International Women's Day
Every year, on March 8, the Municipality of Spetses participates in the global celebration of Women's Day with awareness actions, cultural events, and a tribute to Laskarina Bouboulina — the timeless symbol of female strength born in Spetses.
History of the Day
International Women's Day was established by the United Nations in 1977 on March 8 of each year, after nearly half a century of struggles for women's political and labor rights worldwide.
Every year, all countries of the world are called to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is a day of global mobilization for supporting gender equality and strengthening women's position in society, seeking to inform and raise public awareness on issues of women's dignity in all aspects of their lives.
The global community, through the official website (International Women's Day), promotes a thematic campaign each year to advance equality and combat stereotypes.
The Bouboulina Model
The local interest in International Women's Day is attributed to a simple phrase that every Spetsiotissa has heard at some point in her life: "From Spetses? So you're a Bouboulina!"
The life of the Captain's wife is known to us and a reference point of our national history, but she should also be recognized as a global symbol of women's emancipation. Placed in a historical context where her gender did not prevent Laskarina Bouboulina from throwing herself with all her means into an armed, male-dominated struggle, her courage is a model of women's battles for equality.
As a woman, she overcame the gender stereotypes that have not been eliminated to this day, and fought selflessly and equally with the men of Spetses. After all, this should be her legacy: facing a purpose greater than our daily lives and individual lives, to fight together, on equal terms, without divisions and based on our abilities.
A modern "Bouboulina," who may be called "difficult," "abrupt," or even "stubborn," owes — and has the strength — to stand tall, to change the narrative that may have been assigned to her because of her gender. To become dynamic and equal. To become whatever she wishes, without being defined by her gender identity — exactly as the Captain's wife taught us two centuries ago and reminds us to this day.
The Colors of the Day
The Women's Social and Political Union in 1908 adopted purple, green, and white as its official colors. These colors symbolize International Women's Day:
- Purple symbolizes the administration of justice and human dignity
- Green symbolizes hope
- White represents purity
The Municipality of Spetses, as a sign of respect and in order to honor the achievements of women who fought for gender equality and the elimination of racial discrimination, establishes that every March, the statue of Heroine Laskarina Bouboulina in Poseidonio Square is illuminated in these colors.
Event Archive
Events 2021
On the occasion of the celebration of International Women's Day 2021, the Municipality of Spetses organized a series of online events dedicated to highlighting the female gender, cultural tradition, and the role of women throughout history.
The Spetsiotiko Theater
The Municipality of Spetses approached Mrs. Leda Papakonstantinou to participate in events highlighting the female gender, on the occasion of International Women's Day.
"The Spetsiotiko Theater" is a short documentary by artist Leda Papakonstantinou referring to a series of performances held between 1975 and 1979 in various locations on the island.
Mrs. Leda Papakonstantinou was born in 1945 in Ampelonas, Larisa. She studied Graphic Arts at Doxiadi School and continued her studies in Fine Arts at Loughton College of Art and Maidstone College of Art. Her work has been continuous and extensive since the late 60s, including performance, installations, painting, sculpture, video, and film.
She is among the first and few artists in Greece who used performance as an expressive tool in the 70s and 80s. Since 1969, she has presented her work in many group and solo exhibitions worldwide. She represented Greece at the Sao Paolo Biennale (1989), BIDA-Biennale for Sports and Art (Seville 2005), the 1st Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, and many other international exhibitions.
A Woman's Affair
The Spetses Women's Association responded positively and with great joy to the invitation of the Municipality of Spetses to host the event "A Woman's Affair" on the Municipality's website, on the occasion of International Women's Day.
The event is strongly intertwined with the female gender. It is an admirable cultural action and a clear sign of women's collectivity.
The musical event "A Woman's Affair" consists of a marriage of songs performed by great female voices with texts written by great female pens. The women selected are important personalities of Greece, not only in the field of Literature and Poetry, but also from the field of Politics, Philosophy, and the wider field of Art.
Contributors:
- Selection, editing of literary texts, directorial supervision: Anna Tsekoura
- Song selection and performance: Stavroula Vlachou
- Accordion: AlbertRecitations and narrations by various artists honoring works of Maria Polydouri, Zyranna Zateli, Lili Zografou, Eva Omiroli, Maro Vamvounaki, Kiki Dimoula, Alkyone Papadaki, Malvina Karali, and Melina Mercouri.
Lecture by Dr. Angeliki Karyotoglou
The Municipality of Spetses invited Dr. Angeliki Karyotoglou to speak about the promotion of the female gender through the texts of the Fathers of the Church.
Dr. Angeliki Karyotoglou comes from Messolonghi, Aetolia-Acarnania. She studied theology at the Theological Schools of the University of Athens and Münster, Germany. She specialized in topics of teaching the Religious Education course. She is a distinguished doctor of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens. She taught for 35 years at the Classical Arsakeio Lyceum of Psychiko, of which she also served as Deputy Director.
With her doctoral thesis titled "Authority and Freedom in the Religious Education Course" (Grigoris ed., Athens 2009), she gave new impetus to understanding the foundation of the course based on the teaching of the Hesychast Fathers of the Church and the findings of Pedagogy. She has written aids for a better understanding of secondary school textbooks, and books including: "The Equality of Man and Woman" (1984), "Living School" (Akritas 1997), "The Truth of the Word" (Grigoris 2015), and a number of articles.
She is married to Father Alexandros Kariotoglou, a mother of four children and 5 grandchildren.
School for Parents
The School for Parents of the Municipality of Spetses, on the occasion of International Women's Day, organized an online discussion on "The role of women through the years".
