Russia celebrates Women's Day with flowers, long holiday

Flower vendors are ubiquitous on the streets of the Russian capital Moscow. From grey-haired grannies to impressionable young girls, females of all ages here are set to receive flowers and gifts as the entire country celebrates International Women's Day with a four-day holiday.

In the long and dull winter season, the colorful display of flowers has brought the city a touch of vitality.

Women's Day is Bakalina Galia's favorite holiday. "The holiday marks the end of long winter and the beginning of spring, which brings us hope. I love flowers. They are emblems of beauty and love," she told Xinhua.

That is why in Russia International Women's Day is also called "the holiday of spring, love and beauty." It's a four-day holiday for everyone -- women and men -- to enjoy.

"There are not too many holidays for women. They are busy with housework and child-care on normal days, so this is a special holiday for them, and men should show their care for them," said LLyich Alexander, a supermarket manager.

Many women in Russia hope to get flowers as gifts on the holiday. They even compare with each other how many gifts they've received.

According to the independent Russian polling agency Levada Center, over two thirds of Russians have the habit of sending flowers to women. Men don't fair as well on the Defender of the Fatherland Day, also known as the Men's Day, which falls on Feb. 23.

To meet the demand, the Moscow city government has set up 800 flower booths and transported ten million flowers across the city. Still, the price of flowers has only risen since before the holiday.

Russian women also caught the attention of the country's top leader. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised speech that the "holiday filled with gifts and flowers and with our warmest, fondest feelings for all the women close to our hears... It is women, with their dignity and compassion, who incarnate Russia's true soul."

In the Izvestia daily on Friday, Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Valentina Matviyenko called on Russian women to take a more active role in the country's political life.

A poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center revealed that 93 percent of Russians believe women can do as well as men in business, and only five percent of the respondents are suspicious of their ability. Fifty-six percent of Russians think female college graduates enjoy equal rights with their male competitors when it comes to job hunting. Endi