8 March in Russia: The Women's Day Flower Tradition

In much of the world, 8 March — International Women's Day — is a day of awareness. In Russia it is a public holiday and the biggest flower day of the year. Mothers, wives, sisters, colleagues and teachers all receive flowers. If someone special lives in Russia, 8 March is the moment to send them.

Why is 8 March so important in Russia?

The day became a public holiday in the Soviet era and, over time, turned into a day of love and gratitude towards women. Today it feels like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day combined: companies give flowers to female staff, children bring flowers to their teachers, and there are queues outside every florist.

Which flowers are given?

• Mimosa: fluffy yellow mimosa sprigs are the traditional symbol of 8 March and the coming of spring.
• Tulips: among the most popular flowers in March, in every colour.
• Roses: the classic choice for a wife or partner.

How many stems?

In Russia, flowers for happy occasions come in odd numbers — 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15. Even numbers are for funerals and memorials, so count individual roses carefully. Large bouquets of dozens of flowers are rarely counted.

A note on colour

Yellow flowers are traditionally associated with separation or infidelity. Mimosa is the exception and perfectly fine on 8 March, but avoid yellow roses for a partner. Red, pink and white are always safe.

How to send 8 March flowers to Russia

1. Select Russia as the delivery country — prices are shown in roubles.
2. Choose your flowers and set 8 March as the delivery date.
3. Enter the recipient's name, phone number and address (city, street, building and flat number).
4. Add a card message — a few words in Russian are always appreciated: "С 8 Марта!" (Happy 8 March!).
5. Pay securely by card.

Orders to Russia can be scheduled from 3 days ahead. As 8 March is the busiest day of the year for Russian florists, we recommend ordering at least a week in advance.

Other flower days in Russia

• Mother's Day: the last Sunday of November.
• Knowledge Day (1 September): the first day of school, when pupils bring flowers to teachers.
• Birthdays: celebrating early is considered bad luck.

See everything you can send on our send flowers to Russia page, and read about customs elsewhere in flower etiquette around the world.