caldays
Observance · not a public holiday in Papua New Guinea

International Women's Day

International Women's Day is not an official public holiday in Papua New Guinea. The date shown is when it falls globally; it may be observed privately or culturally. See Papua New Guinea's official public holidays →
Sunday, 8 March 2026
97 days ago
Also known as: IWD · Día Internacional de la Mujer
Countdown
00days
:
00hours
:
00min
:
00sec

March 2026

View month →
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5

International Women's Day, observed on March 8, celebrates women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. It is a public holiday in many post-Soviet states and recognized globally as a day of awareness.

History & origin

First observed in 1909 in the US by the Socialist Party of America. Adopted internationally at the 1910 International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. The UN began commemorating it in 1975. The day became associated with feminist movements globally.

Traditions & customs

Giving flowers (especially mimosa in Italy, yellow tulips and chrysanthemums in Russia) to women — mothers, partners, colleagues, friends. In Italy, men give yellow mimosa flowers — La Festa della Donna. Events highlighting gender equality.

Traditional foods

In Italy, mimosa cake (named after the flower).

Greetings & salutations

"Happy International Women's Day" · "С 8 марта" · "Festa della Donna".

For travellers

Public holiday in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Italy (informal), Cuba, and others. In Italy, restaurants offer women's-only group bookings.

Sponsored

Frequently asked questions

Is IWD a public holiday everywhere?
No — it is a public holiday in former Soviet states and some others, but not in most Western European, North American, or Asian countries.

International Women's Day in other countries

This holiday is also publicly observed in:

More holidays in Papua New Guinea

Related holidays

About this page. caldays.com curates public-holiday data from official government publications and IANA tzdata. For critical decisions (travel, payroll, contracts) please verify with the relevant official source. Long-form content is researched and written by the caldays editorial team.