Teachers' Blog

Now is the time of year when Siena is awash in gold, as the mimosa trees’ clusters of yellow blooms are bursting into bloom everywhere.

In Italy, since WWII, flower has been adopted as a symbol for International Women’s Day, which is observed on March 8th each year. The holiday has its origins in the suffrage movement and fights for working womens’ rights.

Today the day is recognized in different ways: for some it has a strong political emphasis; since the 1970s the UN declares an annual theme for each year’s International Women’s Day to focus international attention on issues facing women worldwide such social and economic standing, access to healthcare and education, etc.

For many, the political significance of the day is not a central focus, and instead the holiday is often also celebrated similar to Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, with mimosas given to Italian women as a general symbol of love and appreciation.

For more info about the mimosa and International Women’s Day here are some references:

http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=5425
http://www.repubblica.it/online/societa/otto/otto/otto.html
http://www.repubblica.it/2006/c/sezioni/politica/versoelezioni34/ciampidonne/ciampidonne.html 

Lisa Nonken,

Drawing teacher