international Women’s Day is annually celebrated on March 8 every year to recognize and honour women’s accomplishments in social, economic, cultural and political disciplines.
This day serves as a call to action for accelerating gender parity and highlighting the ongoing efforts for continued advocacy and action worldwide.
This year, the International Women’s Day theme is “Accelerate Action,” emphasising the urgency to expedite progress toward gender parity. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, many are unaware of the significance of March 8th as International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025. Let’s explore the reason behind commemorating Women’s Day on March 8.
What is the reason for celebrating Women’s Day only on March 8?
International Women’s Day has its roots in Russian history. On February 23, 1913, Russian women protested against World War I under the Julian calendar (which corresponded to March 8 in the Gregorian calendar used elsewhere). This was a global benchmark for Women’s Day rallies.
Another protest happened on February 23, 1917, When women in Russia demanded an end to war, food shortages, and the rule of Czar Nicholas II. Historian Rochelle Ruthchild said that male revolutionaries like Leon Trotsky were initially frustrated by these “disobedient women” for organizing protests before the planned May Day (Workers’ Day) demonstrations. However, these protests helped spark the Russian Revolution. Within days, the Czar was overthrown, a communist regime was established, and Russian women won the right to vote. In the United States, women of colour did not obtain the right to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but white women were granted the right to vote in 1920.
To honour women’s role in the 1917 Russian Revolution, Vladimir Lenin, who was a Russian Revolutionary, politician and political theorist, declared March 8 as International Women’s day. The first IWD celebration took place on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany. The United States celebrated its first National Women’s Day on February 28, 1909.
Initially, IWD had no set date though it was generally celebrated in late February or early March. Americans observed Women’s day on the last Sunday in February while Russia observed it for the first time in 1913, on the last Saturday in February (albeit based on the Julian calendar, as in the Gregorian calendar, the date was March 8).
According to the International Women’s Day website, IWD is an official holiday in many countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Zambia. In Germany, Berlin’s parliament approved a bill in 2019 to make International Women’s Day a public holiday.
What colours symbolise International Women’s Day?
Purple, green and white are the colors of International Women’s Day. Purple signifies justice and dignity, and being loyal to the cause. Green symbolizes hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept. The colours originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.