Happy International Woman's Day

Today is Woman’s Day (March 8th). Actually, International Woman’s Day. But until I moved to China, I had never heard of it. Apparently the day is usually only celebrated in countries with socialist or communist backgrounds.

As a bit of an aside, though, in China, it is a bit of a joke that Woman’s Day is on March 8th. The term “3-8” (san ba) in Chinese is one of the worst things you can call a woman. It is a gender-specific slander used only in reference to a woman. It is kind of like “bitch” only a million times worse. It is a girl who is naggy, bitchy, spoiled, shrew…pretty much every female slander rolled into one simple term.

Anyway, it’s also the day that most offices let the ladies go home early, men are required to get their girls flowers, and bars have free drinks for women patrons. And this year it’s on a Friday night! So, have fun out there, ladies! This day’s for you!