Today the world marks the International Workers’ Day. Even though this is not an official public holiday in the UAE, many other countries celebrate this date.
The International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, is marked in more than 80 countries all over the world. In most of them, May 1st is also a day off work. However, the main purpose of this date is not to give people an extra holiday, but to commemorate the achievements of the global labor movements.
History
The history of the International Worker’s Day goes back to 1886, when a big strike was organized in Chicago in favour of workers’ right to an eight-hour day. This event became a turning point for labor legislation not only in the US but in the entire world.
The Celebrations
Today, countries celebrate the holiday in various ways including festivals, parades, labor events, shows, as well as demonstrations and even strikes.
In France, for example, the International Workers’ Day is a public holiday. Moreover, this is the only day in which workers are obliged by the law to take a day off. Apart from the traditional parades, demonstrations and marches, French people give each other a lily of the valley on May 1. However, that has little to do with Labor Day. Actually this is a national custom which can be traced back to 16th century France.
Workers’ Day is also marked in many South American countries, including Chile. There, it is celebrated since 1931. In Chile, Labor Day starts with rallies and festivals and it ends with cookouts organized in the late afternoons or the evenings. In addition, unlike in France, where public services continued to be offered throughout the day, in this Latin country even stores close their doors.
However, the International Workers’ Day is particularly marked in European countries known as the Eastern Bloc. Those are the former communist states located in Eastern and Central Europe. The high appreciation of May 1st in these regions is due to the fact the Soviet Union used to organize massive events for the public holiday. In most of the former Eastern Bloc countries this tradition may not be fully observed today, but the date continues to be celebrated. Among them is also Bulgaria, which was one of the first countries to mark the International Workers’ Day back in 1890. Even though its state authorities no longer organize mass events, May 1st is official public holiday.
Italy, on the other hand, marks Labor Day with a big concert which attracts over half a million visitors every year. The concert is broadcasted live on TV and in it participate the country’s most popular music artists and bands.
Interestingly, although the International Labor Day started in the US, the country does not celebrate it since it continues to connect it with socialism.
However, the International Workers’ Day is not only seen as a holiday but a reminder of labor issues with which governments still try to deal. Among them are forced labor, long workdays, minimum wage rights, migrant rights and many more.
