Labor Day (Labor Day)
Description:
On May 1, 1886, Chicago workers organized a strike and demonstration demanding an 8-hour day. It all ended in a bloody clash with the police. In response to gunfire from the crowd, police opened fire, causing mass casualties among the demonstrators. Of course, the police, as often happens, exceeded their powers, but it is unlikely that the American proletarians should have blamed only the law enforcement agencies for what happened, forgetting about the actions of local anarchists who clearly tried to provoke return fire to defeat by firing revolvers and throwing bombs. Unsurprisingly, the celebration of Workers’ Solidarity Day often turned into clashes with the police. Three years later, the Paris Congress of the 2nd International called May 1 the Day of Solidarity of the Workers of the World and proposed to celebrate it annually with demonstrations with social demands.
In the Russian Empire, this holiday was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw with the May Day strike of workers. The following year, the first May was held in St. Petersburg. Since 1897, Mayivka became political in nature and was accompanied by mass demonstrations. May 1st was celebrated openly for the first time in 1917. In all the cities of the country, millions of workers took to the streets with the slogans of the Communist Party “All power to the Soviets”, “Down with the capitalist ministers”.
For a real "mass holiday" May 1 became in the USSR. And it was indeed a holiday for Soviet workers, who received an additional two days off, and by the efforts of the Bolsheviks, the May festivities were turned into a kind of Latin American carnivals, which, unlike the latter, were “mandatory”, with “ideologically verified” banners, slogans and smiles. The best of the best were honored to walk through the main square of the country in front of the Mausoleum. But it was not the workers themselves who were elected, but their “representatives,” mainly the leaders and activists of the trade union movement.
May 1 has long been celebrated as the Day of International Solidarity for Workers of All Countries. And in 1997, this holiday was renamed the Festival of Spring and Labor.
May Day was also called the Spring Festival. It was really the first spring holiday, not counting Easter. People rejoiced at the renewal of nature and went to the demonstration. It was not just a political act. She gave the opportunity to meet with friends, to see their team, school all at once. After the demonstration, people united in a friendly way, received guests. The festive table was an obligatory attribute of May Day.
And then the rebuilding started. From the national holiday there are only two days off. It was called the Feast of Spring and Labor. Demonstrations in the streets of villages and cities stopped.
Today, this once ideological holiday has lost its political character, and each of us in his own way meets and celebrates May 1. But many still remember the legendary "World!" Labour! May! May the 1st of May bring us all joy (from work), peace and May! Happy holiday, with May Day!!