May Day, or Labor Day, is a public holiday in many countries worldwide. It usually occurs around May 1, but the date varies across countries. It is associated with the start of spring as well as the celebration of workers.
History
Araw ng Manggagawa or Labor Day is a non-working holiday celebrated on May 1 of every year in the Philippines. This day is celebrated by workers all over the country; however, this day is also often marked by demonstrations and rallies as the labor sector airs its grievances.
In 1884 in the United States of America, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States, effective May 1, 1886. This demand resulted in a general strike and the U.S. Haymarket Riot of 1886, but the eight-hour workday was eventually approved officially. Afterwards, Labor Day came to be celebrated on the first of May in commemoration of this event.
Labor Day in the Philippines was first celebrated in 1903, when the Philippines’ was still under U.S. rule.
The American colonial government was alarmed. The Philippine Constabulary, composed of Americans and Filipinos, raided the printing press of Union Obrero Democratica (UODF) and arrested its president, Dominador Gomez, for illegal assembly and sedition.
Ten years later, on May 1, 1913, Congreso Obrero de Filipinas was organized. Led by Herminigildo Cruz, it fought for an eight-hour working day, abolition of child labor, just labor standards for women, and liability of capitalists.
Since then, Labor Day in the Philippines has been commemorated not only with parades and celebrations, but also with rallies and demonstrations of the labor sector.
Labor Day stems from the efforts of the labor union movement to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. In Mexico, it is referred to as Primero de Mayo, and is a national holiday honoring workers. Some groups organize parades or protests to promote and protect workers’ rights.
Public life
May 1 is a national holiday in many European countries including (but not exclusive to) Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. It is also celebrated in countries in Central America, such as Costa Rica and Panama, and in some parts of the Caribbean, including Cuba. It is also a national holiday in Mexico. In South America, it is observed in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. May 1 is also a national holiday in the Russian Federation and Asian countries such as China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Labor Day holiday, or Labor Day, is celebrated in the United States and countries such as Australia and Canada at different times of the year.
About Labor Day
The eight-hour movement to reduce the working day from 10 to eight hours began after the Civil War. It was a major aim of the United States’ National Labor Union, whose first congress met in 1866. By 1868 congress, six states passed the eight-hour legislation. In 1884 the National Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Assemblies decided to call for a general strike on May 1, 1886, to enforce demands for employers to observe the eight-hour work day. In 1947, amidst the anti-Communist Cold War hysteria, the US Veterans of Foreign Wars renamed May 1 as “Loyalty Day” and a joint session of Congress later made the pronouncement official.
In many countries, the May 1 holiday was obtained by trade union agitation supported by socialist parties. However, in Germany where such agitation had proved fruitless, it was instituted in 1933 as a gift from Hitler, being promptly followed by the abolition of trade unions. In the United Kingdom, a May Day Bank Holiday was instituted in 1978 for trade unionists to celebrate, but was held on the first Monday in May to minimize the damage to business.
In China, Labor Day was extended to 3 days during the 1990s. The Chinese government made it a seven-day holiday by moving the prior and upcoming weekends together with these three days. This holiday allowed millions of Chinese people to travel during this period. The Chinese government reduced this holiday period down to one day in 2008.
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References:
https://www.dosomething.org/
http://www.forbes.com/
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/philippines/labor-day