It’s officially Wattle Day in Japan today, and I’m absolutely delighted to have a thriving wattle growing in our garden.
I guess a little explanation is necessary.
March 8 is Mimosa no Hi, literally, the Day of Silver Wattle.
The flowers mark International Women’s Day, and the idea of giving women silver wattle (called mimosa outside of their native Australia) emanated from an Italian communist politician in the 1940s because the beautiful yellow flowers were more readily available than other floral items frequently presented to women around the world at the time. It’s not a national holiday in Japan, and not really widely acknowledged. It’s still a man’s country here.
The wattle is, of course, Australia’s national flower. (Strictly speaking, the golden wattle is the Australian symbol, but I can’t tell the difference, so in typical Aussie fashion, near enough will be good enough in this case!)
