May Day

May Day Quick Facts - CA

AKA Name	International Worker's Day, Labour Day
ℹ HashtagsCompiled on05:14	#MayDay2023, #MayDay
Related Hashtags	#MAY
2023 Date	May 1, 2023
2024 Date	May 1, 2024

2023 Holidays & Dates

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May Day in 2023

Monday, May 1

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May Day History

May Day marks the halfway point between the first day of spring and the summer solstice. This day can be traced back to the days of the Romans as it involved many pagan rituals and ancient customs. These were slowly phased out with the arrival of Christianity. Festivals, dances, and rituals related to agriculture and fertility were practiced by many Germanic and European countries. May Day is observed annually on the 1st of May.

Top Tweets for May Day -

Today, on May Day, gig workers came together to decline orders and march for an end to misclassification and full employment rights! We took action together and with our comrades from around the province to push for change and demand a government that truly stands with workers! https://t.co/Rv7eg4EXUL
— Gig Workers United (@GigWorkersUnite) May 1, 2022

This Sunday May 1 (May Day) we are having a Labour and Worker themed community bike ride. Meet at 2pm at Centre in the Square, we will ride past some important worker-related sites, and end at the KW Carnival of Resistance at the Courthouse. https://t.co/uTDIu2EePJ https://t.co/5CBekov8tb
— GroundUpWR (@GroundUpWR) April 27, 2022

Did you know that May Day is like Labour Day in much of the world? On this year's May Day, May 1, OPSEU/SEFPO’s new President @JPHornick will be marching to demand an end to anti-worker laws like Bill 124. Reply and tell us what you'll be marching for! #WhyWeMarch #May1ON https://t.co/lYW3PgW1oO
— OPSEU (@OPSEU) April 26, 2022

May Day Facts & Quotes

Roman Catholics celebrate May as Mary's month and May Day is celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
May Day is also recognized as International Worker's Day, or Labor Day. This day commemorates workers rights and the labor movement. One popular cause that this day commemorates is the eight-hour workday.
During the Haymarket Affair of 1886, more than a dozen people were killed after a 3-day strike and rally. US Labor Unions had agreed upon a general nationwide strike on May 1, 1886 in support of an eight-hour work day. One such rally, held outside the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Chicago, Illinois, became violent when police fired into the crowd of striking workers. Outraged, the worker's organized another rally the next day at Haymarket Square. The rally became violent when a bomb was thrown into a crowd of police. Seven officers were killed. A very public trial ensued which ended in the public hanging of four anarchists.
In France, it is customary to give a sweet smelling flower called the spring of lily of the valley (a symbol of springtime) on May 1st. The tradition started in 1561 when King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. – Martin Luther King Jr.

In the News and Trending for May Day

Updated 05:12Aztec dance group hosts 'reimagined' May Day festival

mprnews.org

Ontario workers will make history this May Day

ofl.ca

May Day – International Workers’ Day

cupw.ca

May Day – International Workers Day

edmontonlabour.ca

May Day Top Events and Things to Do

Dance around a Maypole. Decorate a tall pole with garlands of flowers and ribbons. Have a group of friends each take a ribbon and dance around the pole, interweaving the ribbons to form a braided affect. The braid can be undone by retracing one's steps.
Have a picnic outdoors in the sunshine.
Attend a May Day Festival.
Watch a film relating to worker’s rights. Our favorite films on the topic:
1) The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
2) Office Space (1999)
3) Caesar Chavez (2014)