What is celebrated on May 1st. Labour Day. May in various countries

At present, everyone: both a schoolboy, a student, and an employee knows that the first of May and the next number are official days off. These are those sunny days when you can just relax in the country with friends or go on a trip and not think about any business. But does everyone know why the first days of May became days off? We will tell you in detail, May 1 - what kind of holiday?
Everyone knows that May 1 is a holiday of spring and labor, and the May Day holiday is celebrated in honor of workers. May Day became a holiday in honor of the people who in 1886 took part in demonstrations in Chicago (USA). Working-class American citizens went on strike for three days, mostly simple laborers, merchants or artisans. But the police opened fire on unarmed people, and as a result, four strikers died, and after the end of the rally, the police began to shoot at the workers, on the grounds that a bomb had been thrown at law enforcement agencies. As a result, this three-day rally claimed the lives of at least dozens of people. In the end, May 1st was declared Labor Day by the American government, in memory of the dead workers. After in 1889 in France, in memory of the dead, the Paris Congress declared the first of May - the international day of solidarity of workers. And next year it was already celebrated in some countries of Europe, Scandinavia and the USA. Currently, this holiday is held in many countries of the world, including Russia. But when did the first of May begin to be celebrated in this country?
May Day was recognized as an official holiday at the beginning of the twentieth century. More precisely, in 1917, the day of solidarity of workers began to be celebrated in all cities of the USSR. Soviet people really fell in love with this holiday, and it became a tradition for them to celebrate May Day in nature or at the dacha in the company of friends and relatives. Later May Day was renamed. He began to be called Of course, it is understandable why the holiday began to be called Labor Day, but why spring? As everyone knows, May is the last month of spring, is it not more logical to celebrate the day of spring in the first month of this wonderful time of the year? It's simple, in May, nature wakes up from sleep, and all the streets are filled with colorful green lawns, and it is in May that the real spring time comes. People have always rejoiced at such a renewal of nature, and therefore, on the first of May, on the Spring Festival, they went out to demonstrations where they met with friends. Many went to visit or, on the contrary, received friends at home. AND hallmark May holidays became festive table, behind which all family members, their friends gathered, and so they met the new arrival of spring - a warm, bright spring.
Until now, every year people celebrate the first days of May and send each other

Labor Day (May 1, 2014)- Day of International Solidarity of Workers, celebrated in more than a hundred countries around the world on May 1 or on the first Monday of May.

In Russia, this holiday is officially called the Holiday of Spring and Labor. Is an public holiday is declared a holiday.

What holiday is the first of May

May 1 is celebrated in 142 countries around the world international holiday- Labor Day, which was originally called International Workers' Day.
in some countries, Labor Day is celebrated at a different time - these include, for example, the United States and Japan. More than 80 states (including) do not celebrate Labor Day.

Feast of the First of May has undergone minor changes since the Soviet Union, and now it is celebrated annually under the name of the Holiday of the Unity of the People of Kazakhstan and is a state holiday. This day is always held festive events to unite all the peoples living in the Republic, because Kazakhstan is a multinational state. More than one hundred and fifty nationalities and nationalities live in it.
First of May - Living day. IN spring Slavic holiday - Alive (an abbreviated form of the name Zhivena, or Ziewonia, which means "giving life") - the goddess of life, spring, fertility, birth, zhita-grain. Daughter of Lada, wife of Dazhbog. Goddess of Spring and Life in all its manifestations. She is the giver of the Life Force of the Family, which makes all living things actually alive.

Germany celebrates May Day (Maifeiertag) fun and noisy. On this day, you can dance, sing, buy useful and funny things at the craftsmen's fair, listen to music. In a word, have fun, relax. The celebration is held in honor of the resurgent nature, blooming spring. Winter has passed - nature begins a new life.
Beltane Festival (Beltane or Beltaine) was one of the two most important holidays of the Celtic calendar year, which was divided into two equal periods, opened by major holidays - Samhain on November 1 and Beltane on May 1. These dates were associated with the most important milestones of the cattle-breeding calendar - cattle pastures on summer pastures in the first days of May and their return to the stalls on winter period- By November 1st.

history of the holiday

On May 1, 1886, American workers went on strike in Chicago, demanding an eight-hour day. Strikes and demonstrations dragged on for several days, led to clashes with the police and casualties (according to various sources, from six to fifty people died).

During the popular unrest, an explosion was made. On charges of organizing it, four anarchist workers were sentenced to hang. In memory of the executed, the Paris Congress of the Second International in July 1889 declared May 1 the Day of Solidarity of the Workers of the World and proposed to celebrate it annually with demonstrations with social demands.

Demonstration on International Workers' Day in London, May 1, 2013 (photo by AP / Lefteris Pitarakis, fototelegraf.ru).

People demand better working conditions for light industry workers during a demonstration on International Workers' Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 1, 2013. (photo by AP / Ismail Ferdous, fototelegraf.ru)

Labor Day in Russia

In the Russian Empire, May 1 as a day of international solidarity was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw by holding a strike of workers. Since 1897, May Days have become political in nature and were accompanied by mass demonstrations.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the holiday became official: demonstrations of workers, parades, subbotniks were held on this day. On the second day of the holiday, as a rule, "may days" were held - mass celebrations in nature.

In 1992, the holiday received a new name - "The Holiday of Spring and Labor."

Now this holiday no longer gathers a lot of people on the streets, as in Soviet time. Most tend to use this day off for household chores, meetings with family, friends, opening the summer season. Participants of trade unions and political movements of various orientations come out to demonstrate.

Photo: http://www.orene.ru/upload/iblock/a82/image.jpg

Holidays in May 2015

Non-working days: May 1, 2, 3, 4, 2015.

Non-working days: May 9, 10, 11, 2015.

May 1: how many days of rest

May 1, 2014 will begin the long May holidays. The country will rest four days in a row - from May 1 to May 4. Then there will be a short work week- 5, 6, 7 and 8 May. May 9, Saturday - non-working public holiday, followed by 2 days off. Then there will be a short working week - May 12, 13, 14 and 15. Twothe next weeks of May, from the 18th to the 31st, will be held as usual.

What is the name of the May 1 holiday? On the eve of the first day, we will answer a sharp question in a short article. Let's look into the history of May 1, open its traditions. On this day, a public holiday has been declared throughout the country. People gather for picnics and barbecues, and “peace, labor, May” is spinning in my head.

What is the name of the May 1 holiday? History

Oddly enough, the history of the May 1 holiday is not at all tied to labor in the sense in which we imagine it: a garden, seeds, rakes, shovels, backs aching in the evening and a consciousness of one's own significance from the completed sowing.

In the nineteenth century, they worked 15 hours, and this was the official norm for the length of the working day. It is clear that protests broke out in distant Australia. This significant event took place in 1856 on the twenty-first of March. Thirty years later (in 1886) rallies were organized in America and Canada. The demonstrators wanted one thing: an eight-hour day.

It is clear that the powerful of this world did not want to make concessions. On May 4 in Chicago, the police tried to disperse the protesters. As a result, six protesters were killed. The indignation of the people about the impunity of the police resulted in real confrontations between the authorities and workers who dream of reducing their working days.

There were new victims as a result of clashes between demonstrators and police. The bomb exploded. The consequences are sad:

several dozen protesters were injured;
four died;
police losses amounted to eight people;
5 workers were accused of organizing the explosion;
3 people were sentenced to hard labor.

Three years later, the Second International met in Paris, where they decided to support American and Canadian workers. At the congress, indignant denunciations were heard against the authorities, who unjustifiably used force against peaceful demonstrators. There was also opposition to the executions that took place after the bombing.

Today, the political color of May Day has faded. People still celebrate, but without rallies, in the home circle, more often in nature.

One hundred and forty-two countries celebrate May 1st. Traditionally, the holiday of spring and labor is on the first Monday in May. In some countries, however, rallies are still taking place today, at which sharp slogans are heard on the topic of the day. Nevertheless, most of the people on this day walk, attend fairs, fry meat in the country.

Before the revolution, May 1 among the Russian peoples was a holiday of the beginning of summer: warm sunny weather, blooming gardens and bright yellow dandelions. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, the almighty Yarilo walks at night through meadows and forests in snow-white clothes, blessing for life and growth.

Modern Georgia does not celebrate the Day of Spring and Labor, therefore, on this day, the inhabitants of the country are busy with everyday affairs and worries.

History

The tradition of the celebration is connected with the events that took place in Chicago in the 19th century. On May 1, 1886, American workers organized a strike demanding an eight-hour day, which ended in a bloody clash with the police.

In memory of those tragic events, the Paris Congress of the Second International in July 1889 declared May 1 the Day of Workers' Solidarity and proposed that it should be celebrated annually with demonstrations around the world.

May 1 was first celebrated in 1890 by the workers of Belgium, France, Germany, the USA, Denmark, Spain and some other countries. The main slogan of the demonstrations was the demand for an eight-hour working day.

The Brussels Congress of the Second International in 1891 gave each country the right to independently set the date and form of the celebration of May 1. As a result, demonstrations in the UK and some other countries were rescheduled for the first Sunday in May.

In Russia

The first celebratory gathering of workers in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) was organized by the Social Democratic group of the revolutionary Mikhail Brusnev on May 1, 1891.

But the official and annual holiday of May 1 or May Day, as many Russians call it, became only after the October Revolution of 1917. The country's leadership decided to hold demonstrations of workers and military parades on this day.

For the first time, a television report on a military parade and a demonstration of workers on Red Square was held on May 1, 1956. Since that time, festive events on Red Square have been broadcast annually by central television channels.

In 1970, the Fundamentals of Labor Legislation of the USSR assigned a new name to the holiday: May 1 and 2 officially became the Days of International Solidarity of Workers. On May 2, as a rule, “may days” took place, when people got together and had picnics in nature.

For many years, May Day was the main public holiday in the USSR. On May 1, 1990, the official May Day demonstration took place for the last time.

After the collapse of the USSR, this day was renamed the "Holiday of Spring and Labor".

Traditions

On the first of May, peaceful processions and demonstrations of trade unions are traditionally held around the world demanding better working conditions. The first persons of the state present certificates, awards and valuable gifts to distinguished workers.

On this holiday, not only workers are honored, but also the onset of the last month of spring, which symbolizes the flowering of all living things and the approach of summer. On this day folk festivals, fairs, concerts and entertainment programs with pop stars.

For many Russians, May Day has lost its original political and social meaning and has become an occasion to meet with friends, colleagues and enjoy outdoor recreation, accompanied by delicious and juicy kebabs.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

The holiday of May 1 or May Day is well known in Russia, the USA, European countries and is celebrated on May 1, or on the first day off of the month. In the recent past, in the Soviet Union, the May Day celebrations were referred to as the “Day of International Solidarity of Workers”, had the status of a state holiday, with fixed days off.

In other states, the celebration, which takes place in the first days of the spring month, is called "Spring Day", "Labor Day", etc. In Russia, since 1997, the first day of May has been referred to as the "Feast of Spring and Labor." It is customary to look for the origins of May Day in paganism, it is popular among citizens, with a geography that spans several continents.

Pagan roots May 1

The ancient Romans began to celebrate the holiday of spring about 3 thousand years ago. After sowing, in order to obtain a good harvest, sacrifices were made to the goddess of the earth and fertility, Maya. The ancient Greeks cut down the branches of the sacred Attis pine tree, dressed them up with fur decorations and solemnly brought them into the pantheon. On the way, they danced, sang songs and rejoiced, trying to propitiate the forces of nature. It is possible that since then the tradition of the spring festival has gone.

In France, Germany, Austria and some other countries of Western Europe, the night from April 30 to May 1 is known as Walpurgis Night. According to popular belief, it was at this time that the revelry " evil spirits". The people gather together, burn bonfires, dance around them, sing songs and even shoot, in order to scare away the "evil spirits" in this way.

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In Holland in last week April and the first of May is the world-famous Tulip Festival. And the main day off is called "Onion Sunday". In rural areas, boys and girls are distributed in pairs on a special list. Then the paper with the names is hung out in a conspicuous place.

On May 1, Spain celebrates "Green Santiago" - a holiday of flowers and lovers. Flowers are interspersed in the hair and clothes of the girls, and gentlemen, accompanying their beloved, sing love serenades to them.

In the Scandinavian countries, the mass fun on Walpurgis Night is also accompanied by bonfires and round dances with loud singing and shooting to scare away the trolls. And the first day of May is called "Cuckoo Day".

The history of the holiday

The tradition of celebrating May 1 originated in the 19th century in the United States. In 1886, in Chicago, the workers organized a strike and called on all those who were not indifferent to take to the streets. At the same time, the main demand was put forward - the reduction of the working day from 15 to 8 hours. It was on May 1 that mass demonstrations of workers began in the city, tired of the difficult working conditions and low wages. Communists, socialists and other parties of the "left" have united, thus trying to focus the attention of the authorities on the unbearable life of workers. The government, in turn, declared the strike illegal and the demands unfounded. To suppress the protesters, in the main center of the fight against capitalist arbitrariness at that time - Chicago, police detachments were put forward. Further, events developed on the rise.

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The police used firearms to disperse the demonstrators. The first victims appeared in the ranks of the protesters. Already on May 3, at one of the private factories, the police opened fire on the workers to kill. Two people were killed and dozens injured. The next day, at one of the protest rallies in Haymarket, a protester threw a bomb at a detachment of government officials. Bottom line: 8 dead policemen, several hundred wounded, on both sides. And among the victims were many women and children. In the early morning of the next day, police agents broke into apartments, smashed printing houses and clubs, arresting everyone in a row, looking for "suspicious individuals." As a result, 8 anarchist workers were sentenced to death.

May 1 in Russia and other countries

The Paris Congress of the Second International, held after 3 years, in July 1889, called for naming May 1 - "World Day of Solidarity of Workers", in memory of the struggle of the American proletariat for their rights.

The following year, on the first day of May, demonstrations in solidarity took place in the United States, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France and other European powers.

In the Russian Empire, in Warsaw, on May 1, 1891, the communists, under the guise of folk festivals, organized the first mass procession. In the same year, in Brussels, at the next congress of the II International, it was decided that each country has the right to independently set the date for the action. Since then, in some countries, including in the British Isles, demonstrations have been postponed to the first May holiday.

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It should be noted that the demonstrations at that time were held under the guise of folk fun, festivities, and only towards the end of the 19th century began to acquire a political connotation.

After the Bolsheviks came to power in October 1917, May Day was declared a public holiday, and became known as the “Day of the International”. Before the advent of the "Victory Holiday", military parades of the Red Army were held on May 1 at the Khodynka field. On July 30, 1928, another day was added to one day off - May 2. This state of affairs lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the Soviet state, the celebrations were voluntary. People with flags, banners, slogans and posters “Peace! Work! May!". In the capital, participation in the procession on Red Square was awarded to the most distinguished labor collectives and citizens of the USSR.

In Russia

In Russia, "Spring and Labor Day" is celebrated mass celebrations, concerts and rallies, with the participation of various parties. The most massive action, with the participation of about 100 thousand people, was recorded on May 1, 2014 in Simferopol. May 1 is a holiday that was earned by our ancestors at the cost of their lives, so do not treat it lightly.

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