May Day
This ancient festival day celebrating the beginning of spring is also an international celebration of labor rights.
Renee Harleston
Reviewer URLNames: May Day, Workers’ Day, International Workers' Day
This ancient festival day celebrating the beginning of spring is also an international celebration of labor rights.
Origin
May Day as a springtime festival began as a mix of tribal Irish and Scandinavian celebrations and Roman traditions. Later, May Day grew as a celebration during the medieval period, with countries creating their own ways to celebrate.
May Day arrived in the United States with the first Europeans. While Puritans, seeing May Day as pagan, attempted to crush the celebrations, festivities continued throughout the country.
In 1886, May Day became a celebration for labor rights. On May 1, 1886, workers around the U.S. went on strike to demand an eight-hour workday. During protests on May 4th, a bomb exploded in Chicago's Haymarket Square. One police officer was killed by the bomb, while six others died in the ensuing protests. Four civilians were also killed. This became known as the Haymarket riot or Haymarket affair.
In 1890, labor organizers around the world began to adopt May 1 as a day of labor protest. However, in the U.S., the reputation of May Day was damaged by the events of the Haymarket riot. While May Day as a labor holiday is celebrated around the world, in the U.S., Labor Day is celebrated in September.
Concurrently, the original spring celebration version of May Day regained popularity in the U.S. in the 1870s. Industrialists took advantage of the damaged reputation of the labor movement by promoting this version of May Day. Children at schools throughout the U.S. were encouraged to participate in maypole dancing.
Who observes this holiday:
As a rite of spring, May Day is observed in the U.S., United Kingsom and throughout Scandinavia. As a labor holiday, May Day or International Workers' Day is celebrated around the world. In the U.S., May Day as a labor holiday has a smaller footprint, but American labor activists and organizations do mark the day.
Traditions
May Day, as a springtime festival, is celebrated with maypole dancing, flowers and May Day baskets. In the past, pageants were held to crown a May Queen . (This pageant tradition died out in the 1960s.)
As a labor holiday, May Day is a time for protests, labor activism and labor education.
What to say
May Day, as a springtime festival, is celebrated with maypole dancing, flowers and May Day baskets. In the past, pageants were held to crown a May Queen. (This pageant tradition died out in the 1960s.)
"Happy May Day!" is an appropriate greeting for anyone celebrating. It is used for both the spring rite and labor holiday.