Have you ever wondered why the mimosa is given on the occasion of the Women's Day that falls every year on March 8th?
First of all we must say that this is an all-Italian custom ... but let's start with order: in 1944 in Rome the UDI was born, that is the Women Union in Italy. On the initiative of this movement, on March 8, 1945, the women's day was celebrated for the first time in the areas of free Italy. The following year this party spread throughout Italy and Teresa Noce, Rita Montagnana and Teresa Mattei, involved in politics, had the idea of using mimosa as a symbol of this day. We can imagine the reason: mimosa is one of the first plants that blooms at the end of winter, its flowers are fragrant, inexpensive and easy to find. While the socialists pointed to the orchid as a flower to be distributed in this circumstance, Teresa Mattei sensed the highest cost of this flower and to promote the mimosa she even invented a Chinese legend, non-existent, which told how mimosa represented the warmth of the family and female kindness. The mimosa won and while in France they gave women lilies and violets, in Italy they gave women this cute yellow flower, a symbol adopted to be heard and noticed. After all, the world at that time was still mostly regulated by men and, although women have in fact acquired more rights and have "approached" to men, there are still cultural legacies of this imbalance between men and women.
The mimosa (scientific name: acacia dealbata) is a plant native to Tasmania, in Australia, but widespread in Europe and in Italy, where it grows mainly in Liguria and Tuscany. The mimosa tree has a height ranging from 8 to 15 meters and has a beautiful foliage that turns yellow with the flowering of its many buds. The flowers have a spherical shape, are very soft and fragrant. From the flowers you get an excellent essential oil that has soothing and healing properties, useful for people who have problems with acne or psoriasis and want to take advantage of a natural remedy. In addition, mimosa essential oil, when used to perfume the environment, helps against stress and anxiety because it has relaxing qualities. But perhaps not everyone knows that the part of the mimosa that has more properties is the bark: they prepare decoctions useful for treating symptoms of cough and bronchitis and also has anti-inflammatory virtues. Finally the leaves can be dried and then they can be used as an ingredient in teas or infusions with a relaxing feature.
And if you can get untreated mimosas, you can use their flowers in omelettes or salads or even fry a sprig of mimosa in a pan!
This plant looks a bit like us women: it seems fragile but it is not, because it adapts very well to all soils and different climates, like us that if sometimes we can seem delicate, in reality we are a true force of nature! Happy women's party!
