Labor Day is a
United States federal holiday that takes place on the first
Monday of September. The origins of the American Labor Day can
be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and
a parade organized by them on September 5, 1882 in New York
City. They were inspired by an annual labor parade held in
Toronto, Canada. In 1884 another parade was held, and the
Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Other
labor organizations (and there were many), but notably the
affiliates of the International Workingmen's Association, many
of whom were socialists or anarchists, favoured a May 1 holiday.
With the event of Chicago's Haymarket riots in early May of
1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday
could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus,
fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he
quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of
Labor and their date for Labor Day.
Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September
in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has
remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to
adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of
the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to breaking with
tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor
movements with internationalist sympathies. Labor Day is
generally regarded simply as a day of rest, and political
demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics,
barbecues, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art
events. Families with school-age children take it as the last
chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and
young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before
returning to school.
An old, and now largely ignored, custom prohibits the wearing of
white after Labor Day. The explanations for this tradition range
from the idea that white clothes are worse protection against
cold weather in the winter than colored clothes to the intention
of the rule as a status symbol for new members of the middle
class in the late 19th century and early 20th century. One of
the largest modern traditions of Labor Day in the United States
is the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association,
hosted by Jerry Lewis to fund research and patient support
programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy.
The telethon raises tens of millions of dollars USD each year.
In 2005, despite the recent catastrophe caused by Hurricane
Katrina, nearly $55 million was raised over 21 hours.
The holiday is now often associated with the commemoration of the social
and economic achievements of the labor movement. The 1 May date is used
because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions,
inspired by Labor's 1872 success in Canada, demanded an eight-hour
workday in the United States, to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This
resulted in the general strike and the U.S. Haymarket Riot of 1886, but
eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. More
recently, it is associated with the Kent State Massacre. May Day is
designated International Workers' Day. It is indeed an international
holiday in many countries, but not English-speaking countries such as
the United States and the United Kingdom. In most of the world, except
in the US, Labor Day is celebrated on the 1st of May in remembrance of
the 1886 Haymarket Riot. The adoption of May Day by socialists (and
later also the communists) as their primary holiday cements official
resistance to this holiday in the US. The US government has also
attempted to create other holidays for the day of 1 May, in order to
further discourage the celebration of May Day. Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand also celebrate Labour Day on different dates; that has to do
with how the holiday originated in those countries.
Nevertheless, May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by
various socialist, communist, and anarchist groups. In the 20th century,
the holiday received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union;
celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often
consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in
support of the government. In a separate attempt to co-opt May Day, the
Roman Catholic Church added another Saint Joseph's Day in 1955 that
Christianized 1 May as the day of "Saint Joseph, the Worker". It is
perhaps surprising that the Church did not take this step earlier, to
distract attention from the traditionally virile pagan celebrations of
May Day.
The Secular significance of the Day :
Over the past century, May Day came to acquire new meanings. Some of
them have even become quite opposed to the tradition of lighthearted
joyfulness with Maypoles, Morris dance, and bathing in the May dew.
Strange though, they still revolve round the old significance of the
day. That is, a day of feast and festival in the month of Summer. Yet
for which there is no such church service as that of Christmas, Easter,
or . This is why it has always been a strong secular festival. And the
same significance also helped working people in picking it up as the day
to celebrate as a day off their work. By the 20th century May Day has
come to be regarded a red letter day and has become a festival of the
laboring class in Socialist countries. But the secular significance
alone has not made the Day a memorable day to observe by the labor. The
labor link to this day is rather highlighted by a story of labor strife
and bloodshed.
The American root :
And it is all rooted to the labor movement in United States during the
19th century. Then the country had been witnessing labor unrests and
agitations for over a century. But mostly in an unorganized manner. In
the 19th century it became more organized with the workers becoming
worried over their position in the mainstream society. During the 1860s
the Knights of Labor gave a new dimension to this organized labor
movement.
From Labor Day to May Day - the shift :
In 1884 the group held a parade on the first Monday of September. And
then it passed a resolution to hold all future parades on that day
designating it as Labor Day. The Knights of Labor soon came to be
regarded as the most dominant of all labor unions in the US. However,
things changed. The year 1886 was a troubled one in labor relations.
There were nearly 1,600 strikes, involving about 600,000 workers, with
the eight-hour day being the most prominent item in the demands of
labor. About half of these strikes were called in on May Day. Now, some
of those strikes were successful. But the failure of others and internal
conflicts between skilled and unskilled members led to a decline in the
Knights' popularity and influence. The most serious blow to the unions
came from a tragic occurrence. And this was what made the May 1 as an
important day in the history of Labor Movement in America. Though it did
not take place on May Day itself, but it came as a consequence whose
origin was laid on that day.
The Mayhem :
It was one of the many strikes called for May Day in 1886. And it was
against the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. The air was
already heated with inflammatory speeches and debates. On May 3 a
fighting broke out along the picket lines. And, when police intervened
to restore order, several strikers were injured or killed. Union leaders
called a protest meeting at Haymarket Square for the evening of May 4;
but, it was there yet another gory incident took place as a result of a
bomb explosion. Seven policemen were killed and many were injured. Eight
unionists, alleged to be responsible for the incident, were arrested,
tried, and convicted of murder. Four of them were hanged, and one
committed suicide. Following this tragedy the public sympathy with
organized labors went down. The Knights of Labor did never gain ground
after this. Though strikes went on to be held. Some other unions came to
the forefront. One of them was an association of French Socialists,
called the Second International. It was in 1889, they declared the May
Day devoted to labor and its problem. They renamed it "Labor Day" and it
was the occasion for important political demonstrations. In France, the
Maypole had already regarded as the symbol of French Revolution. And
perhaps the French union was partly motivated by that spirit behind the
day.
The Socialist celebration :
But the idea really gained ground in other parts of the world with the
International Socialist congress of 1889 in Paris. It was the congress
that designating it as an international labor day. While in the United
States and Canada, Labor Day still continues to be observed on the first
Monday in September, rest of the world observes it on May 1 or other
dates. At present, the May Day connection, best known outside the
Maypoles, is the celebration of the Russian Communists. It was in the
1920s, they inaugurated the May Day parades. It was a major holiday in
the Soviet Union and other Communist countries, and also in many other
parts of the world. Even in today's Russia it is an annual holiday
devoted to the recognition of working people's contribution to society.A
unique display of the most modern weapons and seemingly endless troops
of soldiers is held in Moscow, the capital of Russia on this day. This
is how May Day, once mainly a spring festival, has become a festival of
the laboring class in Socialist countries.
Upcoming Labor Day dates :
2006 - September 4
2007 - September 3
2008 - September 1
2009 - September 7
2010 - September 6.
