Women's Day in Tirana

8 March is the International Women´s Day and is celebrated differently all over the world.

#ChoosetoChallange for International Women's Day 2021. "A challenged world is an alert world," the International Women's Day website says. "We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality."

What are International Women's Day's origins?

The earliest observance of a Woman's Day was held in New York on February 28, 1909, and was organised by the Socialist Party of America. A year later, at the International Women's Conference in Copenhagen, Socialist representatives proposed that there be an International Women's Day, inspired by the demonstration in New York. The delegates agreed that an international day should be formed as part of a strategy to promote equal rights for women and women's suffrage. It was celebrated for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911. Two years later, in 1913, it was proposed that the date be moved to March 8 and it has been celebrated on this day ever since.

Albanian women are celebrating Woman’s Day in different ways. Some are organizing protests for more rights, some are celebrating their achievements through online forums or events to praise the Successful Women. The rights of women in Albania are improved. We have good representation of women in Government and Parliament, but still there are many problems women here are facing. Domestic violence, trafficking of women are still problems in Albania, also the inequality of pay etc. But the culture of protests is not so popular in Albania.

This Day is used more to celebrate, so is a Festive day. For Women in Albania, 8 March is more like a Freedom Day, a day off from their family obligations and duties, a day when they can celebrate without their husbands, only in others women company. The usually have a lunch or dinner at a restaurant where they can also dance. 

So if you are in Tirana on 8 March, don’t be surprised if you see big groups of women, wondering to find a good restaurant, having flowers in their hands, or gathered in bars especially around the center of Tirana. This is their day. Restaurants are making their offers, special menu, and invite musicians to entertain women.

The shoppers are so happy as well, because the presents should be special for this day. People spend money to buy the best gift to their mother, sister, wife, or daughter. In fact we confuse the Woman day with Mother Day, so the first in line to get a present or flowers are the mothers. For many years for Albanians, “Woman day” is also the “Mother’s Day”, since we don’t have other special day for Mothers, as other countries do.