evawhite on May 12th, 2008
Mothers’ day has come and gone (it was last Sunday, if it escaped you completely), did you observe it? Did you give a thought to why this day was instituted in the first place? What does mother’s day mean to you?
Last Sunday was the hundredth anniversary of Mother’s day (it was instituted and first celebrated in May 1908) and while it is still celebrated, I feel it has lost much of its original significance and meaning. It was the decade long, tireless efforts of Anna Jarvis due to which the second Sunday of every May is celebrated as Mother’s day. What originally was initiated as a way to show our mothers how much we as their children value their devotion and sacrifice, and how we appreciate the “truth, purity and broad charity of mother love”, now appears to have lost some of its original significance, and has been somewhat derailed by commercialism and quick-fix gifts and greetings. While Anna Jarvis originally visualized simple gestures such as a single white carnation and a heartfelt letter, now Mother’s day has become rather different.
Mind though I am not saying it has changed in a bad way; it has merely changed in a way that reflects the times that we live it. With the internet giving you the incredible convenience of being able to simply send your mother an ecard, or finding a nice gift over the internet (perhaps at a discount) and having it shipped to your mother without having to bother to go and deliver it personally, Mother’s day has simply evolved to echo the times we live in.
Also the lives that we now lead are such that it is not possible to observe mother’s day in the spirit that it was meant to be. Ideally we should be able to take time out and perhaps visit our mothers on the day or at least write her a heartfelt, sincere letter of appreciation. However busy lives and distances do make these things difficult. If therefore I sent my mother a nice card with some lines hand-written inside along with say a book that I thought she may enjoy and spoke to her at length over the phone, I think I conveyed my appreciation of her in the best way possible for me, I think that I made her day somewhat better and I think that I celebrated Mother’s Day in the best possible manner for me. Did you celebrate Mothers’ day? If you did what was it that you did?
evawhite on March 7th, 2008
With Hilary Clinton’s recent advances reigniting the hope of a first woman president for the USA, and ahead of 8 March, which is celebrated as Women’s Day all over the world, I got to thinking, ‘is this day even relevant anymore’? Do we women need the patronizing attitude from the world that presumes to ‘help’ or ‘uplift’ women, or ‘better their lot’? My first reaction was indignation, because I consider myself a liberated and modern woman who does not need external crutches to get on with my life and do what it is that I want to with it. I think I have empowered myself and do not need someone else to do that for me!
I was amazed to discover that Women’s day came into being a hundred years ago when when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
So this day dates back to the pre-women’s-liberation era! So they needed it then, but why do we need this relic from the past today?!! But when I introspected a bit, I realized that I am one of the fortunate few, and a majority of women in the world are not empowered, either socially or economically, or educationally.
In the less developed countries, there is still the practice of paying dowry to get your daughter married off. Female feticide (aborting a pregnancy when the fetus is discovered to be female) and even infanticide (killing girl children after they are born) are still shocking realities of the world. Women still suffer domestic abuse and violence, and this is no less true for the developed countries. These and many others reasons therefore, make Women’s Day relevant even today.
The international women’s day is an occasion for governments to take stock of the economic, political, educational and health situations that their female citizens are in and formulate policies and programs for bettering their positions. Women’s groups also take this opportunity to organize group discussions, distress camps, open sessions etc to give aid to women in need of succor. New initiatives for education both for the girl child as well as adult literacy gain new momentum at this time.
Here are some Women’s Day images from round the world that I found interesting and thought I could share with you. Women in Pakistan protesting for equal rights, sex workers in India demonstrating for their rights and women in Brazil demanding pension for housewives.
evawhite on February 5th, 2008
Godiva has unveiled an all Chocolate Room in Manhattan; it is a creation in which the candles, sofas, and even the dining table is made of chocolate and sweet stuff.
The chandelier is dripping with chocolate pearls. This room is specially made for Valentines Day. The entire room is edible made of chocolate. So if you are a chocolate freak, this room is your destination. It is very simple to have the chocolate room exclusively for yourself.
So how much does the room cost? $23. The room is been given as a prize to the winner of a contest organized by Godiva. To enter the contest one has to buy a box of chocolates worth $23 and above from Godiva Chocolatier. Anyone who buys the chocolate box can win the room as a part of the contest.
The Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 Godiva Valentine’s Day Promotion will receive a deluxe trip for two to New York City and will be the first to stay in the exclusive Godiva Chocolate Room in NYC’s Bryant Park Hotel. This once-in-a-lifetime experience has been created especially for the winner and will be deconstructed upon their departure. So, gift chocolates to your valentine and win the Chocolate Room for yourself.
If I won the Chocolate Room I would keep a party there and have only chocolates for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
What would you do if you won the Chocolate Room?
Here are some mouth watering pictures attached.
