Today, May 1 for many is only an echo of the Soviet past. But his story is interesting and unusual. The article will tell you about how the pagan holiday was transformed into International Labor Day. Yes, indeed, the traditions of this celebration originate in the depths of centuries. At that time, our ancestors celebrated a holiday that symbolized the beginning of a new season of field work. And that means labor.
Goddess holiday
The authorities are making many adjustments to the perception of the people of certain phenomena. The ruling elite at all times wanted to root their ideology in society. The scope of their activities spread in all directions: from the interpretation of history to the foundation of celebrations.
The formation of the tradition of celebrating May 1 is very interesting. What kind of holiday on the first day of the third month of spring, they knew back in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Each of these peoples worshiped the
goddess Maya. She was the patroness of farmers. Every year, peasants, to appease the goddess, held mass celebrations. The date was May 1. On this day, any work was canceled. Everyone celebrated the arrival of the new harvest season. Later, the Romans named the month in honor of Maya.
Russian celebration
Celebrated modern holidays and the Slavs. April 30 and May 1 were highlighted in red on their calendar. The ritual performed by our ancestors was called Radonitsa. The essence of the May 1 holiday among the Slavs is the departure of spring colds. The dead were also revered these days. Gifts were brought to their graves, among which were colored eggs. They greeted the goddess I live, who had the power to revive nature. All day on May 1 was allotted for rest. People bathed in cold water to purify themselves, and burned ritual bonfires on the banks of rivers.
With the advent of Christianity, church representatives set themselves the goal of exterminating pagan rites. This concerned both the patroness of Maya's fertility and the Russian rituals of honoring the dead. But getting rid of a fun and joyful holiday has become a difficult task. Everyone knew how important May 1 was, and continued to celebrate it.
Therefore, it was decided to transform traditions. The pagan holidays of spring were presented as the triumph of the Resurrection of Christ, adopting some of the original elements.
First day of workers
Over ten centuries of Christianity, the feast of the arrival of warmth disappeared and was already celebrated as a miracle of resurrection. But historical events have amended.
On April 12, 1856, Australian workers staged a protest march. The main demand was to transfer the workers to an 8-hour working day and at the same time not to reduce wages. Then fortune was on their side. They achieved their goals without bloodshed. Since then, they have celebrated their victory annually.
Thirty years later, in 1886, on another continent, workers in the United States and Canada decided, through rallies and demonstrations, to achieve an 8-hour workday. This happened on May 1st. What a holiday on this day, everyone knows, but not everyone knows that his story is tragic.
The strikers sought a limited working day (before that, he ranged from 12 to 15 hours), fixed wages and social guarantees. Every city rebelled. But Chicago became the center of protests.
Homeland May 1
Events in Chicago went down in history as a "Haymarket rally." About 40,000 dissatisfied workers took to the streets of the city. The next day, one of the leading factories laid off more than 1,000 workers. Offended and unemployed people staged another demonstration. Under the gates of that factory, rebellions were dispersed by the police, with dozens of people injured and several strikers killed.
Even more bloody events occurred three days after May 1. The history of the holiday has taken a new turn.
In Haymarket Square, in a shopping center, a rally was organized against the reprisal of the authorities. Everything was relatively calm. The police were about to clear the area. But one of the provocateurs threw a bomb in the guards. The police started shelling. During the shooting, many peaceful protesters died. Repression followed, and after a while apologies to the authorities.
The whole world learned about the so-called revolution of May 1. What kind of holiday could be based on these events? Of course, they began to celebrate the victory of the workers over the system!
Underground T-shirts
He officially introduced the event and introduced the Congress of the Second International to the people. This structure united socialist workers parties from all over the world. In 1889, in Paris, it was decided to celebrate the day of the proletariat in memory of those killed in Chicago. The proposal to take to the streets of the city every year and fight for their rights has taken root. Since then the glory of May 1 has spread throughout the world. The holiday in Russia (during the empire) was first celebrated in 1890 in Warsaw. The following year, St. Petersburg was already delighted in underground labor day. There, workers hid from the governing authority in the forest. Under the guise of a picnic, people discussed important revolutionary issues. Picked up the movement and Moscow. The first proletarian May Day took place there in 1895.
Openly celebrated Labor Day in 1917. The triumph had a bright political connotation. Slogans, exclamations, portraits of politicians - everything was aimed at the class struggle. A year later, with the coming to power of the Soviets, a law was passed that henceforth May 1 will be celebrated at the national level. What a holiday and how to spend it, every Soviet person knew.
The time of the working people
The most striking May Day actions were organized by the Soviet government. The teams have been preparing for the celebration for weeks. It was not only a day off, but also a large-scale cultural program, which the elite was planning.
Parades of the Union envied the whole world. People enjoyed demonstrations. Each
workforce fought for the best banner.
In order to bring the masses to the streets in the early years, the authorities cheated. The leaders launched a column of equipment across the main areas, among which was a tank. On a miracle gathered onlookers.
Parades of the 20-30s were remembered by magnificent acrobatic and gymnastic numbers. Various scenes in which capitalists ridiculed were also staged. This is what May 1 was in the Soviet Union.
Labor Day
A celebration began in the Union called International Day. But later the name changed. Since 1930, May 1 has been known as the Festival of International Solidarity of the Proletariat. The years of World War II made their modifications. Then the day was renamed the Combat Festival of the international proletariat. Further, a new official name was established - International Labor Day. But the people simply called him - May 1. The history of the holiday originates in the United States, but it is worth noting that there the workers rest on the first Monday of September.
Workers are given weekends on May 1 or the first Monday of the month in more than 140 countries. Another 80 states celebrate the holiday on another day.
Oblivion of tradition
Today, the May 1 holiday script has acquired new features. It is worth noting that less and less Russians want to devote this day to mass actions. Experts argue that such a decline in activity was due to the fact that during the communist ideology, access to the parade was forced, while now even the parade itself has lost its original qualities.
In modern Russia, May 1 has lost its political context and is celebrated as the
Festival of Spring and Labor. Officially, such a status was granted to the celebration on December 30, 2001, as indicated in Article 112 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
This day people try to spend with friends and family in nature, have a good rest and gain strength until the next holidays.