Other Definitions
may day (dict)
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May Day - For the distress signal, see: Mayday; For the James Bond villain see May Day (James Bond)
May Day is a name for various holidays celebrated on May 1 (or in the beginning of May). Labour association The holiday is most often associated with the commemoration of the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. The May 1st date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions 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 Haymarket Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. May Day is celebrated as Labour Day in most countries around the world, including the United Kingdom where the bank holiday isn't fixed at May 1st but instead the first Monday of May. In the 20th century, the holiday received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union, and it is also celebrated as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. Celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades with the latest weaponry being exhibited as well as shows of common people in support of the government. Curiously (given the origin of the May 1st date), the United States celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September; May 1st is Loyalty Day, a legal but not widely recognized holiday in the United States. There is some suggestion that the reason for this was to avoid the commemoration of riots that had occurred in 1886. The adoption of May Day by communists and socialists as their primary holiday further cemented official resistance to sanctioning May Day labor celebrations in America. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands also celebrate Labour Day on different dates; that has to do with how the holiday originated in those countries. May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various communist, socialist, and anarchist groups. The Roman Catholic Church added another Saint Joseph's Day in 1955 that Christianized this holiday as the day of "Saint Joseph, the Worker". Germany Berlin, Germany traditionally has yearly demonstrations on May Day. In 1929, the social democratic SPD government of the german land of Prussia prohibited the annual May Day workers demonstrations in Berlin. The communist party KPD which was strongest party in Berlin called to demonstrate nonetheless. As the day was over, 32 demonstrators, workers and bystanders had been killed by the police, at least 80 were seriously injured. The Berlin police under control of a social democratic government had fired a total of 11.000 rounds of life ammunition. This incident, remembered as Blutmai (ger.) (blood may) deepened the split between the workers partys KPD and SPD and thus was an advantage for the Nazis, which became Germanys governing party in 1933, and which adapted May Day to their purposes, calling it "day of work" which still is the official name for this public holiday today. In todays Germany, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of pagan origin are traditionally held on the night before May Day, including bonfires and young people using an opportunity to party, while the day itself is used by many families to get some fresh air, wurst and beer. While Germanys economic prosperity during the last decades led to a decline of the workers movement and of the political importance of May Day, since 1987 it has become known for heavy rioting by radical leftists, including the punk rock scene, Autonome and others, but also "regular" youths not fond of the police. In recent years, this has somewhat declined, while neo-nazis like the NPD try to make use of the day again with public demonstrations, which frequently lead to clashes with left-wing protesters. English tradition Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, and dancing around a Maypole. In Oxford on May Day, many pubs are open from sunrise. Madrigals are still sung from the roof of the tower in Magdalen College, but the old tradition of throwing red-hot pennies to the crowds gathered on the bridge below has been discontinued. Elsewhere May Day also marks springtime celebrations such as: These holidays were also respected by some early European settlers of the American continent.
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