Yellow mimosa flowers, bright and cheerful, have become a symbol of International Women's Day. It is accompanied by a sprig of mimosa that men give gifts on March 8 to their beloved women, but few people wonder why.

Mimosa is native to Australia and was introduced to Europe in the early nineteenth century. Mimosa branches begin to bloom at the end of winter and their fluffy pale yellow flowers make us instantly forget about slush and cold weather and give us a good mood.

According to the ABC of Flowers, mimosa symbolizes strength and femininity. As you can see, it is no coincidence that this particular flower has become a symbol of Women's Day. March 8 became International Women's Day in memory of the 129 female workers who died in a fire at the New York factory where they worked, which broke out during a protest against inhumane working conditions. An unfortunate incident occurred on March 8, 1908, and mimosa is one of the few plants that bloom in early March.

How to keep mimosa fresh for a long time

How to make sure that your mimosa branch, donated on March 8, does not wither in a few hours? Here are some little tips.

Cut the base of the branch half an inch, then fill the tub with clean, cool water, add a few drops of lemon, and put your mimosa in it. Leave the flowers in the water for several hours.

After that, put the vase of flowers in a sunny place, but be careful: the mimosa should always be kept a little damp: periodically spray it with water using an aerosol spray.

DEAR LADIES, LADIES, GIRLS, DAUGHTERS, MOTHERS, GRANDMAS!

I CONGRATULATE YOU WITH A BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY OF SPRING, RENEWAL AND JOYFUL ANTIASTATION OF HAPPINESS!

MAY YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE BEAUTIFUL ALWAYS COME TRUE!

HEALTH TO YOU, BEAUTY, LOVE AND WELFARE!

The innocent mimosa shone with beauty,
The wind fed her with silvery dew,
And she turned the leaves to the sun,
To plunge into dreams again at night.
In a beautiful garden woke up from a dream,
Like the Genius of Love, young Spring;
Grass and flowers awakened for dreams,
Forcing them to forget about the winter frost.
But in the field, in the garden, and in the forest, and by the rocks
No one dreamed of tender love like that,
Like a young doe in the midday heat,
With Mimosa, being akin to a dream.
/ K. Balmont /

Mimosa has long been associated with the holiday of March 8. This is already a kind of symbol of spring, although it grows in the southern regions.

How nice it is to receive these fragrant twigs for the holiday, and even from your favorite hands!

In general, a mimosa is not a mimosa at all! 🙂

In Russia, in everyday speech, mimosa is often called some types of acacia - another kind of subfamily Mimosa, most often - silver acacia ( Acacia dealbata). This species is widespread on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, and the branches of this particular plant are a traditional gift for International Women's Day. (Wikipedia)

Mimosa(lat. Mimosa) is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family ( Fabaceae). Previously, this plant was placed in the now disbanded Mimosa family (Mimosaceae R.Br.). The genus consists of herbs, shrubs or medium-sized trees with bipinnate leaves. It grows mainly in South America and Australia.

In total, there are more than 600 types of mimosa. Among them are such species as: Mimosa aculeaticarpa Ortega, Mimosa arenosa (Willd.) Poir, Mimosa asperata L., Mimosa borealis Gray, Mimosa pudica L. typus - Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir.

The most famous species is the bashful mimosa ( mimosa pudica). Herbaceous plant 30-60 cm tall; its bipinnate leaves are especially sensitive, folding and falling in the dark from the lightest touch and other irritating causes. Other types of mimosas have similar irritability. Growing in Brazil. Often bred for decoration and physiological experiments.

Silver acacia, or Acacia bleached(lat. Acacia dealbata) - a species of trees from the genus Acacia ( Acacia) of the legume family ( Fabaceae). This is an evergreen fast-growing tree 10-12 m high (at home up to 45 m). The trunk of the acacia is prickly, and the leaves are silver-green in color (hence the name of the species - Silver Acacia). The leaves are very beautiful and similar in shape to fern leaves. The unusualness of the silver acacia is that flowering occurs in winter and ends in early spring.

Silver acacia is native to the southeast coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania. Widely distributed and naturalized in southern Europe, South Africa, the western United States, the Azores and Madagascar. In Russia (on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus), this species has been cultivated since 1852.

For many countries, "mimosa" (silver acacia) is a symbol of the arrival of spring. In some countries, festivals dedicated to mimosa are held, celebrating this day magnificently. France and Montenegro are among such countries.

Acacia silver blooms in such a joyful, springtime bright yellow color that you can not resist the temptation to put a couple of branches at home in a transparent vase or create a more complex floral arrangement.

Yellow acacia flowers dry out quickly without proper care. Here are some tips to prolong the life of this fluffy, colorful wonder.

Wrap the bouquet in newspaper and put it in very hot water for a while so that the buds bloom faster. Otherwise, they will shrivel and dry out before opening. The ends of the stems must first be crushed. If the flowers shrivel, they are held over steam to make them fluffy again. The plant does not like dry air. Mimosa inflorescences are sprayed with cold water. After cutting, the ends of the stems are crushed.

Before putting cut branches of mimosa into a vase, you need to remove the lower leaves. In water, fresh mimosa does not crumble for 3-4 days, and without water it can last even longer. To increase the fluffiness of the branches, sellers sometimes dip them into boiling water. After such a procedure, flowering yellow twigs look especially beautiful and fresh, but not for long, the very next day they can crumble. “Boiled” mimosa is easy to recognize - it has no smell. (According to www.florets.ru)

Branches of blooming mimosa are good in any composition, but how great it looks in the works of a real master florist. She focuses attention on herself as a dominant, and serves as an addition and background for other spring flowers. The imagination of the master is boundless. Therefore, I propose to be inspired by the floral masterpieces of the Italian florist

Mimosa is a symbol of tenderness and beauty, flowering and the first rays of spring. How a seemingly unremarkable flower has become literally public pride and the most important symbol of International Women's Day, we will tell in our material.

It is in our time on March 8 that women are brought a variety of flowers - the first tulips grown specially for the holiday in greenhouses, crocuses, snowdrops, roses and more. Previously, women were given exclusively yellow branches of mimosa - it was they who historically became the main symbol of femininity and beauty of the coming spring, along with it the festive "ladies'" day.

In Soviet and post-Soviet times, it was she who was depicted on all greeting cards from March 8, they were sold in mirrored bags in transitions, at bus stops and wherever possible and impossible. Fathers, Husbands, Colleagues, Beloved, Friends bought a sunny flower for their lovely women on March 8th. Why did mimosa become the symbols of March 8, and not, for example, the first sprout, tulip or daffodil?

How mimosa became a symbol of March 8 - history

First, which speaks to the plus of the flower - it is one of the first to bloom after the winter cold and does not require special care in order to bloom in full force, the site reports. No matter how trite it sounds, but it was the sufficient cheapness of this flower that became the first reason that it gained popularity on the eve of the spring holiday.

Mimosa smells like a woman. According to Wikipedia - Mimosa is a silver acacia, which enchants with its vanilla aroma - delicate and feminine. By the way, it was he who was taken as the basis for the creation of the legendary perfume Chanel No. 5 by the former perfumer of the royal court Bo. Coco Chanel challenged him to create an artificial fragrance that smells like a woman.

From the translation of florists, Mimosa means shy, gentle, modest, and it is precisely these qualities that the fair sex possesses. Mimosa is the embodiment of female nature and that is why the heroes of the occasion could fall in love with it so much.

Mimosa is the embodiment fragility and tenderness, but at the same time quite strong, because it can resist the March frosts and continue to bloom as if nothing had happened. Historically, the holiday also refers to strong women who were not afraid to rise up against discrimination in difficult times and declare their rights to the whole honest world.

Mimosa's procession around the planet - where else is this flower honored

Mimosa as a symbol of spring and March 8 is respected not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world. For example, in Montenegro, under the sign and yellow color of mimosa, solemn processions and carnivals take place in early March - this is how the inhabitants of the country welcome the arrival of spring.

The French do not care for this sunny flower at all. Mimosa has taken root on the coast of Nice and Cannes so much that a spring festival has been dedicated to it. It takes place in the south of France on the third Sunday in February. At the celebration, they always choose the most beautiful girl - MIMOZA. And how enchanting the processions with carts decorated with sunny flowers look! In the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Mimosas in the city of Mandelieu-la Napoule, the opening of the spring celebration takes place

In Italy, for the joy of the ladies, more than five hundred hectares of a beautiful flower were planted - the sight of blooming is simply amazing and gathers around it whole crowds of romantically inclined tourists.

As for our national holiday, on the day of March 8, each of the ladies can receive a flower to their liking and taste, but I would like to wish everyone to always remain a little naive and moderately modest, attractive, shy, but undoubtedly strong in the face of life circumstances, so the same the first, historical symbol of the holiday, Mimosa.

Mimosas - fluffy little suns on thin branches - have become a real symbol of International Women's Day. On the eve of the holiday, they fill stores with yellow clouds, tickle the nostrils with a delicate tart aroma. Mimosa stands in a vase for a long time, does not require care and creates a great mood for the household. But why exactly her?

Historical reference

In 1910, in Copenhagen, at the suggestion of Clara Zetkin, a decision was made to recognize March 8 as International Women's Day. The date was not chosen by chance, 2 years before that, on March 8, 1908, a rally was held in New York as part of the struggle for women's rights. The rally turned out to be bloody, more than 100 participants died, but they managed to get their way. The world has recognized that women are the same members of society as men, with the same rights and privileges.

It is impossible to establish the exact date after which mimosa became the symbol of March 8. Most likely, such popularity of the flower is explained by the fact that it blooms very early, at the end of February. Beautiful appearance, fragility and tenderness, combined with high frost resistance, make mimosa look like a woman, beautiful, strong, confident, incredible.

In the Soviet Union, March 8 has been officially celebrated since 1921. Since 1966, the day has become a day off, but has ceased to be a symbol of women's struggle against discrimination. The beautiful half of humanity was solemnly congratulated, but it was not customary to give gifts and flowers on this holiday.

If you look at the Izvestia newspaper, the first photograph of a woman with a bouquet appeared by March 8, 1969. Previously, the newspaper for "Women's Day" posted pictures of workers in factories and fields without any holiday symbols. The main flowers of the holiday are mimosa, lilies of the valley, tulips, all the rest either have not blossomed yet, or were sold at too high a price.

mimosa today

Despite the huge number of flowers available in stores, the tradition of giving mimosa has been preserved. These flowers have a delicate aroma and even useful properties:

1. They are among the aphrodisiacs - set in a romantic mood, contribute to the establishment of relationships.
2. They relieve stress, fatigue, allow you to relax after a hard day's work, forget about problems.
3. Calm the nerves, relieve headaches.

Mimosa bloom means that winter is over, cold and snow are over. Nature is about to wake up, and yellow mimosa balls are the first spring swallows.

Therefore, mimosa fills the still cold streets, markets, flower stalls and even underground passages as a full-fledged queen.

In Soviet times, a mimosa branch, being a symbol of March 8, was a traditional addition to a box of chocolates or a bottle of perfume. Years passed, but the love for mimosa did not pass. Every eighth of March, she still populates our homes to the delight of women's hearts.

Save a friend from life's prose,
Buy her a bouquet of ardent mimosa,
Let her see, let her know
That somewhere in the south spring is coming,
Which song pours into the soul,
And soon all of us will be swirling in colors.

In whatever country you are, spring is always the time of sun, light and love. And a mimosa branch is hundreds of little suns in your house, a ray of light on your face, a drop of love given to you or by you. Delicate and ardent flower with a touch of romance and sophistication. Mimosa is like tiny diamond earrings: small, but how they adorn!

Both the mimosas themselves and the tradition of giving them at the beginning of spring came to us from Europe. There, these flowers begin to bloom in early February. Mimosas are not afraid of even the most severe cold weather, and for about a day after they are plucked, they remain fresh. In addition, fluffy yellow mimosa balls were considered a symbol of the sun and rebirth in ancient Egypt.