The 8th of March is the day when women across Italy hang up their aprons, put on their best frocks, and walk out of the door – leaving us poor men behind to fend for ourselves. For many Italian men that genuinely still means having to settle for a panino or two in the bar. For me it’s not so much of a problem as I consider myself a fairly deft hand in the kitchen, but for a lot of my friends I know it’s a day they dread. They can’t even resort to their mother’s house for dinner because even mamma takes the day off on March the 8th.
International Women’s Day is of course a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. It has its roots in early 20th-century socialist movements in Eastern Europe, with the first IWD being observed in Germany in 1911. It didn’t become popular in the West, however, until the 1970s. In Italy, the Festa della Donna was first held in 1946, organised by the feminist UDI (Union of Italian Women) and its popularity today is such that it’s become something of a de facto unofficial public holiday – for women. And, unlike many festivals, it’s one of those rare events that is celebrated throughout the country. So, if you are a woman in Italy on the 8th of March, wherever you are, there’s going to be a party happening somewhere nearby. The only downside, if you consider it such, is that you’ll have to leave your husband or boyfriend in the hotel or the local bar.
For reasons unknown to me, women tend to be very secretive – almost conspiratorial – about the Women’s Day dinner