May 1 is the famous "Day of Spring and Labor", which is celebrated not only in Russia, but also in Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan. In a number of countries it is called simply "Labor Day".
How did the holiday come about?
Most of the inhabitants of Russia associate the holiday of May 1 with the communist era. But he appeared much earlier, while he had nothing to do with communism.
If you recall the pagan traditions, then there you can find a mention of the fact that the month of May was named in honor of the goddess of fertility and the land of Maya. Ancient people celebrated the first day of May after plowing the land, preparing it for sowing and planting. Thus, they paid tribute to the goddess so that the land was fertile, the harvest was generous, and the labor was not wasted.
The tradition originated in ancient Rome, it was from there that it became widespread in neighboring countries. But with the advent of Christianity, pagan celebrations began to fade away, were actively supplanted by the church and forgotten.
The May Day holiday got its second birth in 1886, when socialist and communist organizations in the USA and Canada staged strikes, rallies and demonstrations. The police actively dispersed the protesters, there were even fatal cases. It was after this that a wave of mass protests against the arbitrariness of the authorities followed. A bomb was even detonated, which killed 8 police officers.
The instigators were arrested and sentenced to death. But their sacrifice was not in vain, it was after these demonstrations that on May 1, demonstrations of workers in countries around the world began to be held annually, and the holiday was called the "World Day of Workers' Solidarity."
May Day in Russia
Russian workers decided not to stand aside, and began to actively defend their rights. For the first time, May 1 was celebrated in 1890, the following year in St. Petersburg on this day there were illegal meetings of workers' organizations, called "May Day". Soon the May 1 holiday began to take on a political character. To hide illegal gatherings from the authorities, workers began to disguise them as hiking, outdoor recreation and other festivities.
In 1912, 400 thousand representatives of the working class attended the May rally, and in 1917 this figure exceeded several million. It was this year that in all cities of the country the proletariat took to the streets with the slogans "All power to the Soviets", "Down with the capitalist ministers." After the October Revolution of 1917, the holiday became official and was named “International Day”. But soon it was renamed as "Day of International Workers' Solidarity - May Day".
May 1 in the USSR began to be celebrated on a very large scale, the holiday was officially made a day off. On this day, demonstrations of workers' collectives, military parades were held. Columns of workers marched along the central streets of cities and towns to the accompaniment of marches or songs dedicated to labor and holidays. Announcers chanted political slogans into loudspeakers, heads of administration spoke from the stands.
The main demonstration of the country, which took place on Red Square in Moscow, was broadcast on the central channels. On May 2, everyone went out into the countryside in unison, this was already called "May Day", but there was no political connotation.
In 1990, there was a very famous parade dedicated to this holiday. The residents of the country remembered him for the fact that the anti-government slogans that were shouted during the demonstration were on the air. The broadcast was interrupted twice. The TV people were scared that such information was on the air, but were ordered to resume the broadcast again.
The whole country saw that Gorbachev was forced to leave the podium due to the protest of the people gathered around her. Opposition forces were in the front ranks of the demonstrators.
In 1992 the holiday was renamed into Spring and Labor Day.
Modern traditions
After the collapse of the USSR, the tradition of festive demonstrations was lost. But people were happy to celebrate a long-loved holiday, and May 1 and 2 remained days off on the calendar. The political holiday has simply turned into a national one, and its attributes in the form of balloons and red flags have been preserved.
Currently, May 1 is called the "Holiday of Spring and Labor". This name combines the customs of ancient ancestors and social orientation. Many residents of Russia spend this day in nature, in their personal plots, preparing a vegetable garden for planting.
May Day parades have also survived, but now they are attended by trade union organizations that come out with slogans calling for social justice.
Officially, May 1 is celebrated in 84 countries around the world. Everywhere there are interesting, unusual holiday traditions. For example, in Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, on this spring day, young people plant a tree under the window of their beloved girl. On May 1, Germans dress up in national costumes, sing, dance and hold fun fairs.
In England, on May 1, children go from door to door and sell flowers, they throw the received coins into the well of desires. The French dedicate this day to the Virgin Mary. On May 1, festivals are held in France, in which young girls take part. And in order for the year to develop successfully, the French drink a glass of milk on this spring holiday in the morning.
Of course, now the May 1 holiday is held on a smaller scale and is no longer of a political nature. But the slogan “Peace! Work! May! it has remained since Soviet times, does not lose its relevance and sounds in all congratulations.
