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march 8: what holiday is today and what not to do

Today, March 8, Ukraine celebrates International Women’s Day and the Day of the Land Surveyor. Believers honor the memory of the holy reverend confessor Theophylact, Bishop of Nicodemus. [ Kommersant tells more about the holiday, its traditions and prohibitions.

International Women’s Day (Women’s Rights Day)

Every year on March 8, the whole world celebrates International Women’s Day, which is also known as the Day of Struggle for Women’s Rights. This remarkable date allows us to evaluate and celebrate the achievements of the fair sex in various spheres of human activity in the past and today.

In 2025, International Women’s Day was proclaimed by the UN under the slogan “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”.

History of the holiday

Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, women around the world began to protest, demanding equal rights. In particular, on March 8, 1857, factory workers in New York City organized a demonstration to achieve fair working conditions. They called for a reduction of the working day from 16 to 10 hours, equal pay with men, the opportunity to receive education and participate in elections.

More than 50 years later, on February 28, 1908, New York City again became the center of a large-scale protest for women’s rights, which was attended by more than 15,000 women. Already in 1910, the second International Conference of Women Workers was held in Copenhagen to discuss issues of equality.

The idea of establishing the International Day for the Protection of the Rights of All Women quickly gained popularity in socialist countries. Initially, the date of the celebration was at the end of February, and in 1975 the United Nations officially established March 8 as International Women’s Day. In 1977, a UN resolution was adopted, which proposed to include this holiday in their national calendars in accordance with local traditions.

Will there be a public holiday on March 8, 2025?

In Ukraine, March 8 is considered a holiday of spring and femininity, but recently there have been discussions about its status. From the very beginning of this holiday, it was introduced at the state level in the USSR.

Due to the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine, as well as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the processes of decommunization and moving away from the Soviet heritage began. Due to the socialist roots of this holiday, proposals were put forward at the state level in Ukraine to introduce an alternative holiday that would honor Ukrainian women.

In 2023, a bill was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to abolish March 8 as a public holiday and instead introduce the Day of the Ukrainian Woman, whose celebration date coincides with Lesya Ukrainka’s birthday and falls on February 25. However, this draft law was not considered, so International Women’s Day remains a public holiday to this day.

In accordance with the current labor legislation of Ukraine, additional days off on the occasion of public holidays are canceled during martial law and/or a state of emergency. At the same time, March 8 in 2025 falls on a Saturday, so everyone will be able to celebrate this holiday.

Day of the Land Surveyor of Ukraine

The Day of the Land Surveyor of Ukraine is a professional holiday celebrated annually on the second Saturday of March. In 2025, it falls on March 8. It is a day to congratulate professionals involved in the distribution and management of land resources.

For the first time, our specialists celebrated the Day of the Land Surveyor of Ukraine in 1999. It was then that the current President Leonid Kuchma issued a decree on the introduction of this professional holiday.

What is the church holiday today

march 8 is the feast day of the holy reverend confessor Theophylact, Bishop of Nicodemus in the church calendar. He was a famous monk who lived near the Black Sea. After the condemnation of the iconoclastic heresy at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787, Patriarch Tarasius persuaded him to accept the dignity of Bishop of Nicodemus.

Theophylact was a true servant and follower of Christ: he helped the poor and sick, built shelters and hospitals. During an epidemic that broke out in the city, he personally cared for the sick, washing their wounds with his own hands.

When the iconoclastic heresy reappeared under Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), Theophylact, along with other bishops, tried to convince the emperor to abandon the heresy and accept the Orthodox doctrine of icon veneration. For this, he was exiled for 30 years, where he suffered deprivation and suffering. Theophylact died in old age around 832.

What not to do on March 8:

• Do not concentrate on negative thoughts.
• You should not swear, shout, or have a fight.
• It is forbidden to spend the day being sad, otherwise it will be like that all year.

Folk signs and traditions for March 8

Our ancestors had many interesting signs for this day:

• they looked at what day it was: the weather would indicate what kind of summer it would be;
• bird nests only on the south side – to a cold summer;
• larks have already returned home – expect a warm spring;
• heavy fog during the day – to frost.

At this time, migratory birds are already beginning to return from the wild. If you see them in the sky, you will be very lucky this year.