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Welcome to News From Italy, my blog about our Italian Adventure. Although this blog has now ceased publication I will be continuing to blog and I am sincerely hoping that my many followers here will move with me to Travel Tales blog to follow my next adventures wherever they may take me. The links to my other blogs are:-


I look forward to keeping in touch with you via them, thanks once again for all the support you have given 'News From Italy' over the years.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

La Festa della Donna – International Women’s Day - March 8th 2013




Italy takes part in International Women’s Day, La Festa della Donna when women of all ages celebrate this special day dedicated to them with celebratory dinners or just get together with other female friends and are often presented with bunches of bright yellow Mimosa, the recognised symbol of the day here.

If you happen to be in Italy on March 8th and you are a women you may just get presented with a bunch of Mimosa. 



International Women’s Day is recognised and celebrated in many countries around the world and the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. Although originally a Socialist political event, the day grew in the culture of many countries, primarily in Eastern Europe. In many regions, the day has lost its political flavour, and become simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original 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.

In 2011 March 8th marked the centenary of one of the events that is thought to have been the birth of International Women’s Day. When in March 1911 more than one million women and men attended rallies in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.


Every year the United Nations choose a different worldwide theme for Women’s Day and many events take place not just today but throughout March, marking the economic, political and social achievements of women. Their theme for March 8th 2013 is "The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum"   

Many other organisations develop their own themes that are more relevant to their local contexts. For example, the European Parliament's 2013 theme is "How women weather the economic crisis . The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day by the United Nations  is “Women and Men United to End Violence against Women and Girls.” The theme was chosen to draw attention to the Secretary-General’s wider “UNiTE to End Violence Against Women” campaign which runs through 2015, the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.


On this day Festa della Donna International Women’s Day, let us give thanks to all those women who came before us and helped to grant us the freedom we all have in modern society.
Women are powerful these days and can help to to effect change and make a difference in other women’s lives around the world where they do not have the same freedoms that we enjoy.


If you are interested in finding out more about the history just click on any of the links that I used in my research.
International Women's Day,   International Women's Day 2013,   European Parliament Theme 2013
Some of the information quoted here is from my own earlier posts such as La Festa della Donna 2011 and the rest including the banner is quoted from the website for International Women’s Day.

We have many Mimosa trees in the locality and the photos used in the post are ones I took myself last year in the locality of our home in Marta.

The photos are Copyright All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

Thankyou for all your messages of support concerning David and his health problems. He has now been back in hospital for a second stretch of a month and waiting for his operation when he is fit enough, hopefully not much longer now.

22 comments:

  1. Great new look blog Linda .. I think I am going to change mine, not sure what to yet .. bit scared LOL ..

    I am not absolutely sure what happens in England on this day .. at least the Italians do actually celebrate it with Mimosa ... dinners and with friends. I will be working in the charity shop on that day.

    Sending love and hugs and lets hope David is on the mend very very soon . x

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  2. Uma preciosa informação. Desconhecia que na Itália essa flor maravilhosa, a mimosa, era o símbolo do Dia Internacional da Mulher. Lindas fotos. Desejo de uma boa comemoração. Ailime

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  3. That was very interesting and La Festa della Donna is sort of fun to say, isn't it?

    Prayers for David.
    xo

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  4. I was in Italy during this festival a few years ago. I was staying with my daughter's friend whose husband was based there in the Air Force. She bought me a bunch of mimosa and explained how much I meant to her. It was very sweet. A lovely tradition.
    Ann

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  5. Hello Lindy - I remember my daughter talking about this day honouring women and how she and her friends were given little bouquets of mimosa from the shop owners around the town they were living in. It's a lovely tradition. I am so thankful that your husband is getting the care he needs and will pray that his operation goes well. I'm also going to go to the music of Friar Alessandro. I will enjoy it I know but do n ot have the required plugins on this program. Do take good care and know that we are thinking of you.

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  6. I didn't know the festival. I learned a lot Thanks for sharing

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  7. Lovely pictures. I hope you get presented with lots of mimosa tomorrow.

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  8. Dear Lindy!
    I wish you a very happy Festa della Donna!

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  9. Linda...very interesting blog! We do not celebrate this day in the US but in years past I told my neighbor about it and about the mimosa. she is a florist and now when it gets close to March 8th and she spies mimosa at the flower market, she gifts me with a bouquet! Yesterday she was telling me that the wholesale price for flowers here is So. California has gone higher because of the worldwide demand for flowers for International Women's Day! We do live in a Global market.

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  10. How nice ! you are back ! Hope your husband feels a bit better.
    Mimosas are the symbol of women (that what I saw here on the market, where they sold Mimosa bouquets. Mr. G. pretends that it is women's day the whole year long !

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  11. Hear Hear Linda, in celebrating women everywhere, not forgetting our blogging friends all over the world. The Mimosa is so pretty. I remember it from last year :)

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  12. Once while in Lazio my neighbours gave me a huge bunch of Mimosa from their garden but I can't remember if it was on the festa day or not. However I was delighted to receive it. Hope your husband is getting better.

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  13. Interesting post, but why mimosa? Just curious if it's symbolic or something. Love the way mimosa smells!

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  14. Hope you had a great Women's Day Celebration.

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  15. I did not see any sign of celebrations here in France but then we are in a small hamlet. We did go to the local town though and saw nothing going on there! Take care of yourself and best wishes to David. Diane

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  16. Happy Women's Day!! I think Mimosa tree has great flowers. Wishing you a happy day Linda!

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  17. It feels to me as if international Womens Day is getting a higher and higher priority as time goes on - and that is good. I really loved your photos of mimosa trees, in a strange sort of way I felt as if I were among them. I think it was seeing so many different photos of them.
    I wish you and David the outcome that you both want and a happy Spring.

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  18. Love your blogs! Hope your husband is getting well. I found out we are "neighbors"... we have a holiday home at Ischia di Castro! Hope we can make acquaintance!

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  19. The mimosas are so beautiful, Linda. :-) I love their cheery yellow color against the green leaves and blue sky. Wonderful. :-) Thinking of you and your hubby. XO Wishing you continued strength and courage. XO

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  20. Lindy, the mimosas are so pretty and they're in a color that I like! Yellow is so cheerful. I hope that when I go to Italy end of this year, I'll get to meet with you.

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  21. Who can worried u,and who can love u so much,who can support u,and who can encourage u in all worries,who can live for u,she is one and only the best mother and the best women in the world....happy womens day...from..
    Women's Day images 2016

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