Time flies. It’s already March and spring is just around the corner. But before we welcome the warm weather and blooming flowers, we get to celebrate International Women’s Day. Shoutout to all mothers, significant others, sisters, and friends – they all deserve to be loved and honored every day!
If there’s someone special whom you want to celebrate on this day, you just can’t miss to make the perfect surprise. This is why we’re stepping in to give you inspiration for some extraordinary gifts. We promise there will be something for the guys, too, when we celebrate International Men’s Day (yes, it exists, and it’s on the 19th of November).
Keep reading to find out what we have in store for you!
Background
Women’s Day originated as a response to inequality between women and men in the labor force in the early 1900s. In 1908, women started asking for shorter working hours, fair wages, and voting rights. Two years later, a woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) is considered to be the founder of International Women’s Day. In 1910, the International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen where she suggested having an annual celebration of women’s rights and achievements. 100 women from 17 countries who were part of the conference welcomed her idea, which resulted in honoring International Women’s Day every year since then. The first celebrations took place in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
In fact, women never stopped fighting for equality over the years. When World War I started they aimed to express their solidarity and disapproval of the war. In 1917, a strike for “bread and peace” held by Russian women took place on the last Sunday of February. It was the 8th of March in the Gregorian calendar – the day that marked the celebration of Women’s Day internationally.
Nearly a century later, feminism started becoming a popular topic and another reason to honor the 8th of March. The movement is yet to continue shifting the perception of women in society and for some people, Women’s Day is the day to make a reminder of women’s achievements and what they deserve.
Today, the 8th of March remains a beautiful celebration all over the world with the colors purple, green, and white. Purple represents justice, green – hope, and white – purity. In most of Eastern Europe, it is honored similarly to Mother’s Day.
In China, women are given a half-day off, while in Italy, a must-gift is the mimosa blossom.
The USA dedicates the whole month to women and their achievements throughout history.
Spain and Australia use the occasion to march and emphasize women’s rights with various events.
The UK celebrates this day with the Women of the World festival, which now has sister festivals in other countries.
For all the women you want to celebrate on this day, we’re sharing some of our ideas on how to make their day one to remember.
Gift ideas for your mom
The 8th of March is often dedicated to all mothers first and foremost. We can’t deny that they are the first women we think of when this day arrives. And while it shouldn’t be the only day to honor the bliss that they bring to our lives, it’s a way to remind them how much we appreciate them. Here are some sweet ideas for all sons and daughters out there:
- a list of 100 things you love about your mother – a heartwarming gift for all the times you didn’t show it enough;
- eye photography – do it together, see how genetics work in your family and how different or similar your eyes are (and it’s very trendy now);
- a spa treatment – because she deserves a day to relax;
- a family dinner – take away her responsibility and cook something for the day;
- an art session – get creative (together) and draw a painting or design your own pottery;
- a trip abroad – give her the chance to explore the beauty of another country.
Gift ideas for your significant other
If Valentine’s Day is too commercial for you, International Women’s Day is ideally the right time to show your appreciation for your other half with a special gesture. Get some inspiration from the ideas above and hear us out on a few more:
- prepare a special breakfast – even the simplest things can put a smile on her face;
- lock some precious moments – pick a digital photo frame with her best memories;
- ease her payments with style – we’ve got some special Garmin Watch offers in the iCard app;
- go to the zoo – it can bring some childhood memories and relieve her stress.
Gift ideas for your sister or friend
Besides our mothers, our greatest inspiration and role models can sometimes be our friends and/or sisters. The 8th of March is the perfect moment to celebrate them. We continue the list with some sentimental gifts:
- spend some time together and watch a movie – Hidden Figures is an inspirational production for the women who fought for their rights and reached tremendous milestones;
- buy/make a personalized postcard – there are plenty of creative ways to celebrate any occasion;
- bake together – for those who have a sweet tooth.
Gift ideas for your colleague(s)
Following the history of this day, it feels great to be appreciated at your workplace. We just can’t miss the female professionals. Being part of the corporate world might be challenging, but it’s always lovely to receive a greeting first thing in the morning on this day. Here’s what you can do for the business ladies:
- invite them to a virtual coffee session – to help them feel included and appreciated, and to start the day off with a small chit-chat;
- book lunch together – make it a “girls only” time;
- give a garden plant – skip the bouquets and gift something that will continue growing, blooming, and spreading happiness (and the smell of spring).
It’s easy to get ready with iCard
We just can’t forget to share with you that your greatest companion when choosing a gift is iCard. Our digital wallet helps you with its secure and convenient payments (online and contactless) worldwide.
You can grab up to 20 virtual cards for any online purchase, which give you extra safety on the web if you’re choosing the perfect gift online. You can link your Visa card, issued by iCard, to your smartphone or smartwatch, so you don’t have to carry your physical wallet when you’re shopping in-store.
If you consider buying a gift collectively with your friends or family, you can split the costs. Everyone who has an iCard account can transfer you money fee-free within seconds.
You can even send a virtual GiftCard to the woman in your life if you want to give her the freedom to choose the perfect gift. It is our prepaid card that can be used for any payments all over the world. You can personalize it by choosing your own design and message.
International Women’s Day is also a great moment to grab our iCard Lavender. It is a limited edition, elegant card like no other. It has an extravagant purple look and a scent of summer lavender fields. The 8th of March is just the right time for every woman to enjoy every moment in life with this beautiful card that will catch everyone’s eye.
To activate the card requires opening an iCard account with our digital wallet, which takes only a few minutes. After all, using a digital wallet is a blessing as it brings the convenience of payments and comes with a list of various services.
Don’t miss out on this special edition and hurry up – there are just a few iCard Lavender cards left!
We hope you’ll enjoy International Women’s Day and show your love and appreciation as best as possible! If you haven’t done it yet, just…
…grab iCard for the best payment experience:
