One of the traditions that I loved the most while living in Italy was the celebration of Women’s Day. Celebrated not only in Italy, but in much of Europe, the day is a day to celebrate women and all that they are. We celebrate not just the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunties, daughters, but the explorers, the pioneers, the women who strive to shatter the glass ceiling. We celebrate
those who work to change the world for good.

Stories vary on when Women’s Day was first founded and by whom, but we know it started
during a time when women all over the world were protesting for their right to vote, to have a
say in how they were governed.

While the first Women’s day was started in the U.S, it wasn’t long before countries throughout
Europe began to adopt the day as well. Over the early decades of the 1900s, protests for women’s
right on these days spread throughout various countries.

Italy adopted women’s day while under Fascist rule in 1922 but it was truly celebrated in 1945
when all women were given the right to vote. Throughout the subsequent decades women
gained more rights through reforms. You can read more about their wins here.

While in the U.S. we don’t have any specific traditions to celebrate the day, Italy does not disappoint. If you were to visit Italy right now, you’d see yellow flowers called mimosas (not the drink) everywhere. They’d be at flower shops, in restaurants, on doors and in lobbies. It was in 1946 that three women, Teresa Moce, Rita Montagnana, and Teresa Mattei proposed this flower as the symbol for Women’s Day (Festa della Donna). These yellow flowers bloom early in March and while they appear fragile, they actually grow in the most difficult of terrains, creating the perfect representation of women. Women are given little bunches of Mimosa by their family, their coworkers, or friends.

Also found throughout Italy is the equally iconic Women’s Day pastry, also called a mimosa (again, not the drink). This pastry is a layer cake covered in sponge cake cubes and filled with
Chantilly cream. If it sounds delicious, it is. You can try to make your own by following this recipe.

Even if you’re not in Italy, or Europe, to celebrate, let’s take the time to bring similar traditions back to the U.S. All it takes is a moment of your time to thank and honor all the women in our lives. And while the groundbreakers, the glass-ceiling shatterers, the history makers all deserve special recognition. So do the every day women. The mothers who raised us, the colleagues who work alongside us, the friends who get us through each day. Thank you all. You’re all amazing.