International Women's Day

Clearly I am very good at showing Ted where to point the camera.

Happy March 8! It's International Women's Day here in Russia, so everyone had the day off work and school to celebrate.

Central square downtown, with pagoda

I don't know much about Women's Day, so I've included here a little background information from another website:

Russian women first observed International Women’s Day on March 2, 1913. They held a demonstration in St Petersburg, which was then Russia’s capital, demanding the right to vote. On March 8, 1917 (February 23, 1917 of the then used Julian calendar), women organized another mass demonstration. Many historians believe this became the start of the Russian Revolution. The Russian Emperor Nicholas II stepped down from the throne four days after the demonstration, and the provisional government granted Russian women the right to vote.
International Women’s Day has been a national holiday in Russia since 1918. It became a non-labor day in 1965. International Women’s Day remained a public holiday in the Russia after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Today it is a holiday to honor motherhood, beauty, and spring. International Women’s Day is also celebrated in other countries around the world.

Very cool! Here in Elista, there were decorations and performances in the central square surrounding the pagoda. We arrived a little late (we couldn't find any information about what time things got started!), but we managed to catch the traditional dances at the end of the public celebration.

Almost every woman was carrying one or two tulips, which could be bought out of buckets on many street corners around town.

This seems to be a family holiday, and once the performances were finished most families hung out around the square or went for a walk along the "promenade". I don't know the proper name for this walkway, but it's a wide path set away from the road that passes many monuments, stupas, and statues.

Like I said, "promenade"

As you can see, the weather was beautiful today - very sunny and about 50 degrees. The wind here is cold, but as long as you have a hat or a hood to keep your ears warm it's very pleasant to be outside.

I hope you had a wonderful March 8 wherever you are!

My Women's Day gift from Ted