What is the correct name for May 1st? The first of May - what are we celebrating? Holiday in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece
History of the May 1st holiday for children
May 1 - Spring and Labor Festival
About the holiday May 1st for children. Interesting and useful information about the May Day holiday.
For many years, the May Day holiday was called International Workers' Day. Every year on this day, schoolchildren, students and workers went to a demonstration.
Adults carried large flags, flowers and banners in their hands, and children had small flags and balloons in their hands. Everyone rejoiced at spring, the renewal of nature and the warm rays of the sun. Returning home, everyone sat down at the festive table.
May Day was the perfect occasion to send greeting cards to friends and family wishing them health and happiness.
On May 1, 1990, the last May Day demonstration took place. International Workers' Day lost its political character and was renamed the Spring and Labor Day. Today it is not celebrated as actively as in previous years. But, since this day is a day off, people have the opportunity to take a break from work, invite guests or go visit themselves and have a good time on a nice spring day. And some, on the contrary, believe that on Labor Day you must definitely work - they go to the dacha and work in the garden.
How May Day is celebrated in different countries
America
Labor Day in the United States is celebrated not on May 1st, but on the first Monday in September. But on May 1, Americans have a custom of singing and dancing around the “Maypole” (this custom came to America from Europe). Children collect spring flowers in paper baskets. They place these baskets under the doors of close friends and relatives, and then press the bell button and run away. Someone opens the door, and there is a pleasant surprise!
England
In ancient times, on the first day of May, the Celts celebrated Beltane - a holiday whose name translated means “Merry Bonfire”. It was dedicated to the sun and driving cattle to summer pastures. Residents collected wood for sacred fires. They piled them on the hills and set them on fire at dawn. They brought the cattle from the pastures and led them between the fires. In this way, they paid tribute to the sun and tried to appease the forces of nature. Of course, today Beltane is no longer celebrated like that - they simply organize processions and mass celebrations.
Germany
German boys secretly plant maypoles in front of the windows of their beloved girls. It's a beautiful tradition, isn't it? And the holiday could have turned out to be very pleasant, if not for one circumstance. On May 1, numerous parties and movements hold rallies, which very often end in fights and brawls.
In general, in Germany the night from April 30 to May 1 is Walpurgis Night! Tradition says that at this time witches hold a Sabbath on Mount Brocken. And this is why this legend appeared. In the Middle Ages, some Germanic tribes did not want to accept Christianity and secretly organized bonfires with dances, worshiping pagan gods. Well, legends began to circulate among the people that it was witches who were going to the Sabbath.
Greece
In Greece, it is customary to celebrate the transition of spring into summer. Wreaths are hung above the entrance to the house, symbolizing the onset of the Flower Festival. Early in the morning, girls in the villages dress in elegant national dresses and go off to collect flowers to weave wreaths and decorate their homes with them. The Greeks also hold flower processions to celebrate the arrival of summer.
Italy
The Italian holiday has ancient pagan roots. And it is not called Labor Day by chance. The fact is that three thousand years ago the inhabitants of Ancient Italy worshiped the goddess Maya, the patroness of the earth and fertility. It was in her honor that the last month of spring was named May. Well, on the first day of May, celebrations and festivities were held.
The ancient Romans held festivals called Floralia in late April and early May, which were dedicated to Flora, the goddess of flowers and youth. Today, the people of Italy also revere this goddess: they hold flower festivals and bring flowers to the temple. Well, in Sicily, on May Day, everyone collects meadow daisies - according to local beliefs, these flowers bring happiness. The Italians have another wonderful tradition - decorating the “May Day tree”. Moreover, they can dress up not only a tree, but even an ordinary pole. Tassels, bows, artificial flowers are used - the main thing is that it is beautiful and festive! Round dances are held around the “May Day tree”, people dance and sing, fire performances and fireworks are staged. The main thing is that no one digs up the tree on the night before the holiday.
France
On every corner you can see wonderful delicate spring flowers. The French believe that this particular flower brings happiness, so they always try to give a bouquet of lilies of the valley to their loved ones, friends and relatives.
And in the French city of Cluis, the Snail Carnival is held on this day.
Spring and Labor Day 2019 is celebrated in Russia on May 1. This is a public holiday and a day off in the country. It is dedicated to all workers. Another popular name for the celebration is May Day.
history of the holiday
The history of the holiday dates back to the middle of the 19th century. In 1856, workers in Australia staged mass protests and demanded an eight-hour working day. The Australian movement was taken up by workers in Canada and the USA. On May 1, 1886, a demonstration in Chicago ended in a clash with police and bloodshed. In July 1889 in Paris, the Congress of the Second International decided to hold annual May Day demonstrations in memory of the victims.
In Russia, the first festive events and actions took place in 1891 in St. Petersburg. In 1918, the government of the RSFSR decided to hold the national holiday International Day on May 1. In 1972, it was named “International Workers' Day - May Day” and began to be celebrated on May 1 and 2. In 1992 it was renamed the Spring and Labor Festival. Until 2005, May 1 and 2 were official non-working holidays in Russia. In accordance with the Federal Law of December 29, 2004 No. 201-FZ “On Amendments to Article 112 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation,” only May 1 remains a day off.
Traditions and rituals
On May 1, trade unions, communist, anarchist and alternative political parties organize rallies and parades highlighting slogans for workers' rights. Concerts and entertainment programs with the participation of pop stars are held in city squares.
Top officials of the state send postcards, certificates of gratitude, awards and valuable gifts to distinguished employees.
On May Day, not only workers are honored, but also the onset of the last month of spring, symbolizing the flowering of all living things and the approach of summer. On this holiday, residents of Russia organize May Days: picnics, trips out of town, fishing, to the dacha. During such outings into nature, they cook dishes over the fire, sing songs with a guitar, and play games.
For many citizens of the Russian Federation, the May 1 holiday has lost its original political and social meaning and has become an occasion for meetings with friends, colleagues and a pleasant outdoor recreation.
For many, May 1 is one of the most beloved holidays. Despite the fact that it falls in the last month of spring, it is considered a symbol of the beginning of warmth and sunlight. And for Russians, it also means the beginning of the May holidays - a series of days free from the hustle and bustle of work and devoted exclusively to relaxing with family and friends.
Despite such love for this date, few people know how the story of May 1 began. While the older generation still remembers the scale of the celebration during the Soviet Union, for the younger generation this day often means only an extra day off. But at the same time, May Day has a rich history that will be interesting for everyone to get acquainted with.
Origins of the holiday
This date originates in the American city of Chicago, where on May 1, 1886 a large-scale workers’ protest took place. Tired of unbearable conditions, people demanded that the number of working hours per day be limited to 8. But the rally not only failed to achieve its goal, but also led to numerous casualties among the protesters.
The American authorities, who did not intend to reduce the 15-hour working day, ordered the police to take tough measures against the protesters. As a result, a massive fire was opened, which claimed hundreds of lives. Despite this, workers continued to hold protests on May 1st every year, demanding that their harsh working conditions be taken into account. Such rallies often ended in real fights with the police. It was in memory of the first Chicago protest that the date began to be celebrated, first of all, as Labor Day.
Such mass protests did not go unnoticed. The Congress of the Second International, which was held in Paris in 1889, decided to call May 1 World Workers' Day. This was done in honor of the workers of Chicago, who were the first to decide to resist the existing system.
In addition, at the Congress it was decided that people of all states have the right to go to rallies annually on May 1 and put forward their demands of a social nature. Thus, Labor Day was officially recognized at the state level.
The emergence of the holiday in Russia
The history of the May 1 holiday in Russia begins in 1890, when world communists celebrated this date for the first time. This happened in Warsaw. Inspired by the example of their American colleagues and the actions of the Poles, Russian workers gradually came to the idea of starting protests. The first mass demonstrations of the proletariat were celebrated in 1897, when the holiday acquired political overtones.
But, despite the fact that Labor Day was officially recognized by the authorities, mass celebrations remained informal for a long time. It was only in 1901 that the first slogans openly demanding a change of power were seen. By 1912, the number of representatives of the proletariat participating in the May demonstrations reached 400 thousand. And already in 1917, entire millions of people walked the streets, demanding the overthrow of the tsarist government. It was this year that the Russian holiday began to take on an official character, and demonstrations and parades began to be held openly.
The coming of the Bolsheviks to power became an important stage in the celebration of May 1, and the history of the holiday took on a different color. The status of this day has also changed. Now the date was given the title of “the largest holiday in the Soviet Union,” which had to be celebrated by all residents of the country.
In every locality, entire working groups walked along the streets, carrying posters in their hands that reflected the existing ideology. And the reward for the most distinguished was the opportunity to participate in the main parade of the country, which took place on Red Square in the capital.
Despite the fact that May Day initially had a political character, which is why it was celebrated quite strictly, over time it turned into a favorite folk holiday. Slogans calling for action against the capitalist system were replaced by banners with solemn congratulations written on them.
People began to celebrate this date with family or friends, enjoying the two-day weekend. Traditionally, the first day was dedicated to parades, at which political speeches were replaced by congratulations, and large-scale processions were held, covered by television. But the second day could be spent at a fun May Day with loved ones and relax before working days.
This is how May 1, or the Spring and Labor Festival, gradually turned from an annual political rally into a favorite national celebration. Red flags and balloons are integral attributes of this date. The older generation recalls with pleasure the unique atmosphere that reigned throughout the country at that time. The first real warmth, the feeling of the magic of spring and the opportunity to spend two extra weekends with loved ones - this is what May Day symbolized for the working class of the Soviet Union.
May 1 in modern Russia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this date continues to be celebrated. But the previous excitement around the holiday is no longer there, and the main joy from it is the additional days off. The last parade dedicated to May 1 was held in 1990.
Now this day is traditionally celebrated with a picnic, and for many residents of the country this is an additional opportunity to work in the garden.
Despite the fact that the holiday no longer pleases people on such a scale, its significance is not forgotten. The famous slogan “Peace! Work! May!" still continues to sound in congratulations. The warm holiday, which united the entire working class, will remain among the most beloved.
May 1st in various countries
This day is celebrated not only in the USA and Russia. The number of countries that joined the celebration of this significant date is 142. Most of them celebrate it on May 1, but there are states where celebrations are held on the first Monday of the month.
This holiday is especially loved in:
- Spain;
- Germany;
- Sweden;
- Greece;
- France;
- Italy;
- Holland.
Each country has its own traditions for celebrating May Day. For example, on this day young Spaniards present their spouses with the first spring flowers, which bloom by this time.
And in Germany there are large-scale celebrations, entire fairs and funny dances. In addition, there is a wonderful tradition here - young people in love plant a tree in front of the window of their chosen one.
On the night of April 30 to May 1, giant fires are lit in Swedish cities, in which garbage that has accumulated throughout the year is burned. After this, it’s time to dance and have fun. And the next morning various rallies begin in support of the working class.
In Greece, this day is a holiday symbolizing the change of seasons. Young girls collect the first flowers, weave wreaths from them and decorate their homes.
In France, May Day is associated with lilies of the valley. These are the flowers that represent happiness that the French give when congratulating each other.
On this day, Italians return to the pagan origins of the holiday. Flower festivals are held in honor of the goddesses Maya and Flora.
In Holland, May Day is the time for the tulip festival. Many people from all over the world come here specifically to see this colorful spectacle.
Thus, May 1 is a wonderful holiday that unites different peoples. It doesn’t matter what version of the celebration is held in the country. In any case, this is a bright spring holiday that brings a lot of positive emotions.
Today, May 1, for many is just an echo of the Soviet past. But his story is interesting and unusual. The article will tell you how the pagan holiday was transformed into International Labor Day. Yes, indeed, the traditions of this celebration date back centuries. At that time, our ancestors celebrated a holiday that symbolized the beginning of a new season of field work. Which means labor.
Goddess Festival
The authorities make many adjustments to the people's perception of certain phenomena. The ruling elite has always wanted to root its ideology in society. The scope of their activities extended in all directions: from the interpretation of history to the founding of celebrations.
It is very interesting to form a tradition of celebrating May 1st. What kind of holiday is on the first day of the third month of spring was known back in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Each of these peoples worshiped the goddess Maya. She was the patroness of farmers. Every year, the peasants organized mass celebrations to appease the goddess. The date was May 1st. On this day, any work was canceled. Everyone celebrated the arrival of the new harvest season. Later the Romans named a month after Maya.
Russian celebration
Modern holidays were also celebrated by the Slavs. April 30 and May 1 were highlighted in red on their calendar. The ritual that our ancestors performed was called Radonitsa. The essence of the May 1 holiday among the Slavs is the departure of the spring cold. On these days the dead were also venerated. Gifts were brought to their graves, including painted eggs. They greeted the goddess Zhiva, who had the power to revive nature. The entire day of May 1 was set aside for rest. People bathed in cold water to cleanse themselves and burned ritual bonfires on the banks of rivers.
With the advent of Christianity, church representatives set themselves the goal of exterminating pagan rituals. This applied both to Maya, the patroness of fertility, and to Russian rituals of honoring the dead. But getting rid of the fun and joyful holiday became a difficult task. Everyone knew what an important holiday May 1st was and continued to celebrate it.
Therefore, it was decided to transform traditions. Pagan spring holidays were presented as a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, adopting some original elements.
First day of workers
Over ten centuries of Christianity, the holiday of the arrival of warmth disappeared and was celebrated as a miracle of resurrection. But historical events made their own amendments.
On April 12, 1856, Australian workers organized a protest march. The main requirement was to transfer workers to an 8-hour working day and not reduce wages. Then fortune was on their side. They achieved their goal without bloodshed. Since then they have celebrated their victory every year.
Thirty years later, in 1886, on another continent, workers in the United States and Canada decided to also achieve an 8-hour working day through rallies and demonstrations. This happened on May 1st. Everyone knows what kind of holiday this day is, but not everyone knows that its history is tragic.
The strikers sought a limited working day (previously it ranged from 12 to 15 hours), fixed wages and social guarantees. Every city rebelled. But Chicago became the center of the protests.
Motherland May 1
The events in Chicago went down in history as the “Haymarket Rally.” About 40,000 disgruntled workers took to the streets of the city. The next day, one of the leading factories fired more than 1,000 workers. Offended and unemployed people staged another demonstration. Under the gates of that factory, the uprisings were dispersed by the police, with dozens of people injured and several strikers killed.
Even bloodier events occurred three days after May 1. The history of the holiday has taken a new turn.
In Haymarket Square, in a shopping center, a rally was organized against the authorities' violence. Everything was relatively calm. The police were about to clear the square. But one of the provocateurs threw a bomb at the law enforcement officers. The police began firing. Many peaceful protesters were killed in the shooting. Repression followed, and after some time an apology from the authorities.
The whole world learned about the so-called May 1st revolution. What kind of holiday could be based on these events? Of course, they began to celebrate the victory of the workers over the system!
Clandestine May Day
Officially presented the event and introduced the Congress of the Second International to the people. This structure united socialist workers' parties from all over the world. In 1889, it was decided to celebrate Proletariat Day in Paris in memory of those killed in Chicago. The proposal to take to the streets of the city every year and fight for your rights has taken root. Since then, the glory of May 1st has spread throughout the world. The holiday in Russia (during the empire) was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw. The following year, St. Petersburg secretly rejoiced at World Workers' Day. There, the workers hid from the governing authorities in the forest. Under the guise of a picnic, people discussed important revolutionary issues. Moscow also picked up the movement. The first proletarian May Day took place there in 1895.
Labor Day was openly celebrated in 1917. The celebration had a strong political overtones. Slogans, exclamations, portraits of political figures - everything was aimed at the class struggle. A year later, with the Soviets coming to power, a law was passed stating that May 1 would henceforth be celebrated at the national level. Every Soviet person knew what kind of holiday it was and how to celebrate it.
Time of the working people
The most striking May Day actions were organized by the Soviet government. The teams prepared for the celebration for weeks. It was not only a day off, but also a large-scale cultural program, planned by the elite.
The Union parades were the envy of the whole world. People went to the demonstrations with pleasure. Each work collective fought for the best banner.
In order to bring the masses to the streets in the first years, the authorities cheated. The leaders sent a column of equipment, including a tank, through the main squares. Onlookers gathered to watch the miracle.
The parades of the 20s and 30s were remembered for their magnificent acrobatic and gymnastic performances. Various skits were also staged in which capitalists were ridiculed. This is what the May 1st holiday was like in the Soviet Union.
Labor Day
A celebration began in the Union called International Day. But later the name changed. Since 1930, May 1st has been known as the International Proletarian Solidarity Day. The years of the Great Patriotic War brought their own modifications. Then the day was renamed the Battle Festival of the International Proletariat. Then a new official name was adopted - International Labor Day. But people simply called it May 1st. The history of the holiday originates in the USA, but it is worth noting that workers there rest on the first Monday of September.
In more than 140 countries, workers are given a day off on May 1 or the first Monday of the month. Another 80 countries celebrate the holiday on a different day.
Forgetting traditions
Today, the scenario for the May 1 holiday has acquired new features. It is worth noting that fewer and fewer Russians want to devote this day to mass protests. Experts say that this decline in activity is due to the fact that during the communist ideology, participation in the parade was forced, while now even the parade itself has lost its original qualities.
In modern Russia, May 1 has lost its political context and is celebrated as the Holiday of Spring and Labor. Officially, this status was granted to the celebration on December 30, 2001, as stated in Article 112 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
People try to spend this day with friends and family in nature, have a good rest and gain strength until the next holidays.
Three thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Ancient Italy worshiped the goddess Maya, the patroness of the earth and fertility. In honor of her, the last month of spring was called May, and on its first day folk festivities were held.
On May 1, 1886, American workers went on strike, demanding an 8-hour workday. The strike and accompanying demonstration ended in a bloody clash with the police. The history of the May 1 holiday, International Workers' Day, begins in July 1889, when the Paris Congress of the Second International, in memory of the speech of Chicago workers, decided to hold annual demonstrations on May 1.
The emergence of May Days is closely related to the first of May. This is a gathering of the whole family or company for a picnic. Picnics are held on May 1st or 2nd. This tradition of celebrating in nature was invented in the USSR and has survived to this day. Initially, in pre-revolutionary Russia, a May Day was an illegal meeting of workers organized outside the city on May 1st. Mayevkas were persecuted by the tsarist police. In Soviet times, May Days became more of a form of collective recreation, the beginning of the dacha season, barbecues, and spending time in nature, and have remained in this form to this day.
In Sicily, everyone, young and old, collects meadow daisies on May Day, which, according to local beliefs, bring happiness. Flower festivals, which originated in Italy, came to England in the Middle Ages. On the first day of May, English villagers rose at dawn to pick flowers. A tall maypole was erected in a clearing in the village, decorated with bright wildflowers, and people danced and sang around the tree. Nowadays in London children go from house to house and sell flowers. They throw all the money collected into a wishing well or donate it to various charitable organizations.
In Finland, May Day (Vappu) is a spring carnival for students. In Helsinki, the festivities begin on April 30, when at six o'clock in the evening, students put on a white cap - the headdress of applicants - on the statue of the nymph Havis Amanda, located on the capital's Market Square. At this moment, everyone present also puts on their caps and opens bottles of champagne. Those who graduate from the lyceum and pass the final exam receive the white cap.
The first of May is also the Festival of Lilies of the Valley. Among the ancient Germans, lilies of the valley were dedicated to the goddess of the rising sun and dawn. With the spread of Christianity, a legend appeared that these flowers arose from the tears of the Virgin Mary.
The tradition of giving bouquets of lilies of the valley on the first day of May was introduced in France almost 500 years ago by Charles IX. In France, a custom has long taken root: on the first of May, early in the morning, go into the forest for lilies of the valley, and in the evening have a feast and dance. If a girl exchanged bouquets of lilies of the valley with a guy, this served as a promise that she would dance only with him.
On Solidarity Day in South Africa, trade unions organize exhibitions of folk art products, sales of goods, and performances of amateur and professional musical groups.
