Happy Labour Day! An annual celebration of the labour and socialist struggle, celebrated across the world, but often in very different ways, due to the very different circumstances and historical specifics of the celebrations. What can you say about the day in your countries?
In Denmark, Labour Day is _not_ a national holiday (only the Church has those,) but many trade unions have negotiated a half or a full day off for the day, in order to make room for the celebrations. These celebrations usually consists of demonstrations, speeches, rallies and so-on, led by the labour movement and the socialist parties. As something new, due to the Social Democrats shift to the right and their liberal government-coalition with two bourgeois parties, the Social Democratic Party has been barred from participating in the labour movement’s celebrations—though they’ve held their own thing in the Workers’ Museum—and more space has been given to the left.
Participation in the day varies, some places it’s very popular, other places, not so much. It’s hard to get workers to use a day off in rallies and listening to speeches, unless something major is underway, and especially the many small, local, celebrations outside of the major cities, struggle with mobilising participants.
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In the Netherlands it’s not a day off either, historically people on the left would deal with this by not celebrating queensday/Kingsday but they stopped doing this after ww2 in a attempt to lessen pillarization.
Nevertheless, there’s a march in Amsterdam today at 15:00 by the biggest union. It will start in the financial district and end in the Martin Luther King Park where there will be documentaries , workshops , theater and there’s an award ceremony for the best labour actions.
It’s a day off in Lithuania. I looked up and while trade unions are apparently organizing a march in my home town, it’s not really a thing celebrated in Lithuania. For most it’s just another day off and generally more memorable as the day of our accession to the EU
It’s colloquially known as “Stone-Throwers-Sunday”. That really sais it all.
For most of the country it isn’t even a day off, for the few cantons where it is there are political demonstrations that, every year without fail, end up violent (graffiti, smashed in store windows if it’s “light”, burning trash or worse if it’s “heavy”). This year we already had a “pre-may 1. Demonstration” in Berne on Saturday that ended with burning trash etc. and two hospitalized police officers.
It’s a national holiday in Germany. Participation in events/demonstration varies greatly from city to city/bundesland/urban vs countryside as well, but it’s a thing in bigger cities, usually. It’s also in the news since together with inflation and demographic change, there are a lot of things to be discussed (well and demanded by the workers, basically).
In Berlin it seems like it’s the unofficial main holiday, though. Patients (I work in health care) have greeted me with “have fun throwing stones” or something lol..
1 May is a public holiday in Germany.
The major trade unions and other left groups have called for demonstrations as they do every year. The trade unions’ motto this year is “Unbroken Solidarity”.
There will be demonstrations in all major cities, in Berlin and Hamburg far-left demonstrations will and have already led to riots with the police.
Last year there were about 6k participants here in Frankfurt and I will also go at 12 o’clock.
From the call of the DGB:
>The world is in permanent crisis mode: energy crisis, climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, high inflation and the effects of the Corona pandemic are creating insecurity and plunging many people into existential worries. We trade unions stand by their side. Together we set a visible sign on Labour Day for a just and peaceful future, for a strong welfare state and efficient public services. Together we are unwavering in our solidarity!
I’ve only ever heard of Labour day as an American thing, we don’t have it in the UK.
However, it is a Bank Holiday today but purely coincidence as it is the early May Bank Holiday, which always falls on the first Monday of May.
In Italy in every major city we have talks by mayors and other political representatives in the main square and later we have concerts on the same stage.
Should be day off since school and universities are close but a lot of people work today anyway.
Labour day is known as Early May bank holiday or May day here. We have a day off today. I’m not sure if it’s celebrated as it’s just a rest day. I’ve heard some countries get the Maypoles out but I don’t live in a village so I wouldn’t know if it’s really celebrated here
Both the 1st and 2nd of May are public holidays in Slovenia.
On the night before, bonfires are lit and “mlaji” (tall wooden poles) are put up – they normally stand for the whole month. On the morning of 1st May, at least in some parts of the country there are “budnice”, which are early morning musical/orchestra parades.
It’s a day off today.
People celebrate it in two ways: if you’re a teen or in university, you go to the seaside. If you’re older, it’s barbeque with friends or family
Today May 1st is a national holiday in Spain. There are demonstrations in favor of workers’ rights, but I wouldn’t say they’re massively attended. Most people just use it to rest or go away on a little getaway, especially if it falls on Monday like this year.
In Madrid specifically May 2nd is also a holiday (regional holiday), so for them the long weekend is even longer, and they’re very likely to use it to travel.
In the region of Galicia, in the North, which has some Celtic roots, it is still somewhat popular to celebrate May Day as in the traditional spring festival, with flower garlands and dancing around a Maypole.
It’s a national holiday and you’ll see a lot of marches/demonstrations by unions and various other worker/leftist/student related organizations.
In Portugal, it is a national holiday.
There are usually demonstrations and protests in the big cities, like Lisbon or Porto, but most people tend to ignore them, choosing to pass the day with family or friends instead.
One of the most common traditions in the Algarve, Azores and Madeira is to have a picnic.
First of May (Första Maj) is a public holiday in Sweden, and here it is the biggest day of the year for the labour movement, unions and left-wing parties. Basically every town and city in Sweden has manifestations and marches by these groups today. There are also many public speeches by left-wing leaders and union leaders.
Among the parties in the Swedish parliament, it is mainly a big day for the Social Democrats and the Left Party. Even though the Social Democrats have now become very much a centrist party, they still see it as their day, and the leader of the party will be holding public speeches with a lot of media present. But it is also a very big day for many smaller and more radical parties and movements outside of parliament – such as various socialist, communist and anarchist groups that are holding marches and manifestations as well.
Yesterday, on the last of April, we also celebrated Walpurgis Night (Valborg) in Sweden. It is a spring celebration where we gather in public parks to listen to beautiful choir song about spring, listen to speeches about spring, and then light big bonfires – traditionally to scare off wolves, trolls and witches and such, before the cattle are let out to graze. It is also a very big drinking day, especially among young people, and among students in particular. Some public parks, especially in the big university cities, are full of drunk young people all day on Walpurgis.
It is sometimes said half jokingly by people on the left, that the Walpurgis Night celebrations were a bourgeois capitalist invention to get working class people drunk, so that they would be too hangover to go on marches and manifestations on the First of May. In the past, there were actually even ad campaigns by the left and the labour movements asking people to abstain from alcohol on Walpurgis so that they would stay sharp for the manifestations on the First of May.
Unsurprisingly, there are from time to time suggestions put forward from the right-wing parties that the First of May should be abolished as a public holiday, but that is quite unlikely to happen any time soon, since it is still a popular and symbolically important holiday. Plus of course that is great to have a day off on a beautiful day of spring.
In Finland May 1st is one of the most important national holidays but at least as much of the holiday of students, starting already by 30th of April, [Walburgis night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night#Finland) and continuing lavish park picnics in May 1st.
National holiday.. People not supporting the labour party (normally the conservatives) used to do gardening on this day as their silent protest.. while the farmers used to [spread shit on their crops](https://gfx.nrk.no/fN_XXvL2WjyeQgqTLvZkGw4C_FQfPfpvlEJTKwFs8qYg.jpg) as their protest.. while most people (no matter what party affiliation) just using it as a day off.. like a normally weekend day. People within the labour party (and some of the other red parties) normally hold rallys and marches in different towns under different paroles.. Often for such as equal pay for equal work.. or support for labourers in other countries etc. (often palestine).. Often also paroles against the non-socialist parties. This years is special.. since for the first time in its history on 1.may.. leadership of the norwegian labour party consist of 2 multimillionaires.. Some years ago current norwegian PM (one of the millionaires) was shamed in media for not hoisting the flag on 1.may.. Last year he even had media to his home to verify that he hoisted the flag..
Today is a national holiday, but officially it’s the celebration of the institution of the state, not labour day.
The fascist government in the 30s abolished labour day celebrations and replaced it with the celebration of enacting their new constitution, their party and their government system. The Nazis again replaced it with something similar. After WW2 they just kept it, so now we have two “national holidays”, 1st May and 26th October, which is sort of our liberation day.
Most people just use it as a free day like any other, to see family, go for a hike, and whatnot.
In large cities and especially Vienna of course, there are labour day parades and festivities. The largest being the social-democrat party ones unsurprisingly. Far, far smaller independent omes by socialist and communist parties do exist.
Since social-democracy always was quite strong in Vienna, it’s a big thing. The main march and speeches in front of the city hall draws big crowds. In the afternoon, there is a festival in our main greenspace, the Prater. Especially interesting to me is a demonstration of our emergency services capabilities.
Until the early 2000s or so, all public transport in Vienna was stopped until noon on 1st May, as the city employees were assumed to take part in the festivities. Personally, I’m pretty bummed that [trams decorated with red roses](https://traminator.at/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/06-1030×678.jpg) are a tradition of the past.
As these are specifically meant to be celebrations, not demonstrations for workers rights as they used to be pre-fascism, they are perfectly peaceful. The booing of a politician a few years ago is still talked about, so that’s about the worst even the sensationalist media expect.
In many, especially rural, regions there are other traditions that have nothing to do with politics, the most popular being the ancient tradition of the [Maibaum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole).
It is called Vappu here. It is older than labour movement but loaned from Germanic people and not a Finnish pre-Christian holiday (that would be hela or toukojuhla). It is a national holiday and one of the biggest of the year. It is tied to the labour movement since the 19th century but everyone who celebrates does not participate in demonstrations or marches.
I’m in the capital. Here celebration starts the night before and people get pretty drunk. On the day people usually go have a picnic, often in a certain park. We make minimally alcoholic mead, doughnuts and funnel cakes to eat and drink. Kids and some adults buy helium balloons and other carnival things.
In many post-secondary education institutions, you get silly hats when you graduate. One of them is usually worn during Vappu and we even give graduation hats to certain statues. There are political marches and events but they are no longer just for left-wing people.
it is a national holiday in Latvia for two reasons, both are written in calendars –
Labour Day, I’m not too aware of what happens locally to celebrate or raise attention to worker issues today, however recently there have been some strikes from teachers, and soon will be from medics. Some people still associate it with Soviet Union, as the day was used to promote communist ideology during the period of occupation.
The second event is the first ever Latvian parliament meeting in 1920, the first ever without any foreign power intervention, so this day is also celebration of democracy in Latvia.
We have not only May 1 but also May 2 off work. Traditionally, people light bonfires on April 30 in celebration of spring/early summer (on years with normal weather this is the week when the last leaves open on trees), party into May 1, optionally participate in rallies, party again, then do a proper celebration of Labour day by absolutely not working on May 2.
Since April 27 is also a national holiday and a day off, there are great years where you get 6 days off with only 1 vacation day, depending on weekend placement, and there is a school break as well. It’s a popular time to do a little travelling, I’ve just returned from 4 days playing tourist in Vienna.
It used to be a day off here in Iceland but then they were like but we need to buy stuff on our day off and started making the youngest employee work so the bosses and higher up people could have a good day off
The 1st of May is the first day of summer in Ireland, where traditionally the calendar follows sunlight rather than temperature. Bealtaine is/was one of the four main pagan feast days but had not been a public holiday until recently.
This public holiday is celebrated on a Monday and happens to be right on the first this year. This is generally the case with public holidays so worker’s don’t get fucked over by it falling on a weekend.
Happy International Workers’ Day to all.
I went out today hoping to find the Trade Unions march in Berlin without looking up the day’s programme in advance, only to realise that this is something that finishes quite early in the day and quickly becomes just a picnic with some infokiosks dotted around.
*Selber Schuld*, next year I’ll get out of the house earlier.
I also read that it only gathered 6000 people, which in a city of three and a half million looks tiny.
That was my first (failed) attempt to join a commemoration outside of Cyprus. In the capital, Nicosia, it is a rather big event. It starts much later in the day (I think it’s commencing now, so 17:30 Cyprus time) and while the main body of the march from the Ministry of Finance (where the typical speeches on the labour topics under debate are made) to the Demilitarised Zone (where Turkish Cypriot trade unions join after crossing the checkpoints) is organised by the leftist Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO), many other groups (leftist cultural clubs, grassroots initiatives, independent trade unions, political parties other than the one associated with the PEO etc) join them in progress from different starting points after doing their own smaller marches.
After all the marches merge, there’s another round of addresses from the PEO and the Turkish Cypriot trade unions, and then a concert by choirs and bands from the broader labour milieu.
I’d say that on a bad year, it gathers 2000 people at the termination point, and that’s for a city with a population of 300 thousand people. It also maintains its political demonstration character clearly visible, you wouldn’t confuse it for a picnic at any point.
For completeness, 1st of May is a public holiday in both Germany and Cyprus. Way less businesses are open on public holidays in Germany compared to Cyprus though. Cyprus accidentally deregularised working hours to an extreme about a decade ago.
I was in Brussels today and used the occasion to see the celebrations at the Mont des Arts. It was more like a university freshers’ fair than the rallies and protests we see in Denmark. There were a bunch of booths from different unions, parties, and interest groups. There were some discussion panels (I listened to one on Ukraine, although my French leaves a lot to be desired, so I didn’t get much from it) and plenty of beer, food, and music. I prefer the stuff we have, but still a pretty nice way to spend a day off (it is a holiday in Belgium). There were also a lot of foreign and international groups there, as you’d expect to see in Brussels
It’s a day off but I’m not aware of any special celebration, it’s just a day off. It used to be a thing during Soviet occupation but nowadays no one really cares.
We have an unrelated tradition of kissing under a blossomed cherry tree on the 1st of May, which is nice, though.
In Poland Labour Day is a national holiday and most people don’t work that day. It’s one of two in May actually, another one is May 3rd – the day our first constitution was declared. In the past in Polish People’s Republic there were parades on May 1st but the last one was organized in 1988. Nowadays May 1st is mostly just a free day and that’s all, there are probably some people who celebrate it more but I’ve never heard about anything.