I think I have a new favorite holiday: International Women's Day.
Let me back up a few steps here. I want to note that I was actually unaware of this holiday until I joined the Peace Corps in 2007. I'm not sure which is worse—the fact that we only celebrate women for one day of the year or the fact that in America it seems that we can't even pull it together and make a big deal of that one day. Of course, now that I'm aware of the holiday, I notice comments about the day all over. Perhaps I've simply met a more women-celebrating crowd since then.
In any case, so there I was living in my village, Mahabo, when suddenly the 8th of March rolls around and let me tell you—it was huge.
One important step for this special day is to release all the women from those daily tasks like cooking and taking care of children so that they can go and get hammered with their friends. That's right. Not all of the women, sure, but man—being a daytime drunk is COMPLETELY acceptable if you are female and it is March 8th.
So the next thing you do is throw a big party for the women. You put all the important people up on the stage in seats of honor—the mayor, the chef district, the provisor, the token white girl (that's right—me). Then let the dancing begin. Not like nightclub dancing (I mean, it's the middle of the day here). What I mean is that each possible grouping of women (from different neighborhoods, from different churches, police wives—you name it) has been preparing a special dance, traditional Malagasy style, which they perform in front of everyone. It lasts several hours. I have video proof.
Then you wrap up the celebrations by giving a big goose to important people (live, obviously—to be killed prior to consumption) and then send everyone on their merry little ways to drink more. Pretty great.
And the men? Where are they in all this? In America, you would assume creeping on the edges, ready to take advantage of the mass drinking and general elation. But no—not in Mahabo. This is WOMEN's Day. Men have no place here.
On a different note, I find this rather amusing. I can't think of another holiday where only the people being celebrated are allowed to partake in festivities. I mean, Americans celebrate Presidents Day even though the majority of us have never been elected President of the United States.
In any case, it was only a matter of time before I realized that Mahabo's celebrations weren't necessarily universal. Here I was, imagining all the ladies of Madagascar getting down in their town square. But it turns out different towns have different variations.
I expected Morondava to have wild celebrations. I mean, they were only 40k from us, but bigger and by the beach. Surely they know how to party. I was imagining punch coco and dancing into the sunset. But when I asked about the 8th, I was a given a what's-so-great-about-Women's-Day grimace—half confused, half disapproving.
Apparently, in Movondava, International Women's Day? Not so great. It just means that all the women have to go out and sweep the streets. You know—celebrating women by making them clean. It sounds more like what International Men's Day might consist of.
In the end, I assumed that perhaps Mahabo was the diamond in the rough—truly celebrating women, perhaps by force thanks to our female mayor.
Oh but I was wrong.
Two years later I re-discovered International Women's Day with more delight than ever.
In Fianarantsoa, the 8th of March is amazing. Imagine this: I had completely forgotten about the holiday. And then I show up to work. And then I discover: women don't work on International Women's Day. That's right. Men? Oh yes. 9 to 5 as per usual. But women? Free vacation day. It would seem that—even more so than in Mahabo—women and women only celebrate their day. I don't know about you, but it's pretty great to wake up early, head in to work, and find out you can go home and bum around all day instead. Especially when you know that not everyone is given that privilege.
Were there celebrations? Dancing? Drinking? Perhaps. I really wouldn't know, because I chose to celebrate being born female by reading a murder mystery on the couch all day.
So happy (belated) International Women's Day to the feminine half of the world! A whole holiday celebrates the fact that you are capable of doing anything, so celebrate by doing whatever you want.
Even if that means doing absolutely nothing at all.
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