Happy Women's Day!
If you are reading this in America, you may not be aware that today, March 8th, is International Women's Day.
Last year, I was unprepared for this holiday -- having never participated in it before. We (the Peace Corps Volunteers who came to Moldova at the same time that I did) were in Chisinau, the capital, for a training session, and when the training was over, we tried to grab a bite to eat. Little did we know how big this holiday was. Restaurants laughed at us when we showed up asking for a table. After wandering around for about an hour, and feeling very rejected, we ended up eating at McDonalds.
Now we know, trying to eat out on Women's Day is like trying to walk into a restaurant on New Year's Eve. Women's Day here can best be described as a cross between Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. People give flowers, eat big meals (that the women cook, of course), give chocolate, bring cake, and say "Congratulations for being a woman" to you on the street. (This was a new thing for me this morning when I hadn't brushed my hair yet, but was greeted many times on the street, and kissed on my unscrubbed cheeks, while waiting for the bus from the city to drop off a package for my host mother).
Anyway. I'm going to continue celebrating, now bathed. But I wanted to say Happy Women's Day to all you women out there.
Part 2
11pm, Moldova:
Women's day is now over. I can officially say that I have eaten more today than any other day I have been in Moldova -- (notice, I don't even use American Thanksgiving as a day to eat a lot as a comparison before -- ) Moldovan celebrations have us beat by a long margin. This is what happens when you have to eat at every place you go to. They have a verb for it in Romanian, this is what you do on celebrations -- you go visiting. 1 hour here, 2 hours here, 45 minutes here. Everyone makes food, and you eat at every house. I came home very full, and a little tipsy -- a glass of wine at everyone's house really adds up, especially if you are an AMERICAN and people are trying really hard to include you today becuase it is an INTERNATIONAL celebration, a celebration you would feel at home with, they conclude.
Too bad we don't celebrate this day in America (at least I don't think we do -- or rather I never did). But my neighbor tells me it started in Chicago. Either way it was a very sweet holiday. The men give you flowers and chocolate and well wishes , and the women prepare the food and everyone feasts.
An interesting point that kept coming up all day was that there is no "official" Men's Day in the world. But Moldovans celebrate it on February 23rd -- "red army day" or "USSR Army Day". Moldovans, they claim, celebrate the most, and for any occasion.
After the celebrations for the 1st of March (Beginning of spring) and then this week another 3 days for Women's Day (including preparations) I am beginning to see their point...
Last year, I was unprepared for this holiday -- having never participated in it before. We (the Peace Corps Volunteers who came to Moldova at the same time that I did) were in Chisinau, the capital, for a training session, and when the training was over, we tried to grab a bite to eat. Little did we know how big this holiday was. Restaurants laughed at us when we showed up asking for a table. After wandering around for about an hour, and feeling very rejected, we ended up eating at McDonalds.
Now we know, trying to eat out on Women's Day is like trying to walk into a restaurant on New Year's Eve. Women's Day here can best be described as a cross between Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. People give flowers, eat big meals (that the women cook, of course), give chocolate, bring cake, and say "Congratulations for being a woman" to you on the street. (This was a new thing for me this morning when I hadn't brushed my hair yet, but was greeted many times on the street, and kissed on my unscrubbed cheeks, while waiting for the bus from the city to drop off a package for my host mother).
Anyway. I'm going to continue celebrating, now bathed. But I wanted to say Happy Women's Day to all you women out there.
Part 2
11pm, Moldova:
Women's day is now over. I can officially say that I have eaten more today than any other day I have been in Moldova -- (notice, I don't even use American Thanksgiving as a day to eat a lot as a comparison before -- ) Moldovan celebrations have us beat by a long margin. This is what happens when you have to eat at every place you go to. They have a verb for it in Romanian, this is what you do on celebrations -- you go visiting. 1 hour here, 2 hours here, 45 minutes here. Everyone makes food, and you eat at every house. I came home very full, and a little tipsy -- a glass of wine at everyone's house really adds up, especially if you are an AMERICAN and people are trying really hard to include you today becuase it is an INTERNATIONAL celebration, a celebration you would feel at home with, they conclude.
Too bad we don't celebrate this day in America (at least I don't think we do -- or rather I never did). But my neighbor tells me it started in Chicago. Either way it was a very sweet holiday. The men give you flowers and chocolate and well wishes , and the women prepare the food and everyone feasts.
An interesting point that kept coming up all day was that there is no "official" Men's Day in the world. But Moldovans celebrate it on February 23rd -- "red army day" or "USSR Army Day". Moldovans, they claim, celebrate the most, and for any occasion.
After the celebrations for the 1st of March (Beginning of spring) and then this week another 3 days for Women's Day (including preparations) I am beginning to see their point...
This entry was posted
on Saturday, March 08, 2008 at 5:56 AM.
