HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF MAY DAY

• May Day, also called Workers’ Day or International Workers’ Day, day commemorating the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement, observed in many countries on May 1. In the United States and Canada a similar observance, known as Labor Day, occurs on the first Monday of September
• In 1889 an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1 as a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago (1886)
• Five years later, U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland, uneasy with the socialist origins of Workers’ Day, signed legislation to make Labor Day already held in some states on the first Monday of September the official U.S. holiday in honour of workers
• In Europe May 1 was historically associated with rural pagan festivals , but the original meaning of the day was gradually replaced by the modern association with the labour movement
• In the Soviet Union, leaders embraced the new holiday, believing it would encourage workers in Europe and the United States to unite against capitalism
• The day became a significant holiday in the Soviet Union and in the Eastern-bloc countries, with high-profile parades, including one in Moscow’s Red Square presided over by top government and Communist Party functionaries, celebrating the worker and showcasing Soviet military might
• In Germany Labour Day became an official holiday in 1933 after the rise of the Nazi Party. Ironically, Germany abolished free unions the day after establishing the holiday, virtually destroying the German labour movement

• May Day celebrates the contribution and sacrifice of workers to and for society. The day's importance dates back to the times when workers in the United States started protesting against draconian labour laws, workers' rights violations, poor working conditions, and dreadful work hours. May Day is synonymous with workers' struggles and the subsequent empowerment in the late 19th century.
• It was on this day when a police contingent opened fire and killed at least two of the striking workers demanding an 8-hour work day instead of a gruelling 16-hour work day.
• Following the infamous murder of peaceful protestors, more workers joined the protests, and it was only in 1916 that the US began to recognise the eight-hour work timings
• However, in India, people started observing the day on 1 May 1923 after the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan was initiated and Comrade Singaravelar helmed the celebrations
• A resolution stating the government should allow everybody a national holiday on Labour Day. Since then, May Day has been observed annually
• Speeches given by workers' union leaders and cultural events are common on this day. Schools, colleges, and offices are usually closed on this day