Flowers for Solidarity: Give to Gain, Authoress - Tasneem Hossain

Flowers for Solidarity: Give to Gain

Tasneem Hossain

Flowers- the word itself brings joy to all of us. It stirs our imaginations and creates a vivid visualistaion of bright beautiful flowers swaying in the breeze. You can almost smell their fragrance.

For centuries, flowers have been a powerful medium of communication, overflowing with hidden meanings and emotional symbolism. The tradition of employing flowers as symbols has its roots in ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. Egyptians used floral symbolism in their art and religion, the Greeks and Romans associated flowers with their gods and goddesses.

The captivating power and timeless appeal of floral symbolism have also been skillfully interwoven as a literary device in literature for a long time. Authors from different periods and genres have enriched their stories using the exquisite beauty and varied meanings of flowers. The charm of flowers in Shakespeare's romantic sonnets; the soulful verses of Emily Dickinson and euphoric description of Wordsworth have breezed through time and continues to inspire both readers and writers. Even now, Floral symbolism plays a significant role in literature, art and in personal and public celebrations.

The art of giving specific meanings to flowers, known as floriography, is fascinating. This fascinating language allows meaningful interpretation through different flowers and their colours; the number of flowers and floral arrangements.

For example rose is the universal symbol of love and represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Depending on the colours, they have different meanings. Red roses symbolise passionate love and respect and yellow roses convey friendship and joy. Two roses symbolize mutual affection and love, six rose express infatuation.

While the practice of floriography may not be as widespread today as it was during the Victorian age, the language of flowers continues to captivate us and inspire creativity.

 “A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.” — Terri Guillemets

Flowers and women complement each other in a similar way: delicate yet strong.

A traditional way to celebrate International Women’s Day is sending flowers to the women in your life to express your support.

What flowers should we send?

Before we delve into this, let’s talk about International Women's Day. It’s a global event held on March 8th each year to celebrate women's social, economic, cultural and political achievements; to honour women and their contributions to the family, society and the world; create awareness and to take actions to dissolve gender disparity; focus on women's rights where education, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women are addressed.

International Women's Day (IWD) has its seed in the labour movement in the US in 1908. About 15,000 women walked through the streets in New York City demanding shorter working hours, better wages and their right to vote. Later women in Soviet Russia brought out processions demanding their rights to vote and this demand was accepted in 1917. It was later recognised as an annual event on March 8, 1975 by the United Nations.

According to UN, since 2020 COVID pandemic, and conflicts have left millions of people to severe poverty. Conflicts and rising prices may lead 75percent of countries to cut public spending by 2025, negatively affecting women and their essential services. If immediate action isn’t taken 342 million women and girls might be the victims of poverty by 2030.

Gender equality is also central to Goal 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The SDGs recognize that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the full participation and empowerment of women. In order to bring in change and accelerate the transition towards a healthier, safer, and more equal world, investment in women sectors must become a top priority.

We must also remember that Women’s rights are human rights. Women, in all their diversities, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, skin colour, health status, occupation, income and religion need to be celebrated.

Investing in women and championing gender equality will pave the way to a future where everyone in society will have countless possibilities, flourish and become empowered. Thus, it’s necessary for governments to prioritise gender-responsive financing and increase public spending on essential services and social protection for women; develop and implement fair and transparent policies to protect women’s rights and ensure that women’s voices are heard in decision-making

Each year, the United Nations observes International Women’s Day with a specific theme highlighting key global priorities. The 2026 theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” draws attention to the legal inequalities women continue to face worldwide. It emphasises that recognising rights is only the first step; those rights must also be protected and implemented in everyday life.

The campaign calls for stronger action to remove structural barriers such as discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, harmful social norms and limited access to justice. It encourages global efforts to promote safety, equal pay and fair opportunities for women in both rural and urban communities.

The campaign theme of 2026 by the International Women’s Day group is “Give to Gain.” This idea highlights the power of generosity, collaboration and shared responsibility in advancing gender equality. It encourages individuals, communities and organisations to actively support women by contributing time, resources, opportunities and knowledge.

Supporting women is an investment in society’s progress. Mentoring young girls, advocating for fair workplace policies, supporting women entrepreneurs, and promoting access to education are just a few ways individuals and institutions can contribute. When women succeed and thrive, communities grow stronger, economies expand and societies become more stable.

International Women’s Day is therefore not only a celebration but also a reminder of responsibilities. It encourages both women and men to work together to challenge discrimination and promote fairness. Achieving gender equality should not be seen as a women’s issue alone; it is a human issue that affects the well-being of entire societies.

IWD is a day to show solidarity with all the women in the world and has a logo. But in some parts of the world, it also has a floral symbol, the Mimosa.

Though IWD was observed since the early 1900s in America and Europe, it wasn’t until March 8, 1946, that flowers began to be closely associated with this day.

It originated in Italy. Though the first Women's Day in Italy was celebrated in 1922, it took on a particular meaning in 1945, when the Women's Union in Italy regained rights to vote lost under Mussolini’s Fascist regime. Three members of the Unione Donne Italiane (a women’s rights organisation) nominated the Mimosa flower as a symbol to represent IWD. Despite having delicate flowers, it grows even in harshest conditions just like women. It was picked as a symbol of strength, sensitivity, and sensibility.

Since then, the tradition of giving flowers on this day to express solidarity and honour women has continued. Although the mimosa flower has a special significance, there are many other flowers to choose from.

Gifting roses on any occasion is always a great idea. It’s estimated that flower shops sell more than 150,000 roses on this day in shops across Russia alone. Roses, generally, spread the message of love and romance. But different colors of roses have their own specific meanings.

Since, the color theme for the day is associated with purple signifying justice and dignity, giving purple roses and pink roses are an excellent choice to express admiration to the women in your life.

Carnations are a great alternative. These flowers signify respect and friendship. White carnations represent luck, and pink carnations represent admiration and gratitude. Red carnations are also a popular pick.

Lotus symbolise creation, rebirth, and the sun. The blue lotus signifies spiritual enlightenment and the white lotus symbolises purity.

Lilies signify purity, beauty, passion and devotion. Also, according to the Greek myth lilies are associated with fertility, motherhood, and rebirth.

Chrysanthemums or Tulips can be wonderful options. Chrysanthemum not only represent good fortune and happiness, but also symbolise honor and compassion. Tulips symbolize love, rebirth, charity and respect.

A combination of purple, green and white colour symbolises the equality of women which originated from the Women's Social and Political Union in the UK in 1908. Green symbolises hope and white purity. There's a new introduction of yellow colour representing a 'new dawn'. It's commonly used to signify a second wave of feminism. Thus purple with green represents traditional feminism, purple with yellow represents progressive contemporary feminism. Pink, purple, green and white, and green are the colors that are connected to the IWD celebration theme every year.

To express your solidarity, a gift with the combination of flowers of these colours to the women, you admire, can work as a driving force for them. Our collective efforts to lift women up will help women break the glass ceilings.

As we celebrate International Women's Day 2026, let us reaffirm our commitment to create a more equitable and inclusive society for women around the globe. Giving them power and voice can bring a better, beautiful tomorrow.

Let's celebrate women's achievements; take action for equality, stress on equity and invest in their welfare.

It starts from our own households first, then the society, educational institutions, our workplaces and the world around us.

Be the one to champion women's rights.

Show your support by sending flowers to the special women in your life.

Brief Biography of Tasneem Hossain

Tasneem Hossain, a multi-lingual poet, author, educator, translator and columnist from Bangladesh has left an undeniable mark on the literary world. With a major in English language and Literature, she is a prolific writer who crafts poetry in English, Bengali and Urdu. Her works span from poetry, fiction, op-eds, translations and educational writings making her a versatile and influential literary figure.

She has immersed herself in the timeless essence of literary creations. She believes, ‘poetry is music through words, an ever-flowing river reflecting all that surrounds us.’ Tasneem writes poetry only when her passion is aroused and this can be observed in the powerful flow of her ink.

Her op-eds and columns create awareness about social and human rights issues- including domestic abuse, war and peace. Her writings are a powerful call to humanity to stand against injustice and war. As an op-ed writer, she has written more than 165 articles.

Several of her articles and poems are utilized as teaching material in universities and academies in Bangladesh and China; some have found their way in university research papers and some have been referenced in university research papers.

She also conducts international workshops on haiku writing.

A strong literary presence, she is a multifaceted author, a talented and gifted soul, an experienced educator and a business leader. her profound and emotive writings have captured the hearts and illuminated the lives of countless of readers worldwide. Tasneem’s works have transcended geographical boundaries, reaching readers from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Her impactful writings have been featured in more than 280 esteemed anthologies, journals, daily newspapers and international magazines worldwide. Some of her books are available in 40 countries.

Adjudged the ‘100 most influential literary figures of 2025’, by Barcelona Adibia, She is the winner of The International Literary Association Creative Tribune, Walt Whitman 2025 Contest and first place holder in the English Language category of The International Literary Association CREATIVE TRIBUNA’s " Friedrich Schiller International Literary competition 2025. She has won many other awards and recognition from different literary groups around the world. Her poems have been translated in 14 languages and her powerful writings are regularly featured in esteemed publications around the globe. A member of World Writers’ Union, she has been recognized as World’s Contemporary Writers 2024 in several anthologies and interviewed on several literary platforms in recognition of her contributions to world literature.

She is the Editorial Ambassador, Bangladesh for the popular international literary magazine, Wordsmith International Editorial, USA and Board Ambassador of Literacy and Culture of the Asih Sasami Indonesia Foundation, Indonesia for five years (2025-2030).

An author of three poetry collections—Grass in Green, The Pearl Necklace, and Floating

Feather and a book of articles Split and Splice, she also leads an international poetry project and group called Life in Lyrics. Additionally, four more books are currently in progress.

She served as a faculty member of Business English at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology. Currently, she is the director of the prominent human resource development

organizations, Continuing Education Centre (Bangladesh), and Cansaz Services and Distribution LLC (Canada). With 28 years of experience, she is a highly regarded Business consultant, and English Language and Communication Management trainer.

She actively participates in sports whenever the opportunity arises. She also participated in the national badminton championships in Bangladesh. For 10 years, she worked as a

newscaster, commentary reader, interviewer and radio presenter for Radio Bangladesh. She has also directed plays, including Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

You can connect with Tasneem Hossain through email: cec.tasneem@gmail.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasneem-hossain-280b891aa/