Yesterday was International Women's Day. In theory that means it is celebrated internationally but in practice it's not widely known about in many countries - the UK included.
Here in Russia on Friday there were tens of thousands of little ceremonies in the workplace where the men laid a table with food and drink and invited the women to join them. Eloquent speeches were made congratulating the women on their special day and those women and men who weren't driving had the opportunity to partake of a little alcohol. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend such a ceremony and witness how women are, for one day in the year at least, revered.
I offer to you, to compare and contrast, the other side of the coin where feminists have hijacked the day to publicize and push their movement. I know it was Luise Zietz and Clara Zetkin who started International Women's Day in 1910 as a strategy to promote equal rights for women. However, some may feel that present day feminists have gone a little further down that road than was imagined at that time.
To change the subject, in case I end up in hot water, I visited, and enjoyed, the "van Gogh live" exhibition last Thursday. The exhibition has been on tour in quite a few cities and is being hosted in Moscow until 26th March. Here is a link to their website which includes a video clip giving an insight into what the exhibition has to offer. It is being held at the Artplay design centre near Kurskiy station.
To finish off here is a video of the Don Maclean song "Vincent". It shows many of van Gogh's works.
Here in Russia on Friday there were tens of thousands of little ceremonies in the workplace where the men laid a table with food and drink and invited the women to join them. Eloquent speeches were made congratulating the women on their special day and those women and men who weren't driving had the opportunity to partake of a little alcohol. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend such a ceremony and witness how women are, for one day in the year at least, revered.
I offer to you, to compare and contrast, the other side of the coin where feminists have hijacked the day to publicize and push their movement. I know it was Luise Zietz and Clara Zetkin who started International Women's Day in 1910 as a strategy to promote equal rights for women. However, some may feel that present day feminists have gone a little further down that road than was imagined at that time.
To change the subject, in case I end up in hot water, I visited, and enjoyed, the "van Gogh live" exhibition last Thursday. The exhibition has been on tour in quite a few cities and is being hosted in Moscow until 26th March. Here is a link to their website which includes a video clip giving an insight into what the exhibition has to offer. It is being held at the Artplay design centre near Kurskiy station.
To finish off here is a video of the Don Maclean song "Vincent". It shows many of van Gogh's works.
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