Currently, everyone: schoolchildren, students, and workers knows that the first of May and the following dates are official holidays. These are those sunny days on which you can simply relax at the dacha with friends or go on a trip and not think about any business. But does everyone know why exactly the first days of May became a weekend? We will tell you in detail, what kind of holiday is May 1st?
Everyone knows that May 1 is a holiday of spring and labor, and the May Day day off is celebrated in honor of workers. May Day became a holiday in honor of the people who took part in demonstrations in Chicago (USA) in 1886. Working class American citizens went on strike for three days, mostly ordinary workers, merchants, or artisans. But the police opened fire on unarmed people, and as a result, four strikers died, and after the end of the rally, the police began shooting at the workers, on the grounds that a bomb had been thrown at the law enforcement agencies. As a result, this three-day rally claimed the lives of at least dozens of people. In the end, the American government declared the first of May as Labor Day, in memory of the fallen workers. In 1889, in France, in memory of the victims, the Paris Congress declared the first of May - an international day of workers' solidarity. And next year it was already celebrated in some countries of Europe, Scandinavia and the USA. Currently, this holiday is celebrated in many countries of the world, including Russia. But when did they start celebrating May Day in this country?
The May Day holiday was recognized as official at the beginning of the twentieth century. More precisely, in 1917, workers' solidarity day began to be celebrated in all cities of the USSR. Soviet people truly fell in love with this holiday, and it became a tradition for them to celebrate May Day outdoors or at the dacha in the company of friends and relatives. Later May Day was renamed. It began to be called . Of course, it’s understandable why the holiday began to be called Labor Day, but why spring? As everyone knows, May is the last month of spring, so wouldn’t it be more logical to celebrate spring day in the first month of this wonderful time of year? It's simple, in May nature awakens from sleep, and all the streets are filled with colorful green lawns, and it is in May that the real spring time comes. People have always rejoiced at such a renewal of nature, and therefore on the first of May, on the Spring Festival, they went out to demonstrations, where they met with friends. Many went to visit or, on the contrary, received friends at home. AND distinctive feature May holidays became festive table, behind which all family members and their friends gathered, and so they welcomed the new arrival of spring - a warm, bright spring.
Until now, every year people celebrate the first days of May and send each other

Labor Day (May 1, 2014)– International Workers' Day is celebrated in more than a hundred countries around the world on May 1 or the first Monday in May.

In Russia, this holiday is officially called the Spring and Labor Holiday. It is a public holiday and declared a day off.

What holiday is the first of May

May 1 is celebrated in 142 countries around the world international holiday- Labor Day, which was originally called International Workers' Day.
In some countries, Labor Day is celebrated at a different time - these include, for example, the USA and Japan. More than 80 states (including) do not celebrate Labor Day.

• May Day holiday in has undergone slight changes since the times of the Soviet Union, and now it is celebrated annually under the name of the Holiday of the Unity of the People of Kazakhstan and is a state holiday. On this day there are always holiday events to unite all peoples living in the Republic, because Kazakhstan is a multinational state. More than one hundred and fifty nationalities and nationalities live in it.
• First of May - Living day. IN autumn Slavic holiday - Zhiva (abbreviated form of the name Zhivena, or Ziewonia, which means “life-giving”) is the goddess of life, spring, fertility, birth, life-grain. Daughter of Lada, wife of Dazhbog. Goddess of Spring and Life in all its manifestations. She is the giver of the Life Force of the Family, which makes all living things actually alive.

• Germany celebrates May Day (Maifeiertag) fun and noisy. On this day you can dance, sing, buy useful and funny things at the crafts fair, and listen to music. In a word, have fun and relax. The celebration is held in honor of the regenerating nature, the blossoming spring. Winter has passed - nature begins a new life.
• Beltane or Beltaine Festival was one of the two most important holidays of the Celtic calendar year, which was divided into two equal periods, opening with major holidays - Samhain (Samhain) on November 1 and Beltane (Beltane) on May 1. These dates were associated with the most important milestones of the cattle breeding calendar - driving cattle to summer pastures in the first days of May and returning them to stalls on winter period- by November 1.

history of the holiday

On May 1, 1886, American workers went on strike in Chicago, demanding an eight-hour workday. The strikes and demonstrations dragged on for several days and led to clashes with the police and casualties (according to various sources, from six to fifty people died).

During popular unrest, an explosion was carried out. On charges of organizing it, four anarchist workers were sentenced to hang. In memory of those executed, the Paris Congress of the Second International in July 1889 declared May 1 as the Day of Solidarity of Workers of the World and proposed to celebrate it annually with demonstrations with social demands.

Demonstration on International Workers' Day in London, May 1, 2013 (AP photo / Lefteris Pitarakis, fototelegraf.ru).

People demand better working conditions for light industry workers during a demonstration on International Workers' Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 1, 2013. (photo AP / Ismail Ferdous, fototelegraf.ru)

Labor Day in Russia

IN Russian Empire May 1st was first celebrated as a day of international solidarity in 1890 in Warsaw with a workers' strike. Since 1897, May Days began to be political in nature and were accompanied by mass demonstrations.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the holiday became official: worker demonstrations, parades, and cleanup days were held on this day. On the second day of the holiday, as a rule, “May Days” took place - mass celebrations in nature.

In 1992, the holiday received a new name - “Spring and Labor Holiday”.

Now this holiday no longer brings together many people on the streets, as in Soviet times. Most people try to use this day off for household chores, meetings with family and friends, and the opening of the summer season. Participants of trade unions and political movements of various orientations take part in the demonstrations.

Photo: http://www.orene.ru/upload/iblock/a82/image.jpg

Holidays in May 2015

• Non-working days: May 1, 2, 3, 4, 2015.

• Non-working days: 9, 10, 11 May 2015.

May 1: how many days do we rest?

On May 1, 2014, the long May holidays will begin. The country will rest for four days in a row - from May 1 to 4. Then there will be a short working week - May 5, 6, 7 and 8. May 9, Saturday - a non-working holiday, followed by 2 days off. Then there will be a short working week - May 12, 13, 14 and 15. TwoThe next weeks of May, from the 18th to the 31st, will be held as usual.

The first of May or the first Monday of May in Russia, the USA and many countries around the world celebrate a holiday known under several names - International Workers' Day, Spring and Labor Day, Labor Day, Spring Day.

In Soviet times, most Russians named this holiday by the date it was held - May 1 or May Day.

How did the tradition of celebrating May 1 come about?

The history of celebrating May 1st began in the USA. On May 1, 1886, large-scale labor demonstrations began in Chicago demanding an eight-hour work day. The protest ended in clashes with the police. On May 3, at Cyrus McCormick's reaper plant, police opened fire on strikers, killing at least two workers. On May 4, at a protest rally in Haymarket, a terrorist threw a bomb at police, who responded by firing into the crowd. Sixty police officers were injured, eight were killed, and the exact number of workers killed was not determined. The police arrested hundreds of townspeople, and seven anarchist workers were sentenced to death.

© Sputnik / RIA Novosti

A few years later, at the Paris Congress of the Second International, at the proposal of the French delegate Raymond Lavigne, as a sign of solidarity with the Chicago workers, it was decided to hold annual labor demonstrations on May 1.

On May 1, 1890, the holiday was first held in Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, USA, Norway, France and Sweden. In the UK it took place on May 4th. The main slogan of the demonstrations was the demand for an eight-hour working day.

Sections of the International in each country were given the right to independently set the date and form of the celebration of May 1, after which in Great Britain and some other countries the demonstrations were moved to the first Sunday in May.

© Sputnik / RIA Novosti

In Russia, a festive gathering of workers took place on May 1, 1891 in St. Petersburg, it was organized by the Social Democratic group of revolutionary Mikhail Brusnev.

Public Holiday

After the October Revolution, the holiday became official. In his honor, the first May Day parade of the Red Army took place on Khodynka Field in Moscow, in which about 30 thousand people took part. Military parades as part of the celebration of May 1 became traditional and were held annually.

By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, the weekends of Soviet citizens became longer - May 1 and 2.

On May 1, 1933, the first air parade took place over Red Square. From this point on, air parades were held regularly until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War, as an integral part of the demonstration of Soviet military power.

© Sputnik / Yuri Somov

On May 1, 1956, a television report was made for the first time about a military parade and a demonstration of workers on Red Square. Since that time, festive events on Red Square have been broadcast annually by central television channels.

The last official May Day demonstration took place in 1990. During the demonstration, an alternative column with anti-communist and anti-Soviet slogans entered Red Square. USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev and other leaders of the country left the podium of the Mausoleum, the television broadcast of the event was stopped, and the military parade did not take place.

A couple of years later, International Workers' Day was renamed Spring and Labor Day.

© Sputnik / Yuri Abramochkin

May Day demonstration and rally of the Labor Russia movement

In 2001, adopted on December 30 Labor Code The Russian Federation (Article 112) made May 2 a working day; only one day remained as the Spring and Labor Festival - May 1.

The date is celebrated in Russia with mass demonstrations for social and labor justice, folk festivals and concerts.

In 2014, the May Day action of trade unions for the first time in history modern Russia took place on Red Square. Several dozen public events took place in the capital.

Traditionally, the beginning of May is perceived as a reason for relaxation. After all, for Russians this is the beginning of the May holidays, including Spring and Labor Day. But not everyone can tell what history May Day has, and how the name and traditions of the holiday changed.

When did the tradition of celebrating May 1st appear?

If we go deeper into history, then back in ancient times our ancestors organized large-scale celebrations that took place at the end of April and beginning of May. In this way they tried to appease the gods before starting work in the fields. Yes, residents Ancient Greece and ancient Rome in the last spring month they organized big celebration in honor of the goddess Maya, who was the patroness of farmers.

The Slavs celebrated the departure of the spring cold and welcomed the goddess Zhiva, who, according to legend, had the power to revive nature. During the celebrations, people took baths in cold water and burned ritual bonfires on the banks of rivers.

How is May Day connected with workers?

Two centuries ago, the working day of the poor lasted from 12 to 15 hours, which naturally made the people very tired. On April 21, 1856, protest marches were held in Australia by workers who demanded that the working day be reduced to 8 hours without reducing wages. They managed to achieve their goal.

The successful strikes of Australians inspired Americans to fight for their rights. On May 1, 1886, mass protests took place in many US cities. Their center of protests was Chicago, where about 40,000 workers took to the streets to demand a reduction in the working day to 8 hours. The demonstrators were brutally dispersed by the police, and the very next day about 1,000 workers were left on the street without work. Mass layoffs prompted the working class to a new wave of discontent. During new demonstrations, many protesters were shot.

In memory of the victims, the Paris Congress of the Second International declared May 1, 1890, the Day of Solidarity of Workers of the World and proposed to mark it with demonstrations demanding an 8-hour working day and other social demands. The holiday has become an annual event.

How was May 1 celebrated in Russia?

In the Russian Empire, May Day was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw. The following year, St. Petersburg rejoiced in World Workers' Day, albeit underground. May 1 was first openly celebrated in Russia in 1917. In all 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”.

In 1918, post-revolutionary Russia adopted a law stating that May 1 would be celebrated at the national level. Initially, this holiday was called International Day. Since 1930, May 1st has been known as the International Proletarian Solidarity Day. During the Great Patriotic War it was renamed the Battle Festival of the International Proletariat. Only after this did the official name appear - International Labor Day. Since 1997, on May 1, Russians have celebrated Spring and Labor Day.

How is May 1 celebrated in modern Russia?

The tradition of holding demonstrations on this day has been preserved. Rallies are held by political parties and trade unions. Many people are happy to go out to their summer cottages or gardens on the first day of May and spend the workers' holiday working on the land. People also often go out on May 1st for a picnic with family or friends.

Where else in the world is May 1 celebrated?

The first day of May is officially celebrated as National holiday more than 60 countries of the world. Including in Austria, France, China, Turkey, Belgium, etc. Some countries also have their own Labor Day holiday, but celebrate it on a different day. For example, in the USA it is celebrated on the first Monday of September.

Russians look forward to the May holidays with special impatience - there are so many days off at the beginning of the month, when the dacha season opens! But if every baby today knows what May 9 means for Russia, then few people can clearly tell us what exactly we celebrate on May 1. Let's figure out together what kind of holiday May Day is.

If we delve deeply into history, then even in ancient times our ancestors organized large-scale celebrations, which took place at the end of April and beginning of May. In this way they tried to appease the gods before starting work in the fields. The Slavs celebrated the departure of the spring cold, held ritual baths in cold water, lit bonfires, and greeted the goddess Zhiva, who, according to legend, revived nature.

The inhabitants of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome worshiped the goddess Maya, who was the patroness of farmers. In the last month of spring, in honor of the goddess and the beginning of the new harvest season, they held a big celebration.

Everyone probably remembers from history that two centuries ago the working day of a poor man lasted from 12 to 15 hours. On April 21, 1856, protest marches were held in Australia by workers who demanded that the working day be reduced to 8 hours without reducing wages. They managed to achieve their goal. And even without bloodshed

In 1886, workers in the USA and Canada also decided to organize rallies and demonstrations to achieve an 8-hour working day, a fixed salary and social guarantees. On this day, every city rebelled. However, the center of the protests was Chicago, where about 40,000 workers took to the streets. Here it was not possible to resolve the matter peacefully. Thousands of workers were fired, and demonstrations were dispersed with weapons. A lot of people died. In memory of the victims, the Paris Congress of the Second International declared May 1, 1890, the Day of Solidarity of Workers of the World and proposed to mark it with demonstrations demanding an 8-hour working day and other social demands. The holiday has become an annual event.

How was May Day celebrated in Russia?

In the Russian Empire, May Day was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw. This trend was picked up by St. Petersburg, where in 1981, on May 1, a May Day strike of workers took place. The first May Day in Moscow took place in 1895. Since 1897, May Days began to be political in nature and accompanied by mass demonstrations. In 1917, May 1 was celebrated openly for the first time. In all 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”.

In 1918, post-revolutionary Russia adopted a law stating that May 1 would be celebrated at the national level.

In the USSR, May Day demonstrations were of great importance. It was really large-scale celebration. Organizations have been preparing for it for weeks. In the first years of Soviet power, military equipment entered the parade in honor of May 1, and real performances were staged with acrobatic and gymnastic acts. It was a real holiday that everyone was waiting for.

It had many names. Initially, in the USSR May 1 was called International Day. In 1930, this day was renamed the Holiday of International Solidarity of the Proletariat. During the Great Patriotic War, it was called the Battle Festival of the International Proletariat. After this, the official name appeared - International Labor Day. Since 1997, on May 1st we have been celebrating Spring and Labor Day.