May Day

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I remember that I once celebrated or participated in a May Day Celebration at Hillview School, probably when my sister Sylvia was dancing around a Maypole. But I am not sure I have heard much about it for many years now. So, when the daily security report from the church featured May Day I thought that I would investigate it just a bit. And I was shocked at what I learned.

Evidently in England it is still a national holiday and one of great festivities. They are celebrating the end of the cold and the beginning of the new warmer summer, although summer is still weeks away. They wear flowers in their hair and ribbons on their clothing and put away their winter woolies. It actually came from the pre-Christian holiday of Beltane, a celebration of the fertility of spring and the promise of summer. But in most other parts of the world it is not considered a day of celebration but rather a day of protest. Now it is assumed to be a holiday originating in a communist country like Cuba or the USSR.

When socialism was a new and up-coming idea workers loved many of its ideologies. They especially liked the idea of an eight-hour work day. I quote: As early as the 1860s, workers wanted to shorten the workday, without a cut in pay. Thousands of working people embraced the ideals of anarchism, which sought to put an end to all hierarchical structures, emphasized worker-controlled industry, and valued direct action over the political process.

In 1886 there was a three-day strike in Chicago, known as the Haymarket Affair. Four people were killed the first day and then on the second day workers threw a bomb into the police line and more people were killed. Now, the day is a day to celebrate workers, unions and labor throughout the world. It is an official holiday in over 60 countries and unofficially celebrated in many more. But not so in the USA. This day has become a day of confrontation and violence between rival groups.

It is not celebrated in the US because the communist nations adopted this holiday to celebrate workers and the US did not want to appear supportive of these socialistic ideals, so we celebrate Labor Day in September. However, in recent years some cities have protests on May Day over immigration laws.

So, we wish you a Happy May Day, in the true spirit of the Brits!  We hope that spring is right around the corner for you and that soon the soccer games and baseball practices and bike rides will all be in the warmeth of sunny blue skies!