Happy International Womens day!!!!!

[alexandral]

I think I must have said this millions of times, but I don't really like "Mother's day" (celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent ) , the holiday has a problem by definition - What about women who lost their mothers or their children? "Mother's" day may not be the happiest time for these women. But this doesn't stop me from greatly enjoying the presents my daughter gives me every year for Mothers day, I love presents.

But International Womens day!! I love it! Let's unite, celebrate each other and think what we can personally do to help displaced women (this year's attention point).

Happy International Womens Day, everyone!!!!!! ** big hugs **

Comments

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

It is celebrated for mothers and others in that role(like grandmothers or aunts or guardians) who help/raise children but that partly was the origin of the day! But what annoys me is that the other meaning of the day here - the strong anti-war theme - has long been lost.

Some are now trying to bring back that reason, every year anti-war groups make these PSAs where they have actors quote from Julia Ward Howe's poem. Some of them have been pretty powerful. Overall, though it is a day that Hallmark makes a lot of money and mothers(or women in that role)get breakfast served in bed by to them but their children! We also have Father's Day and Grandparents' Day here. Do you have those in the UK?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Sounds just like the way it goes in here too, which means - what about people who don't have children and/or lost their mothers?

We have Father's day (I think this is a fairly recent invention) but not Grandparents day (or at least, I haven't heard of it - our family is not big on these things)

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Well, as someone who has no children(and has no plans to ever have them) I have no issue with it being a day only for mothers. And I would think that most people wouldn't care that much about the day if they lost their mother unless they were quite young when they lost her. Or perhaps if they were born without parents. Because unless we go first, all of us will lose our mother at some point!

I think who the day would really affect are women who have lost children. Especially if their family made a big deal about Mother's Day.

I feel bad for the daddies on Father's Day because Mother's Day is a HUGE day here, more mail is sent for it than Christmas! But Father's Day? It's almost an afterthought for some! I mean the card companies make a big deal about it but if you forget to get your dad a gift for Father's Day it's not a big issue. But your mom? That can be a big deal.;)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

When I had no children (may be because I always wanted them) I used to feel a bit sad when I was reminded about anything to do with motherhood.

Here Mothers/Fathers day are similar,may be Mother's day is a little bit bigger, but no terribly so. But none of these are in no way as big as Christmas or Easter, even Valentine's day is bigger, I think.

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Heh, well nothing is as big as Christmas but I actually think Mother's Day might be "bigger" here than even Easter! Not sure about Valentine's. It's pretty close.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh! ** is surprised ** Easter chocolate-craze is definitely the biggest thing after Christmas here.

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Well, here(and I am sure it is the same in the UK) Easter is a much more "religious" holiday. I know Christmas is technically religious as well but more non-religious folk celebrate it than observe Easter. It seems that even people who are not culturally Christian incorporate Christmas into their lives but not Easter, really. For example I know practicing Hindus who celebrate Christmas, not in the religious sense but they give away gifts and have a Christmas tree. It is just such a huge holiday and most of the things we do for it are pretty secular. Or have roots in Paganism, like the Christmas tree or even exchanging gifts. But while there definitely non-religious and Pagan(there are lot of Pagan things about Easter!) traditions with Easter there is still a stronger emphasis on the religious story when compared to Christmas I think.

I observe both even though I am an atheist as I am culturally "Christian" in the sense that my family was brought up in the belief system and almost all of my ancestors were Christians. Now, Easter is still a big holiday here but not as I said as big as Mother's Day. Not everyone grew up celebrating Easter but(almost) everyone has a mother!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, so interesting. Here Easter seems to be all about Chocolate and egg-hunts. I have seen people who are not at all Christians buying chocolate for kids.

I am a Christian but I don't observe any of these Holidays in traditional, "materialistic" sense. Christmas - don't start me on this, it is such a hotch-potch of everything (and the time of the year doesn't correspond with the accounts of Jesus's birth in the Bible). Our family just takes it as a time to spend with the family. Easter - as you say, at least we know that the event of the Crucification is supposed to be around this time, but again - for us it is a time to spend with the family.

Thinking more, I remembered where from I know which holiday is "bigger" here. At the beginning of my Uk life, I worked at a supermarket for a year. The sale peak times in the UK go like this: Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day / Mother's day

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

Oh I am sure that many non-religious folks observe it just not as many as do Christmas.

Easter is really more Pagan than anything else. At least in how it is celebrated! It is more about spring's arrival(again, Pagan), the emphasis on nature - ducks and bunnies and the like, the eggs, it's almost all Pagan.

Christmas is also quite Pagan. The date comes from the time that Christians and Mithraites were forced to share catacombs for worship when they were both being persecuted by the Romans. The date is very near the Winter Solstice which was a holy day for the Mithraites.

But the emphasis on the candy and stuff for both holidays? That's all fairly recent and can be traced back to Europe in the last couple of centuries. Santa Claus, gift-giving, those are more recent practices.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am familiar with this. This is why we don't really get involved too much (well, I buy chocolate every week :D) - I am not sure what for I should be doing any of this.