MIMOSAS

March 8^th is a day of special significance for me.  It’s International Women’s Day, and it’s also the day my mother died at age 66, in 1995.  I first became aware of International Women’s Day in Italy ten years later.  The messenger came in the form of a flower, the mimosa, which blooms there in early spring.  Its sprays of neon yellow were everywhere:   blooming along country roads, heaped in the backs of Api (those ubiquitous 3-wheeled sewing-machine-sounding vehicles favored by Italian farmers), arrayed in flower shops, and held in the arms of women making the passeggiata, the late afternoon promenade.

Mimosa pudica

Mimosa is a genus of about 400 herbs and shrubs with two species.  One is Mimosa pudica, which has the yellow flowers and is so named because it protects its sensitive leaves from heat or touch by folding them.  The name derives from the Greek word μιμος (mimos), meaning “mime,” and the feminine suffix –osa, meaning “resembling,” suggesting that the plant’s sensitive reactions mimic those of a sentient being.  The other species is Mimosa tenuiflora, which has white flowers and is known for its ayahuasca infusions used in shaman rituals.  The psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine is found in its root bark.  Woo ho!  Who knew?

Mimosa tenuiflora

In the language of flowers, Mimosa pudica is associated with sensibility, philosophers, and problem solvers, as well as with expansiveness and openness to people and life experiences.  Its connotations of sensitivity have made the mimosa bouquet a gesture of sympathy or mourning.  Given these many rich meanings, the mimosa is for me an altogether appropriate reminder of both International Women’s Day and my mother, the most significant woman in my life.

Berlin Women’s March

International Women’s Day has a distinctly socialist, revolutionary, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vibe, something of which my mother, a life-long Republican, would not have approved.  The earliest women’s day observance was organized by the Socialist Party of America and was held on February 28, 1909, in New York and was called National Women’s Day.  A year later, at an International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, it was Luise Zietz, a German socialist, who proposed the establishment of an annual Women’s Day.  Her proposal was adopted by the conference as a strategy to promote equal rights for women, especially the right to vote.  

Annual Women's Day became truly international in March of 1911, when over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany demonstrated for equal rights.   In 1913 they were joined by Russian women.  The following year, the Germans, being excellent at order and consistency, established a fixed, world-wide celebration date.  Since 1914, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 around the world, except in the United States, which observes the date, but not the name.  The holiday is still known in the United States as Women’s Day.  In 1994, California Representative Maxine Waters introduced a bill to make International Women’s Day a national holiday, but it failed to pass in the House.  

Anita Augspurg, left, a lawyer who lived with her girlfriend, wore men's clothes and short hair, and fought for women's suffrage and the rights of prostitutes

 This year, Berlin declared the day, known as Frauentag, an official holiday for the first time, giving workers and students the day off.  Socialism and perhaps jealousy played a part in this decision.  Berlin’s current local government is controlled by a leftist coalition.  Berlin is not just a city; it is also a Land, one of 16 states with its own state government.  The Berlin parliament noticed that the capital had only nine public holidays, whereas other Länder have more, such as Bavaria, which has 13 and others, which have ten. 

The parliament decided it was high time to get equal and remedy the disparity.  Discussions and nominations ensued.  The ruling coalition proposed International Women’s Day as Berlin's 10th official holiday.  The more conservative opposition parties resisted and nominated protestant Reformation Day instead.  The leftist coalition objected on the grounds of religion, arguing that a nonreligious occasion would better reflect the city’s multi-culti residents.  In the end, the leftists won and parliament voted 87-60 to make International Women’s Day a permanent holiday in Berlin.

Soldier handing out roses to women at Brandenburg Gate

As a result, schools, public agencies, banks, and most businesses in Berlin are closed today, while tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, and cafes are for the most part open.  Not surprisingly, there are many alternative venues for the celebration here.  For instance, according to Electronic Beats, there is a party tonight starting at 23:59 at Zur Klappe (the Loo), hosted by Shade, a DJ workshop for female and non-binary-identifying artists and DJs, in partnership with Stoscha, the independent label from Malmö and Frankfurt.  The location for the party’s all-female line-up is a small-venue/former WC in Kreuzberg [aka Hipsterberg].  No Shade and Stoscha hope that the event promotes “common commitments across the boundaries of class, gender and race” that “serve as an important base for solidarity and cooperation.”  Party on, Berlin!

Anna Hjalmarsson of Stoscha

Given the store closures, I probably won’t find a bouquet of mimosa in remembrance of my mother today.  I guess I’ll just have to go to my local café and toast her with a glass of Mimosa bubblii orangea.  Happy Frauentag, mom!  

Keep it real!

Marilyn