What Is Labour Day?

International Workers’ Day also known as Labour Day or May Day. In Bulgarian it is Ден на труда и на международната работническа солидарност or Den na truda na mezhdunarodnata rabotnicheska solidarnost! It falls on May 1 and is a public holiday in over 80 countries. It celebrates the contributions of workers, promote their rights, and commemorate the labor movement.

While May Day is also a holiday to mark the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it became associated with trade union activities in the late 19th century. Workers often arrange protests rallies and strikes around the world on this day. The Catholic Church instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 in 1955. Nowadays in Bulgaria it is the day that many people have a barbecue and enjoy the first days of springtime with families.

Key Takeaways

• Labour Day, or May Day, is a public holiday honoring workers around the world.
• The roots of May Day are in Marxist economic thought, prioritzing the rights of the laboring class over that of the capitalist (business owner) class.
• In the United States, Labor Day is in early September.
• The goals of the movement that launched International Workers’ day were to improve the working conditions of workers, such as better pay, shorter working days, and safer working conditions.

Understanding International Workers’ Day

In Bulgaria 1st May marks the beginning of a 6 day holiday for many. St George’s Day is a big celebration on 6th May and is another bank holiday. If they can, workers will often combine some rest days with these celebrations to enjoy the spring days.

In July 1889, Second International, a global organization of socialist parties and trade unions, established May 1 as International Workers’ Day and planned protests demanding an eight-hour workday.

International Workers’ Day wasn’t intended to be an annual event. However, due to its remarkable success in 1890, Second International made it one. It started with demands to reduce the number of hours of manual labor required of workers. It was a popular celebration, so many countries kept the tradition.

To find out more about celebrations and culture, see our #Culture blog posts.