International Women’s Day>> Festa della Donna

Mimosa Flowers

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March 8th is International Women’s Day. This day is observed widely in many countries around the world. Oddly, it is not observed in the United States. In fact, the first time I’d heard of it was shortly after I’d moved to Italy.

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In italia la Festa della Donna si festeggia l’8 di marzo.  (In Italy, Women’s day is celebrated on March 8th.)

Gli uomini regalano i fiori, solitamente le mimose, alle colleghe di lavoro e a tutte le altre donne importanti nelle loro vite… mamme, sorelle, fidanzate, ragazze, ecc. (Men give flowers, usually mimosas, to their female colleagues and to all the other important women in their lives… moms, sisters, fiances, girlfriends, etc.)

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Mimosa Cocktails

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Contrary to popular belief, the mimosa is not just a popular cocktail made from succo d’arancia (orange juice) and champagne, though I suspect this drink was inspired by the true mimosa. The mimosa is the fragrant and fluffy yellow pom-pom-like flower of the acacia tree.

California is full of these trees this time of year, as is Italy, which is why this flower is so common on this day.  I love the smell of these flowers — their fragrance zooms me straight back to wonderful memories.

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Here are a few Women’s Day auguri (greetings) for a mini vocabulary lesson:

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Listen & Practice Your Pronunciation!

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1. “Questa mimosa è bella come te che splendi e profumi nel giorno della tua festa.” (This mimosa is as beautiful as you that shine and are fragrant on your special day.)
2. “Auguri a tutte le donne del mondo ed in particolare alla mia che è la più bella che ci sia!” (Good wishes to all the women of the world and in particular to mine who is the most beautiful there is!)
3. “La donna è la colonna portante del mondo, senza te tutto crollerebbe e la nostra famiglia andrebbe in rovina… Grazie donna, grazie mamma.” (The woman is the main supporting column of the world, without you everything would collapse and our family would go into ruin… Thank you woman, thank you mom.)

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Women’s Day is a celebration of all that is wonderful about women, and it is a day to pause and reflect on the accomplishments and importance of the role of women in our world. It is also a moment to consider improvements and changes needed to better the quality of life of women in general, and especially of women and girls whose rights and life conditions are extremely compromised or perilous.

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Remember to give an extra hug or shout out to the women who matter in your life today. And remember also the women whose lives are not what they could be. We’ve come a long way baby, ma c’è ne ancora di strada da fare! (there’s still a ways to go!)

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Have you heard of Women’s Day before? Do you celebrate it? Which mimosa do you prefer, the flower or the cocktail? 😉 Leave a comment beneath the sign up form below!

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