Socializing: 2022 – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day

On Tuesday (March 8, 2022) ALICE & Friends Circle™ had the annual reunion, celebrating International Women’s Day, occasion which allowed us to honor, as a group, all the beautiful women we each have in our lives, such as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, colleagues, or friends.

Aside of that, at this moment, I am super grateful to acknowledge that this meeting marked our 50^th event! YES, since May 2018 (when ALICE & Friends Circle™ officially came into existence) up to this day we had 50 events! Needless to say that my profound appreciation goes to each loyal supporter of my beloved Circle, who proved that friends with beautiful hearts (and who are on the same wavelength) are truly priceless!

In brief about our gathering on March 8^th, I’m glad to share that it was gracious in many ways (at the same time, relaxing and relaxed), filled with genuine talks, honest reflections, interesting perspectives, relevant observations and lots of personal experiences, making the group atmosphere truly enjoyable!

Despite that fact that this was actually a social gathering (rather than a literary evening), several famous Romanian women were reminded, and (for example) here are the names that Dr. John mentioned (please note that each name in blue is hyperlinked, so please click on it for full biography):
– Dr. Maria Cuțarida-Crătunescu: she was the first female doctor in Romania. In 1897 she founded “The Maternal Society”, and in 1899 she organized the first crèche in Romania
– Dr. Sofia Ionescu-Ogrezeanu: first female neurosurgeon in the world
– Dr. Ana Aslan: biologist & physician, founder of the first National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics in the world, having famous patients, such as John Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Augusto Pinochet, Indira Gandhi, Salvador Dali, Charile Chaplin, Claudia Cardinale, Josiph Broz Tito, Marlene Dietrich, Konrad Adenauer, Kirk Douglas, Miguel Asturias, etc.
– Dr. Florica Bagdasar: who was a Romanian neuropsychiatrist and the first woman minister in Romania at the Ministry of Health, between 1946-1948
– Princess Martha Bibescu: she was a writer with education in literature, a socialite, a fashionista and a political hostess. She spent her childhood at the noble Lahovary’s estate in Baltotesti and Biarritz
– Marina Știrbei: she was a Romanian aviator who gained fame in the WWII by founding the “Romanian Air Force’s all women White Squadron”, rescuing many wounded from the front lines.

The evening continued with a poem I recited for the group (for your reference, published below).

Further, I would like to mention few more names of famous Romanian women:
– Eng. Aurora Gruescu (1914-2005) was the world’s first female forestry engineer as well as the first Romanian person in the Guinness Book
– Mathematician Silvia Creangă (1894-1952) was the first female in Romania mastering the PHD in mathematics
– Physicist Ștefania Mărăcineanu (1882-1944) was an internationally renowned Romanian chemist and physicist who formulated theories about radioactivity, artificial radioactivity and the process of artificial rainfall
– Architect Virginia Andreescu Haret (1894–1962) was a Romanian architect and is credited as the first woman to graduate with a degree in architecture in Romania. She is also the first woman to reach the rank of Romanian Architectural Inspector General.

Also, since Women’s Day is an international celebration, here are few additional names of famous women of the world:
– Dr. Emily Howard Stowe (1831-1903) was the first female doctor to practice in Canada and an activist for women’s rights and suffrage
– Bertha Wrenham Wilson (1923-2007) was a Canadian jurist and the first female Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
– Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was a French scientist, the daughter of Marie & Pierre Curie. Jointly with her husband, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935 for discovery of artificial radioactivity
– Sameera Moussa (1917-1952) was an Egyptian nuclear physicist who held a doctorate in atomic radiation and worked to make the medical use of nuclear technology affordable to all
– Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906 -1972) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, and Nobel laureate in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. She was the second female Nobel laureate in physics, after Marie Curie
– Jane Goodall (1934-today), formerly known Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist, seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees
– Maya Angelou (1928-2014), was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
Of course, the list of amazing women around the world is absolutely immense, but here (as I’ve said) I’ve mentioned only very few.

Then, our evening together continued with lots of talks about our mothers as well, and with that in mind, here are several songs & poems I’ve referred to knowing that all are very near and dear to many Romanians’ hearts:
Songs: “A venit aseară mama” (a song based on a poem composed by Vasile Militaru) | “Măicuţă, îţi mulţumesc!” (a song interpreted by Dan Spătaru) |

“Mulţumesc, iubită mamă!” (a song interpreted by Mirabela Dauer) | “Mama, doar mama” (a song interpreted by Corina Chiriac)
Poems (audio): “Mama” (poem composed by Nicolae Labiş) | “Mama” (poem composed by George Coşbuc) | “M-a crescut mama în poală” (poem composed by Nina Casian) | “Făptura Mamei” (poem composed by Grigore Vieru) | “Mi-e dor de tine mamă” (poem composed by Grigore Vieru)

We ended the session on a very pleasant note, wishing each other lots of heart-felt greetings for a peaceful spring to come!

● Previous events I organized on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

● Some of my additional greetings referring to  the same matter: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

March 8, 2022: Happy INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day!

International Women's Day (observed each year on March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout the world, evolving over time and becoming what it is today.  

It has been recognized all across that women are pillars of strengths, able to stand by your side during your hardships, always willing to help the best way they can (being like a silver lining in your darkest clouds), and kindly cheering you during your successes.

I guess that March 8^th is the only day of the year when women of this planet are thinking the same, regardless of their nationality, social status, weight, culture, or any other differences society or nature may plant in between them & this is simply beautiful! I wish that women would never forget how valuable their contribution is!

Wishing all the women I know a very happy, healthy & safe International Women’s Day, filled with goodness, warmth and lasting happiness!

● A brief article I wrote about women: "Being WOMAN"
● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day – 2021, 2020, 2019
NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed). 

March 1, 2022: “Mărțișor”

I wish that the coming spring will wrap your soul with the fresh and rejuvenating fragrances of its splendid flowers, reminding you what it means to smile, to be good, to be kind, to be grateful, to love and to be loved! 

I wish that you would open your souls to that as the fresh flowers open their petals to be caressed by the sun’s rays. Blissful spring, dear ones!

● Refresher: brief background info about “Mărțișor”

“Mărțișor is an old tradition celebrated all over Romania every year, on March 1st.

The name Mărțișor is a diminutive of March (“Martie” in Romanian language). It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year. Not long ago, in the countryside, people used to celebrate the “Mărțișor” by hanging a red and white string at their gate, window, cattle's horn and shed to protect them against the evil spirits and to invoke nature's regenerative power.

In eastern Romania (Moldova and Bucovina), the red and white string was complemented with a small (gold or silver) coin. After wearing the coin for twelve days, the women would buy fresh cheese with it hopping that their skin would be healthy and beautiful the entire year.

According to archaeological research, the “Mărțișor” traces its history more than 8,000 years ago. Some ethnologists believe that the “Mărțișor” celebration has Roman origins, others support the theory that it is an old Dacian tradition.

In ancient Rome, the New Year's was celebrated on the 1st of March. March ('Martius') was named in the honor of a Roman god, called “Mars”. Mars was not only the god of war but also the god of agriculture, which contributes to the rebirth of vegetation. It seems that the Dacians also celebrated the New Year's on the first day of March. Ample spring celebrations were consecrated to this event.

In the old times, “Mărțișor” (Ro: “mărțișoare”) were made of small river pebbles, colored in white & red, stringed on a thread & worn around the neck, to bring good luck & good weather, from 1 March until the first trees would bloom. When the first trees were flowering the Mărțișor were hanged on tree branches.

Nowadays, on March 1st, Romanians buy silky red-white threads (Ro: “șnur”) tied into a bow to which a small trinket is attached and offer them to their (female) family members, friends and colleagues to show friendship, respect or admiration.”

The cultural practices associated to the 1st of March in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova and Romania (“Mărțișor”) were inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

● My previous greetings on the same theme: “Mărțișor” – 2021, 2020, 2019

NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).