From red carnations to women's rights

International Women's Day came and went this week without too many people noticing. Although Women's Day was first marked in 1908 in the United States, in the minds of the vast majority of Czech women it will forever remain a communist holiday - a day on which women received identical red carnations and a small gift, like a set of towels or the same cheap perfume for all women working in a given enterprise.

Happening in support of the rights of Moslem women, photo: CTK

This ceremony was preceded by lengthy "dear comrades" speeches and followed by an office party with the compulsory chlebicky /open faced sandwiches/ and cheap wine. It was an occasion to flirt and get drunk -and such occasions were welcome at any time of the year - but one could hardly say that women felt cherished, indeed they usually had to provide the party food and clean up afterwards. So after 1989 Women's Day was discarded like an old worn coat nobody cared to be seen in.

Although Parliament last year voted to reinstate Women's Day, as one of the "significant" days in the Czech calendar, the decision has remained pretty much on paper. Walking through Prague on Tuesday, March the 8th, I could see no signs of upcoming festivities - no women leaving delis with platters of chlebicky, no tipsy men with red carnations and even flower shops were having a quiet day. As every year, the shops switched directly from Valentine cards to Easter bunnies, shrugging off International Women's Day as a non-starter.

The only opinion poll on the subject that appeared in the press suggests that they are right. This holiday is not one that Czechs want to hold onto. Respondents of all ages said they would not be marking it. "Its not my kind of holiday" and "I never really cared for it" were the most common answers. Many felt the holiday was "organized and impersonal" and they much preferred to celebrate their own private occasions such as the anniversary of their wedding or first date with someone special. The only activities connected with Women's Day in the Czech Republic were a few communist party festivities for women, a conference on women's rights in Prague and a happening in support of the rights of Moslem women. Slowly Czechs are beginning to see Women's Day in a new light.