. Flowers are one of the main symbols of the event, with the passing of flowers and flower arrangements to powerful and inspirational women being one of its key rituals. Flowers are given by men and women to mark their respect for their grandmothers, mothers, girlfriends, wives and daughters, and various different types of flowers are used in certain countries.
Which flowers are suitable?
In Russia, red roses are popular, with women in Italy receiving mimosa blossom. However, there are no real restrictions on the types of flowers you can offer to mark the event, with tulips, lilies, orchids and many more being suitable options. Many people choose to decorate with flowers to mark the big day. Although flowers are largely associated with romance, it’s appropriate to celebrate women’s day by giving floral gifts to any woman in your life that inspires you, regardless of your gender.
Show your appreciation with flowers
International Women’s Day as seen as the equivalent of Mother’s Day in many territories. Giving flowers for International Women’s Day shows your recipient that their efforts are valued and that you regard them as inspirational. The annual event has become bigger and bigger ever since women were finally given the right to vote over a century ago, and the profile of the occasion has been raised further recently as movements such as #metoo and #timesup continue to gain ground. The day is not only a chance to reflect on what women have achieved in terms of equality over the past century but to focus on the work that still needs to be done to gain parity in the workplace and end sexual harassment and abuse. This year, as with every year, protests on many issues still affecting women across the globe are set to take place.
How we can help
At Forever Florist Thailand, we offer a wide range of beautiful flowers for celebrating International Women’s Day. We have been supplying high-quality flowers from around the world for over a decade-and-a-half and our products are noted for their affordability as well as their freshness and vibrant colour. We can help you if you’re looking for delightful flowers or flower arrangements for International Women’s Day, whether you’re an experienced buyer of floral products or not.
Contact us today
International Women’s Day 2018 is set to be the most high-profile yet as the vast levels of inequality between men and women continue to be exposed in spite of what has been achieved over the past century. This year’s theme, #PressforProgress, centred upon avoid complacency and carrying on the fight for parity whilst motivating friends, colleagues and communities to become more gender inclusive. We are waiting to hear from you if you’re looking for the perfect flowers and flower arrangements for International Women’s Day.
Why Flowers Are a Perfect Gift at Valentines
If you think of Valentine, and see it through the lenses, you will find that it’s timeless. The theme for Valentine’s Day has for centuries being centered on love. Without flowers at Valentine, your day and that of your loved ones wouldn’t be complete. If you ever offered a gift of flowers during the Valentine’s Day, it’s most likely it was a rose, so why has the tradition been so? Roses are beautiful, elegant, and are the perfect way you can show love and affection to your friends, colleagues, mom, dad, daughter or even your grand papa. That said, let’s see why flowers are the right gift in time of valentine.
Flowers Are a Symbol of Expressing Emotions
Okay, you think chocolate is the perfect match for expressing love and romance? May be, but let’s face it, without flowers, how would chocolate have any unique meaning? Now, get a pack of chocolate and spruce it up with flowers to give you a gift for your loved one. That sounds pretty romantic and full of love. No matter the kind of flower you are thinking of, it will always be a symbol to express romance and love.
Many Cultures Hold the Tradition of Gifting People with Flowers
Offering gifts in time of Valentine is something with a complex history and it dates back in those ancient times. During the Victorian era, things may have been rigid and strict than you find today, probably romance wasn’t so formal. Nonetheless, couples and secret admirers continued to express and show love in their relationship by use of flowers. It’s also during that time when floral dictionaries turned popular, showing people the kind of flowers they could choose and the mythological meanings attached to those flowers. The Valentine’s Day culture continues to blossom today and one thing that has stood the taste of time is giving flowers to the loved ones.
Flowers Are a Language by Themselves
During the Victorian period, many flower dictionaries became published, first one being in 1819 by a lady known as ‘Madame Charlotte de la Tour’. The language of flowers or floriography also emerged during the same era where people sent secret messages using flowers as the symbol objects. For instance, red rose gives the meaning of love, and since the ancient times, this theme hasn’t changed much, anyway. If you want to tell your partner ‘love at first sight’ you would just snip off those thorns, and there you are, you have added an extra layer of meaning to the red rose.
During this Valentine’s Day, if you fancy someone, you wouldn’t just go grinding up against them in that famous club or swiping the card, consider a bouquet of red roses and some wine or chocolate pack, it makes their day. With flowers at Valentine, you are lifting the ancient Valentine’s Day culture and traditions high while saying that personalized, unique message to a person you specially love. You can’t imagine of a better of way to celebrate your Valentine’s Day without the pack of flowers in your to-buy list of items.
