May 1 - Spring and Labor Day
Speaking of stories holiday, it is worth noting that its roots go back to ancient pagan times, and the name - Labor Day, is by no means an accident. Three thousand years ago, the goddess Maya, the patroness of earth and fertility, was especially honored by the inhabitants of ancient Italy. The last month of spring owes its name to this goddess, and the ancestors of modern Italians organized celebrations on her first May day, believing that after that the spring labors (plowing, sowing) of the farmers would not be in vain.
Over time, this ancient Italian custom was adopted by residents of neighboring countries, who liked the idea of holding mass celebrations and processions on the first day of May. However, the spread of Christianity in Europe had a negative impact on this pagan tradition, and by the end of the XVIII century, the church managed to almost completely eliminate this custom.
However, at the end of the 19th century, the tradition of organizing a holiday on the first day of May acquired a new life thanks to the labor movement, one of the main requirements of which was to reduce the working day to eight hours. In 1886, 1 in May in the USA and Canada, socialist and communist organizations held numerous rallies and demonstrations. During the crackdown in Chicago, six demonstrators died. The death of the demonstrators rallied people even more and led to mass protests against the brutality of police officers, with the result that the bomb blast killed eight policemen. Four workers were accused of organizing the explosion, the court sentenced them to death. And in memory of those executed in NUMXX at the Paris Congress of the Second International, it was decided to annually celebrate 1889 in May as the Day of International Solidarity of Workers and to organize demonstrations with social demands on this day. Currently, May Day in one form or another is noted in the vast majority of countries around the world.
In Russia, May Day was celebrated for the first time in 1890, under the name of the Day of International Solidarity of Workers. A year later, in St. Petersburg, left-wing organizations organized the first May Day celebration - an illegal meeting of workers was organized outside the city on May 1. Since the 1897 year, Mayovki acquired a political nature and were accompanied by mass demonstrations.
For the first time, this holiday was openly celebrated only on 1 May 1917. In each city of the country, workers took to the streets, holding communist slogans in their hands: “Down with the capitalist ministers,” “All power to the Soviets,” etc. And in 1918, the Khodynskoye field became the venue for the first May Day parade of the Red Army.
It was in the USSR that May 1 became a truly national holiday, and thanks to this holiday, workers had two additional days off. Solemn demonstrations with flowers and banners were held everywhere. One of the obligatory attributes of the holiday was a festive feast, which eventually turned into a trip out of town for barbecues.
For a long time, May Day was called the Day of International Solidarity of Workers of All Countries. But after decades, the political component of the holiday was lost. In 1990, 1, in May, representatives of the top leadership of the USSR and the CPSU took the podium for the last time to participate in the official holiday demonstration. And in 1992, the holiday that everyone has grown fond of was renamed, calling it the Spring and Labor Day. In modern Russia on this day, as a rule, political actions of trade unions, parties and movements of various kinds are carried out, acting with their slogans.
Over time, this ancient Italian custom was adopted by residents of neighboring countries, who liked the idea of holding mass celebrations and processions on the first day of May. However, the spread of Christianity in Europe had a negative impact on this pagan tradition, and by the end of the XVIII century, the church managed to almost completely eliminate this custom.
However, at the end of the 19th century, the tradition of organizing a holiday on the first day of May acquired a new life thanks to the labor movement, one of the main requirements of which was to reduce the working day to eight hours. In 1886, 1 in May in the USA and Canada, socialist and communist organizations held numerous rallies and demonstrations. During the crackdown in Chicago, six demonstrators died. The death of the demonstrators rallied people even more and led to mass protests against the brutality of police officers, with the result that the bomb blast killed eight policemen. Four workers were accused of organizing the explosion, the court sentenced them to death. And in memory of those executed in NUMXX at the Paris Congress of the Second International, it was decided to annually celebrate 1889 in May as the Day of International Solidarity of Workers and to organize demonstrations with social demands on this day. Currently, May Day in one form or another is noted in the vast majority of countries around the world.
In Russia, May Day was celebrated for the first time in 1890, under the name of the Day of International Solidarity of Workers. A year later, in St. Petersburg, left-wing organizations organized the first May Day celebration - an illegal meeting of workers was organized outside the city on May 1. Since the 1897 year, Mayovki acquired a political nature and were accompanied by mass demonstrations.
For the first time, this holiday was openly celebrated only on 1 May 1917. In each city of the country, workers took to the streets, holding communist slogans in their hands: “Down with the capitalist ministers,” “All power to the Soviets,” etc. And in 1918, the Khodynskoye field became the venue for the first May Day parade of the Red Army.
It was in the USSR that May 1 became a truly national holiday, and thanks to this holiday, workers had two additional days off. Solemn demonstrations with flowers and banners were held everywhere. One of the obligatory attributes of the holiday was a festive feast, which eventually turned into a trip out of town for barbecues.
For a long time, May Day was called the Day of International Solidarity of Workers of All Countries. But after decades, the political component of the holiday was lost. In 1990, 1, in May, representatives of the top leadership of the USSR and the CPSU took the podium for the last time to participate in the official holiday demonstration. And in 1992, the holiday that everyone has grown fond of was renamed, calling it the Spring and Labor Day. In modern Russia on this day, as a rule, political actions of trade unions, parties and movements of various kinds are carried out, acting with their slogans.
Information