Is women's day a public holiday throughout the world?

The day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso Cambodia, China (for women only),Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.

In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Chile, the day is not a public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. It is customary, on this day, for men to give the women in their lives – friends, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc. – flowers and small gifts.

In some countries (like Bulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. The day, in Russia, has lost all political context through the time, becoming simply a day to honor women and feminine beauty. Huge, Soviet-like celebrations were held on an annual basis in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, but, after the fall of Communism, the holiday, generally considered to be one of the major symbols of the old regime, fell into obscurity.