[Originally posted on 2 April 2012] http://www.worldpulse.com/node/51328
Where the grand majority of countries around the world acknowledge International Women’s Day in a gesture similar to Mother’s Day, giving small gifts to the women in their lives, this occasion is an official holiday in Eritrea. As the 8th of March approached, I knew I wanted to write an article about how it is celebrated in my country. I didn’t anticipate, however, the vast amount of information I would be able to gather just in regards to the number and types of events organized on this year’s IWD, not just within Eritrea but also among Eritrean communities in the Diaspora.
It has become obvious that Eritreans from around the world take International Women’s Day very seriously. Seminars, exhibitions and bazaars took place throughout the week before March 8. Eritrean communities throughout Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia commemorated this day on weekends before and after March 8 since IWD isn’t an official holiday in their respective countries; not being able to take time off of work on the 8th, they took advantage of their weekends to recognize the indispensable role Eritrean women have played in bringing about independence, defending the nations sovereignty, and the continuous role women play in nation building.
The Real Rahel 