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| May Day parade banners |
May Day is a public holiday usually
celebrated on 1 May. It is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and
a traditional spring holiday in many cultures.
Dances, singing, and cake are
usually part of the festivities. In the late 19th century, May Day was chosen
as the date for International Workers' Day by the Socialists and Communists of
the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair in Chicago.
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| Nigerian journalists celebrate May Day |
Brief History
Working people around the world have always had
to struggle to win decent wages, and safe working conditions. In the 1860's
they campaigned for shorter working hours in many countries. On May 1, 1886,
workers in Canada and the United States, held peaceful strikes and rallies to
demand an eight-hour work day. Two days later, Chicago police killed several
demonstrators at a clash between workers and scabs in that city. A
rally was held in Hay market Square to protest the killings, and when the
police tried to forcibly disperse the crowd, a bomb was thrown. Seven policemen
were killed; dozens in the crowd were injured. Although, none had thrown the
bomb, eight leaders of the Chicago workers movement were charged with the death
of the policemen. They were all convicted. Four were executed, one died in
custody, and three were given life imprisonment, but were eventually pardoned. In
memory of this struggle and the struggle of all workers for better conditions,
May 1 was declared an eight-hour holiday in 1889, by the International Workers'
Congress in Paris. International Workers' Day can also be referred to as
"May Day", but it is a different celebration from the traditional May
Day.
History From
Antiquity
The earliest May Day celebrations appeared with
the Floralia, festival of Flora,
the Roman goddess of flowers, held on 27 April during the Roman Republic era,
and with the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries.
It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane, most commonly held on
30 April. The day is a traditional summer holiday in many European pagan cultures.
While 1 February is the first day of spring, 1 May is the first day
of summer; hence, the summer solstice on 25 June (now 21 June)
is Midsummer.
As Europe became Christianized, the pagan
holidays lost their religious character and May Day changed into a popular
secular celebration. A significant celebration of May Day occurs in Germany
where it is one of several days on which St. Walburga, credited with
bringing Christianity to Germany, is celebrated. The secular versions of May
Day, observed in Europe and North America, may be best known for their
traditions of dancing around the maypole and crowning the Queen
of May. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of
"May baskets," small baskets of sweets or flowers, usually left
anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.
Since the 18th century, many Roman Catholics have
observed May – and May Day – with various May devotions to the Blessed
Virgin Mary In works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will
often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. 1 May is also one of two
feast days of the Catholic patron saint of workers St Joseph the Worker, a
carpenter, husband to Mother Mary, and surrogate father of Jesus. Replacing
another feast to St. Joseph, this date was chosen by Pope Pius XII in
1955 as a counterpoint to the communist International Workers Day celebrations
on May Day.
In the late 20th century, many neopagans began
reconstructing traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious
festival.
May Day
Start In Nigeria
In Nigeria, May Day as a holiday was first
declared by the People Redemption Party (PRP) Government of Kano State in
1980. It became a national holiday on May 1, 1981.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day
and http://www.nlcng.org/search_details.php?id=254
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