THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 8, 1995 TAG: 9503080532
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Sarah's Hallmark in Norfolk hasn't sold out of Women's Day cards.
They don't carry them.
And Farm Fresh's House of Flowers in Portsmouth didn't order extra yellow blossoms for the Women's Day rush.
``Women's Day? Nope, we haven't received any orders. Women's Day?! I've never heard of that,'' one female florist said. ``But we need a day for ourselves.''
Well, now there is one.
For the past 85 years, March 8 has been recognized as International Women's Day by millions of women around the world. Most of those women, however, don't seem to live in the United States.
But the celebration originated in America around 1910 to honor the ongoing struggle for suffrage and equality. International Women's Day has long been commemorated by the United Nations and is commonly celebrated in Europe, where women receive candy and yellow flowers.
It's a national holiday in Russia and China, where many of the women who work outside the home get the day off.
But in the United States, the supposed hub of women's equality, people are still asking: ``What's Women's Day?''
``I know, isn't that curious?,'' asked Mary Ruthsdotter, projects director for the National Women's History Project, based in Windsor, Calif.
The original focus of Women's Day was to ``internationalize'' the American suffrage experience, but it has evolved to honor women's historical struggles and their contributions to work, in and outside the home. March's designation as National Women's History month was an outgrowth of International Women's Day.
For women like Patrizia Zorzoli, who grew up in Italy, it was disappointing to come to the States and not receive any flowers on March 8.
``It struck me as strange that you don't celebrate it here. I used to think of American woman as much more liberated than we are. That (idea) has changed,'' said Zorzoli, who teaches Spanish at Tidewater Community College at the Norfolk Center.
``It is very, very popular in Europe. It's a celebration of women, not only working women. A celebration of womanhood.''
Xiaohong Swain of Chesapeake used to get free movie passes and half the day off when she worked as a radio journalist in China.
``Women's Day was like Mother's Day here,'' Swain said. ``Mother's Day is only for women with children. Valentine's Day is for lovers. But Women's Day was for all women.''
Swain said she never heard a man complain about International Women's Day, but Ruthsdotter has had people challenge the relevance of a history month for women and ask: ``When is Men's Day?''
``If we take a look at what people know when they look at history, people don't know anything about women's history. Something is clearly amiss,'' Ruthsdotter said.
``Men's history has been the dominant theme, and it's time to balance the plate. It's not that men's history isn't important, it's just that it's half the story.''
Women's History Month Celebration tonight 5 to 7 p.m. at the Visual Arts Center in Downtown Portsmouth. Sponsored by Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College. For more information call 484-2121, 470. by CNB