International Women 's Day - wikipedia International Women 's Day International Women 's Day German poster for International Women 's Day, March 8, 1914 This poster was banned in Germany. Observed by Worldwide Type International Significance Civil awareness day Women and girls day Anti-sexism day Anti-Discrimination Day Date March 8 Next time March 8, 2019 ( 2019 - 03 - 08 ) Frequency Annual Related to Russian Revolution Children 's Day International Men 's Day International Workers ' Day Part of a series on Feminism Women Girls Femininity History Social Feminist history History of feminism Women 's history American British Canadian German Timelines Women 's suffrage Muslim countries US Other women 's rights Suffrage by country Australia Canada Japan Kuwait New Zealand Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom Wales United States In states Utah Waves First Second Third Fourth Variants ( general ) Analytical Anarchist Atheist Conservative Cultural Cyber Difference Eco - Vegetarian Equality Fat French French post-structuralist Gender Global Hip - hop / Hip hop Individualist Jineology Labor Lesbian Radical lesbians Liberal Equity Lipstick Marxist Material Maternal Neo - New Post - Postcolonial Postmodern Anti-abortion Post-structural Multicultural Black Chicana White Indigenous Native American Radical Separatist Sex - positive Social Socialist Standpoint Third world Trans Transnational Womanism Africana Variants ( religious ) Buddhist Christian Neopagan Dianic Wicca Reclaiming Hindu Islamic Jewish Orthodox Mormon Sikh Concepts Antifeminism Bicycling Criticism of marriage Children 's literature Effects on society Equality Embedded feminism Female education Female genital mutilation Femicide Feminazi Feminism in culture Feminist stripper Gender equality Girl power Honor killing International Women 's Day Language reform Male gaze Matriarchal religion Media Men and feminism Meninism Movement African - American woman suffrage movement Art movement In hip hop Networked feminism Oedipus complex Political lesbianism Lesbian separatism Pro-feminism Protofeminism Reproductive justice Sex workers ' rights Sexual harassment Sexual objectification Socialist feminism State feminism Straw feminism Theory in composition studies Triple oppression Victim feminism Violence against women Views on BDSM Views on pornography Views on prostitution Views on sexual orientation Views on sexuality Views on transgender topics War on Women Women 's health Women 's rights Theory Feminist method Gender studies Gender mainstreaming Gynocentrism Kyriarchy Matriarchy Women 's studies Men 's studies Patriarchy Écriture féminine Feminist... anthropology archaeology architecture art art criticism literary criticism film theory biology composition studies criminology pathways perspective economics fpda geography international relations constructivism legal theory pedagogy philosophy aesthetics empiricism epistemology ethics justice ethics existentialism metaphysics political ecology political theory pornography psychology revisionist mythology science fiction sex wars sexology sociology technoscience theology thealogy womanist theology By country Albania Australia Bangladesh Canada China Republic of the Congo Denmark Egypt Ethiopia Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Israel Italy Japan Latin America Argentina Brazil Chile Haiti Honduras Mexico Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Lebanon Malaysia Mali Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Northern Cyprus Norway Pakistan Philippines Poland Russia Syria South Africa South Korea Sweden Taiwan Thailand Turkey Vietnam Ukraine United Kingdom United States Feminist movement History of women Lists and categories Lists Articles Feminists by nationality Literature American feminist literature Feminist comic books Conservative feminisms Countries by women 's average years in school Ecofeminist authors Feminist art critics Feminist economists Feminist philosophers Feminist poets Feminist rhetoricians Jewish feminists Muslim feminists Feminist parties Suffragists and suffragettes Women 's rights activists Women 's studies journals Women 's suffrage organizations Categories Women 's rights by country Feminists by nationality Feminism portal International Women 's Day ( IWD ) is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women 's rights. After the Socialist Party of America organised a Women 's Day on February 28, 1909 in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Woman 's Conference suggested a Women 's Day be held annually. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations. Today, International Women 's Day is a public holiday in some countries and largely ignored elsewhere. In some places, it is a day of protest ; in others, it is a day that celebrates womanhood. Contents 1 History 1.1 IWD 2010 1.2 IWD 2011 1.3 IWD 2012 1.4 IWD 2013 1.5 IWD 2014 1.6 IWD 2015 1.7 IWD 2016 1.8 IWD 2017 1.9 IWD 2018 2 Around the world 3 Official UN themes 4 See also 4.1 Other holidays honoring women 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links History Women 's demonstration for bread and peace - March the 8th, 1917, Petrograd, Russia Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg in January 1910 The earliest Women 's Day observance, called `` National Woman 's Day, '' was held on February 28, 1909 in New York, organized by the Socialist Party of America at the suggestion of Theresa Malkiel. Though there have been claims that the day was commemorating a protest by women garment workers in New York on March 8, 1857, researchers have described this as a myth. In August 1910, an International Socialist Women 's Conference was organized to precede the general meeting of the Socialist Second International in Copenhagen, Denmark. Inspired in part by the American socialists, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an annual Women 's Day and was seconded by fellow socialist and later communist leader Clara Zetkin, supported by Käte Duncker, although no date was specified at that conference. Delegates ( 100 women from 17 countries ) agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights including suffrage for women. The following year on March 19, 1911, IWD was marked for the first time, by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the Austro - Hungarian Empire alone, there were 300 demonstrations. In Vienna, women paraded on the Ringstrasse and carried banners honouring the martyrs of the Paris Commune. Women demanded that they be given the right to vote and to hold public office. They also protested against employment sex discrimination. The Americans continued to celebrate National Women 's Day on the last Sunday in February. Female members of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation march on International Women 's Day 1975 in Sydney In 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women 's Day on the last Saturday in February ( by the Julian calendar then used in Russia ). In 1914 International Women 's Day was held on March 8, possibly because that day was a Sunday, and now it is always held on March 8 in all countries. The 1914 observance of the Day in Germany was dedicated to women 's right to vote, which German women did not win until 1918. In London there was a march from Bow to Trafalgar Square in support of women 's suffrage on March 8, 1914. Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested in front of Charing Cross station on her way to speak in Trafalgar Square. On March 8, 1917, on the Gregorian calendar, in the capital of the Russian Empire, Petrograd, women textile workers began a demonstration, covering the whole city. This marked the beginning of the Russian Revolution. Women in Saint Petersburg went on strike that day for `` Bread and Peace '' -- demanding the end of World War I, an end to Russian food shortages, and the end of czarism. Leon Trotsky wrote, `` 23 February ( 8th March ) was International Woman 's Day and meetings and actions were foreseen. But we did not imagine that this ' Women 's Day ' would inaugurate the revolution. Revolutionary actions were foreseen but without date. But in the morning, despite the orders to the contrary, textile workers left their work in several factories and sent delegates to ask for support of the strike... which led to mass strike... all went out into the streets. '' Seven days later, the Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai and Vladimir Lenin made it an official holiday in the Soviet Union, but it was a working day until 1965. On May 8, 1965 by the decree of the USSR Presidium of the Supreme Soviet International Women 's Day was declared a non-working day in the USSR `` in commemoration of the outstanding merits of Soviet women in communistic construction, in the defense of their Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, in their heroism and selflessness at the front and in the rear, and also marking the great contribution of women to strengthening friendship between peoples, and the struggle for peace. But still, women 's day must be celebrated as are other holidays. '' From its official adoption in Soviet Russia following the Revolution in 1917, the holiday was predominantly celebrated in communist countries and by the communist movement worldwide. It was celebrated by the communists in China from 1922. After the founding of the People 's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 the State Council proclaimed on December 23 that March 8 would be made an official holiday with women in China given a half - day off. Communist leader Dolores Ibárruri led a women 's march in Madrid in 1936 on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. The United Nations began celebrating International Women 's Day in the International Women 's Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women 's rights and world peace. IWD 2010 A U.S. servicemember dressed in a traditional Afghan dress during a celebration of International Women 's Day in Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan On the occasion of 2010 International Women 's Day the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) drew attention to the hardships displaced women endure. The displacement of populations is one of the gravest consequences of today 's armed conflicts. It affects women in a host of ways. IWD 2011 Though the celebration in the West was low - key, events took place in more than 100 countries on March 8, 2011 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of International Women 's Day. In the United States, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be `` Women 's History Month '', calling Americans to mark IWD by reflecting on `` the extraordinary accomplishments of women '' in shaping the country 's history. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the `` 100 Women Initiative : Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges '', on the eve of IWD. In the run - up to 2011 International Women 's Day, the Red Cross called on States and other entities not to relent in their efforts to prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence that harm the lives and dignity of countless women in conflict zones around the world every year. Australia issued an IWD 100th anniversary commemorative 20 - cent coin. In Egypt, however, the day was a step back for women. In Egypt 's Tahrir Square, hundreds of men came out not in support, but to harass the women who came out to stand up for their rights as the police and military stood by watching the events unfold in front of them, doing nothing to stop the crowds of men. `` The women -- some in headscarves and flowing robes, others in jeans -- had marched to Cairo 's central Tahrir Square to celebrate International Women 's Day. But crowds of men soon outnumbered them and chased them out '', wrote Hadeel Al - Shalchi for The Associated Press ( AP ). IWD 2012 The UN theme for International Women 's Day 2012 was Empower Rural Women -- End Hunger and Poverty. In that year, Oxfam America invited people to celebrate inspiring women in their lives by sending a free International Women 's Day e-Card or honoring a woman whose efforts had made a difference in the fight against hunger and poverty with Oxfam 's International Women 's Day award. On the occasion of International Women 's Day 2012, the ICRC called for more action to help the mothers and wives of people who have gone missing during armed conflict. The vast majority of people who go missing in connection with conflict are men. As well as the anguish of not knowing what has happened to the missing husband or son, many of these women face economic and practical difficulties. The ICRC underlined the duty of parties to a conflict to search for the missing and provide information to the families. IWD 2013 The UN theme for International Women 's Day 2013 was `` A promise is a promise : Time for action to end violence against women '', while International Women 's Day 2013 declared the year 's theme as The Gender Agenda : Gaining Momentum. The 2013 International Women 's Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) draw attention to the plight of women in prison. IWD 2014 The UN theme for International Women 's Day 2014 was `` Equality for Women is Progress for All ''. American singer Beyoncé also posted an International Women 's Day video to her YouTube account. Throughout the video, her song `` * * * Flawless '' plays, which includes a portion of the `` We Should All Be Feminists '' speech given by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Beyoncé is a feminist. IWD 2015 Women on the street celebrating International Women 's Day in Cameroon The UN theme for International Women 's Day 2015 was `` Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity : Picture it ! ''. Governments and activists around the world will commemorate the 20th anniversary year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an historic roadmap that sets the agenda for realizing women 's rights. IWD 2016 The International Women 's Day theme for 2016 was `` Planet 50 - 50 by 2030 : Step It Up for Gender Equality ''. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, in his message issued on the eve of International Women 's Day said : `` On the occasion of International Womens Day, I extend warm greetings and good wishes to the women of India and thank them for their contributions over the years in the building of our nation. '' The ministry of women and child development announced the setting up of four more one - stop crisis centers on March 8, in addition to the eight already functioning across the country. Ahead of Women 's Day, the national carrier Air India operated what it claimed to be the world 's longest non-stop flight where the entire flight operations were handled by women, as part of International Women 's Day celebrations. The flight, from Delhi to San Francisco, covered a distance of around 14,500 kilometers in around 17 hours. IWD 2017 The theme for International Women 's Day 2017 was `` Women in the Changing World of Work : Planet 50 - 50 by 2030 ''. In a message in support of International Women 's Day, the UN Secretary - General António Guterres commented on how women 's rights were being `` reduced, restricted and reversed ''. With men still in leadership positions and a widening economic gender gap, he called for change `` by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world ''. IWD 2018 The theme for International Women 's Day 2018 was'Time is Now : Rural and urban activists transforming women 's lives '. Around the world Official holiday Holiday for women Non-official holiday Soviet poster : `` 8th of March is the day of rebellion of the working women against kitchen slavery. Down with the oppression and narrow - mindedness of household work ! '' The day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China ( for women only ), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea - Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar ( for women only ), Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia. In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Chile, the day is not a public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. On this day it is customary for men to give the women in their lives -- friends, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. -- flowers and small gifts. In some countries ( such as Bulgaria and Romania ) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother 's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. In Russia, the day has lost all political context through the time, becoming simply a day to honor women and feminine beauty. In the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, huge Soviet - style celebrations were held annually. After the fall of Communism, the holiday, generally considered to be one of the major symbols of the old regime, fell into obscurity. International Women 's Day was re-established as an official `` important day '' by the Parliament of the Czech Republic in 2004 on the proposal of the Social Democrats and Communists. This has provoked some controversy as a large part of the public as well as the political right see the holiday as a relic of the nation 's Communist past. International Women 's Day sparked violence in Tehran, Iran on March 4, 2007, when police beat hundreds of men and women who were planning a rally. ( A previous rally for the occasion was held in Tehran in 2003. ) Police arrested dozens of women and some were released after several days of solitary confinement and interrogation. Shadi Sadr, Mahbubeh Abbasgholizadeh and several more community activists were released on March 19, 2007, ending a fifteen - day hunger strike. Yellow mimosa is the symbol of IWD in Italy In Italy, to celebrate the day, men give yellow mimosas to women. Communist politician Teresa Mattei chose the mimosa in 1946 as the symbol of IWD in Italy because she felt that the French symbols of the day, violets and lily - of - the - valley, were too scarce and expensive to be used effectively in Italy. In the United States, actress and human rights activist Beata Pozniak worked with the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California to lobby members of the U.S. Congress to propose official recognition of the holiday. In February 1994, H.J. Res. 316 was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, along with 79 cosponsors, in an attempt to officially recognize March 8 of that year as International Women 's Day. The bill was subsequently referred to, and remained in, the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. No vote of either house of Congress was achieved on this piece of legislation. Official UN themes Year UN Theme Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future Women and the Peace Table 1998 Women and Human Rights 1999 World Free of Violence Against Women 2000 Women Uniting for Peace Women and Peace : Women Managing Conflicts 2002 Afghan Women Today : Realities and Opportunities 2003 Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals Women and HIV / AIDS 2005 Gender Equality Beyond 2005 ; Building a More Secure Future 2006 Women in Decision - making 2007 Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women and Girls 2008 Investing in Women and Girls 2009 Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities : Progress for All 2011 Equal Access to Education, Training, and Science and Technology : Pathway to Decent Work for Women 2012 Empower Rural Women, End Poverty and Hunger 2013 A Promise is a Promise : Time for Action to End Violence Against Women 2014 Equality for Women is Progress for All 2015 Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity : Picture it ! 2016 Planet 50 - 50 by 2030 : Step It Up for Gender Equality 2017 Women in the Changing World of Work : Planet 50 - 50 by 2030 2018 Time is Now : Rural and urban activists transforming women 's lives See also Business and economics portal Holidays portal Human rights portal Feminism portal Socialism portal Soviet Union portal Communist Women 's International Day Without a Woman International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women International Day of the Girl Child International Men 's Day List of uprisings led by women Identity Politics UN Women Other holidays honoring women Susan B. Anthony Day ( February 15 ) Rosa Parks Day ( February 4 / December 1 ) National Girls and Women in Sports Day ( one day first week of February ) Harriet Tubman Day ( March 10 ) Kartini Day ( April 21 in Indonesia ) Helen Keller Day ( June 27 ) Women 's Equality Day ( August 26 ) Mother 's Day Notes Jump up ^ English : `` Give Us Women 's Suffrage. Women 's Day, March 8, 1914. Until now, prejudice and reactionary attitudes have denied full civic rights to women, who as, mothers, and citizens wholly fulfill their duty, who must pay their taxes to the state as well as the municipality. Fighting for this natural human right must be the firm, unwavering intention of every woman, every female worker. In this, no pause for rest, no respite is allowed. Come all, you women and girls, to the 9th public women 's assembly on Sunday, March 8, 1914, at 3 pm. '' References Jump up ^ `` Give Us Women 's Suffrage ( March 1914 ) ''. German History in Documents and Images. Retrieved January 26, 2014. Jump up ^ Frencia, Cintia ; Gaido, Daniel ( 8 March 2017 ). `` The Socialist Origins of International Women 's Day ''. Jacobin. ^ Jump up to : `` UN WomenWatch : International Women 's Day -- ''. UN.org. Retrieved February 21, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Sindelar, Daisy. `` Women 's Day Largely Forgotten in West, Where It Got Its Start ''. Radio Free Europe. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved March 8, 2011. Jump up ^ `` International Women 's Day History International Women 's Day The University of Chicago ''. iwd.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 07. ^ Jump up to : `` United Nations page on the background of the IWD ''. Un.org. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Miller, Sally M. ( December 1978 ). `` From Sweatshop Worker to Labor Leader : Theresa Malkiel, A Case Study ''. American Jewish History. 68 ( 2 ) : 197. JSTOR 23881894. Jump up ^ Temma Kaplan, `` On the Socialist Origins of International Women 's Day '', in : Feminist Studies, 11, 1985, S. 163 -- 171. ( PDF Archived June 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. ) Jump up ^ Liliane Kandel / Françoise Picq, `` Le Mythe des origines à propos de la journée internationale des femmes '' Archived September 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine., in : La Revue d'en face, 12, 1982, S. 67 -- 80. Jump up ^ Angela Howard Zophy, Handbook of American Women 's History, Garland, 1991, 187. Jump up ^ Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild, `` From West to East : International Women 's Day, the First Decade '', Aspasia : The International Yearbook of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern European Women 's and Gender History, vol. 6 ( 2012 ) : 1 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Temma Kaplan, `` On the Socialist Origins of International Women 's Day '', Feminist Studies, 11 / 1 ( Spring, 1985 ) Jump up ^ `` History of International Women 's Day ''. United Nations. Retrieved May 26, 2012. Jump up ^ `` About International Women 's Day ''. Internationalwomensday.com. March 8, 1917. 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The Times of India. March 7, 2016. Jump up ^ PTI ( March 7, 2016 ). `` Ahead of Women 's Day, Air India operates ' world 's longest all - women flight ' ''. The Indian Express. Jump up ^ `` International Women 's Day 2017 ''. UN Women. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017. Jump up ^ `` UN Secretary - General 's Message for International Women 's Day ''. UN. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` International Women 's Day 2018 ''. unwomen.org. UN Women. Retrieved 8 March 2018. Jump up ^ Saul, Heather ( March 8, 2018 ). `` International Women 's Day around the world : from sex worker strikes to women - only public holidays ''. News The Essential Daily Briefing. Retrieved March 20, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Armenian Holidays -- ARMENIA Information ''. Armeniainfo.am. July 5, 1995. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Azerbaijan.msntour.az Archived September 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. 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Jump up ^ Сергей Гуриев. ( in Russian ) In defense of 8 March / / Forbes, 03.03. 2007. ^ Jump up to : Karen Kapusta ‐ Pofahl. `` Reinstating International Women 's Day in the Czech Republic : Feminism, Politics and the Specter of Communism ''. Washburn University. Retrieved February 28, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Iranian Women Rally to Demand Equal Social, Political Rights '' Index - Journal ( March 9, 2003 ) : 9. via Newspapers.com Jump up ^ Harrison, Frances ( March 8, 2007 ). `` Middle East Iranian women struggle for equality ''. BBC News. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Iran : Release Women 's Rights Advocates Human Rights Watch ''. Hrw.org. March 8, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` la Repubblica / societa : 8 marzo, niente manifestazione tante feste diverse per le donne ''. Repubblica.it. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` politica '' Festa della donna, parla Ciampi `` La parità è ancora lontana '' ``. Repubblica.it. March 8, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Pirro, Dierdre ( March 25, 2013 ). `` Teresa Mattei, Flower power ''. The Florentine. Retrieved April 1, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Bill Summary & Status 103rd Congress ( 1993 -- 1994 ) H.J. RES. 316 ''. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` WomenWatch : International Women 's Day ''. Un.org. Retrieved February 21, 2013. Further reading `` The socialist roots of International Women 's Day ''. Al Jazeera America. March 7, 2015 Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild, `` From West to East : International Women 's Day, the First Decade '', Aspasia : The International Yearbook of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern European Women 's and Gender History, vol. 6 ( 2012 ) : 1 - 24. External links Find more aboutInternational Women 's Dayat Wikipedia 's sister projects Media from Wikimedia Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Learning resources from Wikiversity Data from Wikidata UN Women, International Women 's Day page Holidays, observances, and celebrations in Algeria January New Year 's Day ( 1 ) Yennayer ( 12 ) February Valentine 's Day ( 14 ) Tafsut ( 28 ) March International Women 's Day ( 8 ) Victory Day ( 19 ) World Water Day ( 22 ) Maghrebi Blood Donation Day ( 30 ) Spring vacation ( 2 last weeks ) April April Fools ' Day ( 1 ) Knowledge Day ( 16 ) Berber Spring ( 20 ) Earth Day ( 22 ) Election Day ( Thursday ) May International Workers ' Day ( 1 ) World Press Freedom Day ( 3 ) Mother 's Day ( last Sunday ) June -- July -- August Summer vacation ( varies ) June Children 's Day ( 1 ) Father 's Day ( 21 ) July Independence Day ( 5 ) September International Day of Peace ( 21 ) October International Day of Non-Violence ( 2 ) Halloween ( 31 ) November Revolution Day ( 1 ) December Christmas Eve ( 24 ) Christmas ( 25 ) New Year 's Eve ( 31 ) Winter vacation ( 2 last weeks ) Varies ( year round ) Hijri New Year 's Day ( Muharram 1 ) Ashura ( Muharram 10 ) Mawlid ( Rabi ' al - Awwal 12 ) Ramadan ( Ramadan 1 ) Laylat al - Qadr ( Ramadan 27 ) Eid al - Fitr ( Shawwal 1 ) Day of Arafah ( Dhu al - Hijjah 9 ) Eid al - Adha ( Dhu al - Hijjah 10 ) Holi ( varies ) Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in Algeria, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also : Lists of holidays. Public holidays in Russia New Year 's Day ( 1 Jan ) Christmas ( 7 Jan ) Defender of the Fatherland Day ( 23 Feb ) International Women 's Day ( 8 Mar ) International Workers ' Day ( 1 May ) Victory Day ( 9 May ) Russia Day ( 12 Jun ) Unity Day ( 4 Nov ) Public holidays in Ukraine New Year 's Day ( 1 Jan ) ( Julian ) Christmas ( 7 Jan ) International Women 's Day ( 8 Mar ) Orthodox Easter ( moveable ) Orthodox Pentecost ( moveable ) Labour Day ( 1 May ) Victory Day over Nazism ( 9 May ) Constitution Day ( 28 June ) Independence Day ( 24 Aug ) Defender of Ukraine Day ( 14 Oct ) ( Gregorian and Revised Julian ) Christmas ( 25 Dec ) Suffrage Basic topics Universal suffrage Women Black Youth Resident foreigners Expatriates in country of origin Voting age Demeny voting Suffragette Compulsory voting Disfranchisement Women 's liberation movement By country Australia 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act aboriginal women Japan Hong Kong Kuwait New Zealand Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom women Wales laws 1832 1918 1928 United States women Native Americans foreigners District of Columbia Puerto Rico amendments 15th 19th 23rd 24th 26th 1965 Voting Rights Act Events International Woman Suffrage Alliance conferences 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 1 July marches 2014 protests UK Mud March ( 1907 ) Women 's Sunday ( 1908 ) Black Friday ( 1910 ) Great Pilgrimage ( 1913 ) Open Christmas Letter U.S. Seneca Falls Convention Declaration of Sentiments Rochester Convention Ohio Women 's Convention National Women 's Rights Convention Suffrage Hikes 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession Silent Sentinels Night of Terror `` Give Us the Ballot '' Selma to Montgomery marches Related Age of candidacy US Voting Rights Museum Umbrella Movement Women Suffragists Timeline of women 's suffrage US in majority - Muslim countries Women 's suffrage organizations and publications Women 's rights activists Suffragette Memorial Pankhurst Centre Pankhurst Memorial Belmont - Paul Monument International Women 's Day Susan B. Anthony Day Women 's Equality Day Eagle House Justice Bell 1920 US presidential election Leser v. Garnett Popular culture `` The March of the Women '' ( 1910 song ) The Mother of Us All ( 1947 opera ) `` Sister Suffragette '' ( 1964 song ) Shoulder to Shoulder ( 1974 series ) Not for Ourselves Alone ( 1999 documentary ) Iron Jawed Angels ( 2004 film ) Great Petition ( 2008 sculpture ) Selma ( 2014 film ) Suffragette ( 2015 film ) Susan B. Anthony dollar 2020 US ten - dollar bill VIAF : 150612508 LCCN : sh95006691 GND : 4027395 - 7 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Women%27s_Day&oldid=831804548 '' Categories : Civil awareness days Feminism March observances Public holidays in North Korea Public holidays in Russia Public holidays in the Soviet Union Public holidays in Ukraine Recurring events established in 1909 Women in history Public holidays in Kazakhstan Women 's events United Nations days 1909 establishments in New York ( state ) Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Articles with Russian - language external links Articles with Romanian - language external links Articles with Croatian - language external links Use mdy dates from March 2016 Infobox holiday fixed day Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Alemannisch অসমীয়া Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Чӑвашла Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego گیلکی ગુજરાતી 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Interlingue Íslenska Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar मैथिली Македонски മലയാളം मराठी مصرى مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Mirandés Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ଓଡ଼ିଆ Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی ភាសា ខ្មែរ Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла संस्कृतम् Scots Shqip Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు Tetun ไทย Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Тыва дыл Українська اردو Vepsän kel ' Tiếng Việt 吴语 粵語 Zazaki 中文 95 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 March 2018, at 08 : 11. 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Question: when was the first women's day celebrated
Answer: February 28, 1909