2890 Il Giorno delle Donne

It's a day that's dedicated to all woman-kind & the traditional gift/emblem is the Gardenia....they're are starting to bloom. It's often referred to as Festa della Donna; we've even had a status erected in the local square to celebrate it.

I can imagine a simlar [i]festa[/i] in the UK......I can see a Sun special on "Ladies day"....gowd, give me Italy everytime!

I am getting the magazines and book lined up as we speak......shall drop a huge hint re ; the gardenia ...and lunch...and dinner......:D

The 8th of March is also International Women's Day.. started in 1977 by the United Nations as an opportunity to celebrate the progress made to advance equality for women.

International Women's Week this year is from Sunday the 5th of March until Saturday the 11th of March.. with the highlight being International Women's Day on the 8th of March.

One of the themes for International Women's Week 2006 is 'Beyond Laws: The Right to be Me' which is about women's rights and the need to put words into action to stop all forms of discrimination against women.

Another theme is 'Speak out against War'

The 8th of March is a day for women and for peace.. and in support of the international appeals.. women's movements are organizing a protest in front of the American Embassy in Via Veneto, Rome.. demanding immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.. alongside an end to all human rights violations.

For those wondering why a protest is being held at the American Embassy in Rome while the Italian government has troops in Iraq.. the organisers say that cases where Italian sovereignty has been trampled are many.. the CIA kidnapping of Abu Omar in Milan.. the stockpiling of nuclear weapons at American military bases in Italy and obstruction in the investigation of the Sgrena Calipari shooting.. to highlight a few.

The protest will also be part of the lead up to the national demonstration to be held in Rome on the 18th of March.. the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and an International Day of Protest.

[I]Le donne lo sanno, c'e' poco da fare c'e' solo da mettersi in pari col cuore, lo sanno da sempre lo sanno comunque per prime.. vogliono ballare un po' di piu'.. vogliono sentir girar la testa...[/I]

So perhaps no breakfast in bed.. but maybe a shopping trip to Via Veneto instead? :D

:) :)

Thanks for enlightening us - again - Aliena! :)

I'm sure it won't just be Rome where women are going to protest....

Lyn - enjoy that breakfast in bed anyway!! A day like that doesn't come around too often...

Hi everyone
Festa della donna here in Tuscany they seem to have Mimosa for the flower. Is it different in other parts of Italy.
Aretina

the gardenia flower this year is for helping with MS research they tend to pick something each year... the minimum you can pay...and thats if you want to help is e 13 i think....

aretina is right.. the mimosa flower is the traditional flower of the day here in italy not just Tuscany ...

its more the white pot plant is a better seller for the supported charity side of things

other aspects of the day are not for me to comment on

I haven't got to burn my bra AGAIN have I ?????;)

Obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick...I'll have to wait for Mothers' Day !!!!!:D

Get up early.. forget breakfast.. burn all your bra's as a celebration.. then buy new ones from La Perla in Via Condotti.. its only a 5 minute walk from Via Veneto!

Boys.. do not click this link! :eek:

[url]http://www.laperla.com/home.htm[/url]

:) :)

La donna

Chi l'ha criata è stato nu grand'ommo,
nun 'o vvoglio sapè, chi è stato è stato;
è stato 'o Pateterno? E quanno, e comme?
Ch'avite ditto? '0 fatto d' 'a custata?
Ma 'a femmena è na cosa troppo bella,
nun 'a puteva fà cu 'a custatella!
Per carità, non dite fesserie!
Mo v' 'o ddich'io comm' è stata criata:
è stato nu lavoro 'e fantasia,
è stata na magnifica truvata,
e su questo non faccio discussione;
chi l'ha criata è gghiuto int' 'o pallone!

(Antonio De Curtis )

Auguri a tutte le magnifiche trovate del mondo :))

Grazie Ugo..

Time is a Gentleman.. ma Aliena non e' malafemmena! :D :D

:) :)

i dont think its much to do with burning garments... here the women go out ... to a restaurant ... have a meal.. minus husband and children and basically have i would think a good time... i dont know i am not part of the club... but it seems like a good idea to me... obviously because of the left history of the place they adopted all the communist type rubbish... but being italian changed it to suit them... there will be a few hundred of those dedicated zitty (is that a word)types marching at the weekend but the millions of women that inhabit the place will most probably do much as i described above and let the looneys from either side get up early and protest... its much more important here to go out for a good meal..

Yes John..

But when we go out.. as I'm sure you know.. ladies like to dress up.. from head to toe.. in new wonderfully expensive gorgeous things.. so a little shopping on Via Veneto and a quick trot down to La Perla is probably an excellent place to start getting ready for the forthcoming night out with the girls.. even to the local trattoria..

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:) :)

A young couple gets married; in the first year he fights for leadership; the second year he fights for equal rights; in the third year he fights for his naked life.

And, this is a true story repeated all over the world over and over again.:D

While I don't believe the intention of "Ladies Day" was to protest the "evil" American Empire, have at it. The holiday should be celebrated the way it always gas, respect and love for your woman and mother and sisters and all other women.

Aliena, I saw the muslims burning the Italian flag a few nights ago, seems they have a bone to pick with you "christians". But wait, a communist can't be a christian can they? Isn't religion the "opium of masses" according to guy named Marx? I love Italians who are Catholic Communists...

Get over the American thing, the sooner we all realize this effort is to protect the majority of the sane people's way of life the better off we'll all be. Now, do I trust in and believe my American government? Nope, not all the time anyway. But, look at the alternative, Taliban boys? I am sorry but we won't ever be living in a green and flower "I love you" world.

Templars and Crusades mean anything? It never stopped, was just quiet for a few centuries. There will never be peace when religion is involved and it requires a strong hand to keep the balance. When I served in the US Armed Forces I did more humanitarian work than killing, in fact 22 years never killed anybody but I damn sure helped a lot of desperate people including the earthquake zone foks in Assissi in 1997. Been to places where death was an everyday thing and life held no meaning, is that my fault since I am an American? Oh, it is my government's fault because they give HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS of my tax money to help people around the world.

Sorry, I took us off topic here but it burns my blood when people blame the world's problems on America. Wait until Iran decides to do something stupid like nuke Israel with tactical weapons, then when the fallout blows over Italy we'll see what the pacificsts say. OK, maybe a bit far fetched, but then again who knows. The "other" religion is not tolerant of you or me, how many christian faith churches are in Iran, Syria, or a dozen other countries? How many mosques are in Italy? They pray on the sidewalk in Milano, try praying to Jesus in Tehran on the street.

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Although I have had many occassions to curse America,mainly due to its terrible environmental policies I can see where you are coming from.
'Islamism' is a new phrase here ( heard on R4 last week) and I too am very concerned about a world where one religious group takes over.Sorry you feel got at.

Back to the thread..is it called Ladies Day or Women's Day? Women's Day seems more inclusive ...Ladies Day reminds me of a Conservative Party Event !

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

Hello Big Johnny,

Aliena's mention of demonstrations were just that - a mention of something that was planned to happen and an explanation into why. I'm sure folks demonstrate outside UK embassies or in London too in a few weeks' time... Personally, I didn't see this as a rant against your country. After all, there are a number of forum members from the US and we don't want to upset anyone.

As for anyone's opinion about the Iraq war... those are personal opinions (hence I'm keeping mine to myself for a change) and should not be used to attack other people here. That's why I didn't think the post was actually meant as a personal attack... unless somebody prove me wrong. :)

I'm just reading a book about the first crusades and agree with you there... the differences were never really resolved but are now cropping up big time. A sad sign of the times.

By the way, she also mentioned women's rights in the same post...

So, can we please get back to Women's Day... today!!! :)

Thanks!

[QUOTE=manopello][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]....
Back to the thread..is it called Ladies Day or Women's Day? Women's Day seems more inclusive ...Ladies Day reminds me of a Conservative Party Event !

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

LOL @ Conservative party event... that might just beat the Women's Institute or whatever their name is... my idea of hell!! ;)

anyone wanna buy a jar of marmalade :D ...or a calendar ....;)

No sign of the gardenia yet !!!!!!!:)

So what are all you ex-pat 'Ladies' or 'Women' doing to celebrate 'OUR' Day then ????????

I seem to be cooking lunch and dinner , ironing, hanging washing out in the freezing cold ( yes it is absolutely freezing here in Puglia !!!) ....no change there then...must get more organised for next year !!!!:rolleyes:

Whoa! Slow down big boy!

Please read the posts correctly.. especially mine! Don't pick on Aliena 'cus she will slap you silly with a bunch of Mimosa!

I didn't say.. the intention of "Ladies Day" was to protest the "evil" American Empire or that Muslims don't burn the Italian flag or even that I am religous.. or a Christian.. a Templar.. a Crusader.. a Muslim.. an Italian.. an Iraqi. I didn't blame the world's problems on America or that places where death was an everyday thing and life held no meaning do not exist.. or that anything is your fault since you are an American.. or that it's your Government's fault because they give HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS of your tax money to help people around the world.. even though I doubt it's all yours! :D

In fact, I didn't say anything about any of the things you talk of.

This is what I said.. 'The 8th of March [B]is also [/B]International Women's Day'..

Then, as an explanation, I said.. 'for those wondering why a protest is being held at the American Embassy in Rome while the Italian government has troops in Iraq.. [B]the organisers say[/B] that cases where Italian sovereignty has been trampled are many'..

My posts within this thread were only a report on what else is going on TODAY in Italy.. and to light heartedly suggest to the ladies that La Perla lingerie may be worth looking at if they should go on a shopping trip to Rome.. and to remind the boys to get their wallets out to buy a few bunches of Mimosa for the women in their lives. I didn't attack you.. America.. any other person.. race.. religion or nationality and thankfully others saw that and I'm amazed that a clever American did not!

So, just to be clear.. what I'm still saying is.. [B]The 8th of March is a day for women to celebrate.. and for peace!!![/B]

Have a good day now!

:) :)

Grateful thanks to Iona, Alex & Lyn and Manopello.. chocolate anyone? ;)

Thanks for clarifying, Aliena... :)

Yup, crunchy choccie anytime...

Poor Lyn... have you tried training your hubby?? Mine works wonders with an iron (I just about know how to plug it in!) and he's a pretty good cook too...though he's away on business today and will be home late... so on this celebrated day I'll end up cooking after all!! Sob!!! :rolleyes: ;)

Oh mines' well trained too...brilliant with the iron...it is just he happened to be out at his Italian lesson when I had my little 'moan' ...just to set the record straight have decided to enjoy 'my day'...have managed to cook a bit of lunch ..but only 'cos I was hungry myself !!!!!...now where's me book !!!!!!

Sun's out...blowing a gale ...and still cold !!!!! But hey...i live in Italy and today is MY DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cool:

Shall drag him out when the shops open to get my Gardenia or Mimosa or Open top sports car !!!!:D

Would love a huge choccy Aliena .....but I'm diabetic ....is there a Thorntons near here ?....they do delicious choccies just for people like me !!!! ???:D

Just out of interest ...why do you keep deleting posts Aliena ???...Just curious...or is that 'nosey !!!!:)

aliena...

i have heard in passing that the womens day is not a celebration but a commemoration of an event in 1908 i think ... i wasnt really listening...there was a factory fire that over a hundred women lost their lives in .... which sadly recently a fire somewhere in a factory in the far east with substandard fire precautions meant that another fifty women working in the equivalent of a 1908 factory today also lost their lives

also reported today is that italy has the lowest percentage of women working in politics in the whole recognised civilised world.. according to the un ... i know they run all the families here and that the men are lazy bs... but tell me is it just that they cannot be bothered to go out and argue or are they just to comfortable how they are

Sorry, I forgot you are a diabetic.. here is a Gardenia for you instead.. you can even have a sprig of Mimosa if you like.. but you can buy your own blooming sports car! :p

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:) :)

PS. I delete simply 'cus I do.. you can quote me on that! :D

John

I think the factory that you are talking about burnt down in 1908 and was in New York.. and that the percentage of Italian women in Politics is 0.4% or was it 4%?

Ooer.. I get confused by some of the crap I think I know.. let me find out and get back to you while I think of reasons why Italian women are not more involved.. give me a few minutes 'cus I have a pan of spaghetti to see to while I do the ironing! :D

:) :)

[QUOTE=Aliena]Get up early.. forget breakfast.. burn all your bra's as a celebration.. then buy new ones from La Perla in Via Condotti.. its only a 5 minute walk from Via Veneto!

Boys.. do not click this link! :eek:

[url]http://www.laperla.com/home.htm[/url]

:) :)[/QUOTE]

Ladies please don't burn your old bras when you buy new ones at La Perla. This was reported in The Times a couple of days ago (and many other places as well I'm sure):

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Bras wanted to break a record
About 55,000 bras are still needed to create the world’s longest chain and raise money and awareness for breast cancer treatment. On April 30, the organisers hope to string 100,000 bras together from Paphos harbour, in west Cyprus, to cover 90km (56 miles) — breaking the 60km (79,000 bra) record set in Singapore in 2003. Gina Ghillyer, the event organiser, said that it was hoped to raise one Cyprus pound (£1.20) for each bra. (AP) [/COLOR]

Then you just have to go to La Perla because you've given your old bras to a good cause.:p

Where do i send me 'manky' old bras then...wouldn't want that job !!!!
Can you actually see this line of bras stretching away into the horizon on the internet ????? You've guessed it I'm a bit bored !!!!

Thanks for the beautiful gardenia .......Never mind the choccies...just had Polenta for lunch...first time I've tried cooking it...( was ready -made from the deli !!!!:rolleyes: ) and it was lovely....I think I've had in a restaurant before but didn't know what it was :D

ironing board still safely stashed away...old film on Tv with Lizzie Taylor and Monty Cliffe ...and I think Shelley Winters ..or is it Angela Lansbury ...no ...Shelley Winters ...I think ???!!!!!!...pile of mags....ciggies and a good old cuppa....Linnie heaven ...sad eh ????:cool:

Addition ...1 hour later ...........

Too cold for me to venture out ( wimp !!! ) so Alex popped off to the bank and came back with 2 HUGE bunches of flowers and a plant .....the plant is Cineraria ...is it indoors or outdoors ????
...His Italian teacher 'primed' him this morning that today was the day when the women/ladies of Italy are spoilt ....I love her ...so that is the way we do it down here in Puglia...so forget about burning your bra , demonstrating, entering politics.....grab the choccies. wine and whatever takes your fancy ...and ENJOY !!!!

John.. et al

The spaghetti has congealed in the pan.. but I got the ironing finished.. questa e' la vita..

[QUOTE=adriatica]
aliena.. i have heard in passing that the womens day is not a celebration but a commemoration of an event in 1908 i think ... i wasnt really listening...there was a factory fire that over a hundred women lost their lives in .... which sadly recently a fire somewhere in a factory in the far east with substandard fire precautions meant that another fifty women working in the equivalent of a 1908 factory today also lost their lives.[/QUOTE]
Among other relevant historic events, International Women's Day commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York in 1911, where over 140 women lost their lives. More protests followed on 8 March in subsequent years.. and on the eve of WW1, women across Europe held peace rallies on 8 March 1913.

[QUOTE=adriatica]also reported today is that italy has the lowest percentage of women working in politics in the whole recognised civilised world.. according to the un ... i know they run all the families here and that the men are lazy bs... but tell me is it just that they cannot be bothered to go out and argue or are they just to comfortable how they are[/QUOTE]
This was a fascinating topic to research and apparently, it's actually 10% of the total of Italian MP's are women.. which is higher than I thought.. but in a country where the female population is 54%.. the absence of women in politics in Italy is obvious.

The majority of Italians believe there should be more women in politics. Of course, women want this more than men, but the amount of people who are not interested in politics is at an all time high. Italian women are strong.. but treated as weak and needing protection.. perhaps this is a self promoted concept. I believe most women, no matter where.. are smart enough to play this card as often as possible.. I certainly enjoy a door being opened for me.. even though I'm perfectly capable of opening it myself. :D

The Italian women I know have exceptional spirit, which makes them the protagonists of Italy's image world-wide. I believe, without doubt.. women are the driving force in Italy.. and also in Italian communities abroad. They have achieved prestigious results.. and homage must be paid to the success of Italian women in the world.

In fact, all women must be saluted as they are successful in all professions.. including politics, social affairs and the sciences, but the extremely brave mothers.. and grandmothers must not be forgotten.. those with children will understand why I say brave!

The difficulties met by women in the business or political world is perhaps because they may feel forced to constantly prove they are the best and perhaps this is why they choose to rule from behind the scenes. A similar way also exists in the Middle East.. women are the absolute Monarchs of the house and mould men into believing they are more capable.. this gives women supreme power without having to become coal miners.. or to be seen as anything other than feminine outside the privacy of their homes.

The gentler sex are not necessarily so.. but may be savvy enough to pretend! :p

Part of this may also be because Italy promotes a culture that encourages young people to continue living with their parents. Slow progress towards assuming personal responsibility inevitably delays assuming public responsibility.. and of course.. people start families at a much later age.. but as a womens biological clock keeps ticking.. she may find herself still having children to care for at an age when women in other countries are already well advanced into the political arena.

It is considered a success in Italy if you manage to keep children at home for as long as possible.. not such a bad thing as far as I can see if this produces a well balanced child.. our children are our future.. and not just in Italy.

:) :)

aliena

thankyou... a point about women representation , the union movement here in italy, quite powerful is virtually the only area in italian public life that is fully equal in the sense that around fifty percent of all the delegates/leaders are women, so there is one part of society where women have managed to break through, and is this the reason that italy has so many strikes

Thanks to the new electoral law it is possible to know, approximately, how many women will take seat in the new Parliament to be elected next april.
They should be about 25% of all the deputies, that is a shameful number (it should be 50%) but at least higher than today.

Aliena: Napoli's mayor is a woman: Rosa Russo Jervolino

Womens Day!!! What's that? Never heard ot it!! says she as she stirs the pans and decides that she really must clean the floors again due to grangchildrens trolleys coming in & out on a wet day. Chocs being handed round??? Whatever next??? Has no body given them up for Lent. You naughty lot.

as an aside and off thread a bit ... today my son goes to the church for the funeral of one of his teachers... she died on the day set aside for women at 38 after 14 years fighting cancer... off thread a bit only because also on that day there were free smear tests for women as part of the womens day event...

its sometimes feels that many on here talk down so much about the uk and all its problems... but i remember... well women clinics and reminders through the post that your check up was due... not here ... i was surprised when they announced these tests would be free for all ... i had assumed they would be anyway... but its not just that ...its the efficiency and care of the uk system the way in which it operates that sometimes when you get used to things you just dont apreciate...

someone mentioned that the uk would not know how to celebrate... far better i think that instead of one day there are systems in place and people that care enough that it happens every day.. and no its not the italian system doesnt care its just there is no system apart from one off initiatives on special days

Good point, John!

It's those little - but important - things you don't realise until you're somewhere else ...

The tests in the UK are only every 3 years - still a chance of not detecting cancer for a long time but better than no regulation at all. In Germany it used to be every year, but not sure if that has fallen foul of cuts in funding lately.

There's always room for improvement of services, wherever we are, but sadly it all costs money... which always seems to be freely available to higher level staff (managers or consultants, as heard on the Scottish news this morning, get a fortune!) ... but not for essential frontline services...

But at least at home I consider myself lucky ... my fiance went to Glasgow for a meeting yesterday & brought me back 2 books I'd fancied as a surprise - not knowing it was Womens Day!!! Think I've trained him well... ;)

This might be of interest-from a website called hostetler.net-even if its too late:

Festa della Donne - This is a day in which all good men bring bunches of Mimosa flowers to any special women in their lives (wives, mothers, secretaries, daughters and so on). The flowers are bright yellow in color and leave pollen stains on whatever they touch. The origins of the custom are unclear but the main contenders are: 1) an initiative set forth by Clara Zetkin and adopted at the 1910 convention of Socialist Women in Copenhagen and 2) an adopted measure that set the day apart to honor women that was established at the second conference of Communist Women in Moscow in 1921 and 3) ...and this one gets my vote - there was a fire in the Triangle Shirt Factory in New York in 1911, in which 134 Italian women who were locked inside because they were refusing to participate in a strike, were tragically killed. The choice of mimosa flowers came about in 1946 by the organizer of the festivities in Rome who wanted to find a seasonal flower that was cheap. They caught on like wildflowers and the rest, as they say, is history. True to Italian tradition, however, the holiday has come under fire in recent years from notable women who are arguing to abolish the holiday on the basis of Italy’s dismal number of women in power. The country ranks the lowest in Europe for women managers (8%), parliament members (10%) and ambassadors (0%).
Date: March 8th
Web Link: [url]www.notti.italiane.com/special/festadonna/Welcomeb.html[/url]
Web Link: [url]www.8ttodimarzo.com/eng-principale.htm[/url]
Note: National Holiday observed in all of Italy

[QUOTE=Robert]Festa della Donne - This is a day in which all good men bring bunches of Mimosa flowers to any special women in their lives [/QUOTE]

Mimosa flowers are pretty much the first things to flower and are always an indicator of how bad my hay-fever is gonna be - so if I seem a bit weepy it isn't for those special women in my life. :rolleyes:

[quote=notaio]Thanks to the new electoral law it is possible to know, approximately, how many women will take seat in the new Parliament to be elected next april.
They should be about 25% of all the deputies, that is a shameful number (it should be 50%) but at least higher than today.

Aliena: Napoli's mayor is a woman: Rosa Russo Jervolino[/quote]

Women make at present 100 % of time the laws that rule the household, give them another 50% and they rule then 150%:D ; I know mathematically it is absurd, ... but still.:rolleyes:

[QUOTE=notaio]Thanks to the new electoral law it is possible to know, approximately, how many women will take seat in the new Parliament to be elected next april.
They should be about 25% of all the deputies, that is a shameful number (it should be 50%) but at least higher than today.

Aliena: [B]Napoli's mayor is a woman: Rosa Russo Jervolino[/B][/QUOTE]
She was also the first woman to become Minister of the Interior in Italy! :D

Naples is always first!

:) :)