May Day is celebrated throughout most of the world as a public holiday.
May 1 is considered as the Labour Day by almost all the nations of the world. The workers of the world celebrate this as an annual holiday. This day is the result of a massive labor union movement; this day celebrates the social and economic achievements of workers. This day is also known as May Day. May 1 has many other names like Worker’s day, National Unification Day, Day of Kazak people’s Unity, Eid el-Ommal, etc.
The Eight-Hour Day movement is the origin of this day. This movement advocated eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of recreation for workers everywhere. It was a revolution in that period.
In Europe, this day has a much older significance. This day is celebrated as a rural festival, which is primarily more important than the movement. This is now an international holiday and various countries hold multi-day celebrations. Some of the countries conduct parades, patriotic and labour oriented events, and shows and other events on this day. On the other hand, in Northern Europe, Walpurgis Night is on this scheduled night, and this holiday is combined with the May 1 in some nations.
Although, May 1 is considered as the Labour Day in various nations, Germany celebrates it on May 2. In 1933, May 1 was established as an official holiday after the Nazi Party came to power. It was expected that this day would prove to be the symbol of the newfound unity between the state and the people. The next day, that is on May 2, all the free unions were prohibited and outlawed by the Nazis. Yet, since workers celebrated the holiday for numerous decades before any official state approval, the Nazi Party’s endeavor to appropriate it left no more term offense.
Although this day has many names, but the essence of them all is the same – to honor the workforce of the nation. Traditions and celebrations time have changed; so the way of celebrating the day has changed too. Throughout the rest of the world, there are marches and rallies held in various parts of the different countries. In England, a grand march at the the famous Brewhouse Yard gardens starts near the Castle, Nottingham.
Even today’s celebration of May Day has a touch of ancient culture and tradition. The maypole is still one of the major features of the festivities with distinctive interpretations. But whatever way you look at it the theme of the celebration is all about celebrating the renewal of life with new hopes, new dreams and new resolutions. Flower baskets are made and treats are left at the thresholds of the loved ones as a token of good wishes and love to strengthen the bondage and to rekindle the lost touches.
