On Every May 1st, International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day is celebrated across the world except few countries to honor the hard work and dedication of workers. In the European countries, Labour Day is a public holiday, while other countries like US and Canada, the International Labour Day is observed every year on 1st Monday of September as an annual holiday.
For some, May 1 brings happiness every year as it’s a government holiday. However, it’s a day which uplifts dignity of humanity and embraces the efforts of workers and there is a lot more to the occasion than most of us actually know. Here are lists of some interesting facts about the day and how it has evolved over the years.
- Labour Day is celebrated to pay tribute to those innocent workers who lost their lives in 1886 in Chicago for the rights of the workers, who were forced to work over 16 hours a day in unsafe conditions.
- In Countries, like People’s Republic of China, Cuba, North Korea and the former Soviet Union, Labour Day celebrations usually feature military parades.
- The Socialists, communists and trade unionists chose May 1 as International Workers’ Day.
- The US celebrated its first Labour day on September 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by the Central Labour Union.
- Labour Day is also known as Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas in India.
- Labour Day in India was first celebrated in Chennai on May 1, 1923, initiated by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan.
- Oregon was the first state to celebrate Labour Day as a public holiday in 1887.
- In Hindi, Labour Day is known as ‘Kamgar Din’, ‘Kamgar Divas’ in Marathi and ‘Uzhaipalar Naal’ in Tamil.
- The states of Gujarat and Maharashtra celebrate May 1 as Gujarat Diwas and Maharashtra Diwas, respectively. These states had come into being on the same day in 1960 when the Bombay state was bifurcated on the basis of linguistic preferences.
- 1st May is formally known as Dia do Trabalhador in Portuguese.
