May 1st. How and why we came to celebrate Labor Day today – Telegraph.md press agency

May 1 is known as Labor Day, being celebrated in many countries, including the Republic of Moldova.

May 1st is known as “International Labor Day”, a holiday adopted by many countries, including Romania.

This day was chosen in memory of the victims of the general strike of 1886, which took place in Chicago.

At that time, the workers demanded the reduction of the daily work norm to eight hours. People had several attempts to achieve this goal, but everything was in vain, which is why the American unions started a general strike, which took place on May 1, 1886.

On May 1, 1886, demonstrators, mostly in the construction trades, protested across the United States, with the largest demonstration taking place in Chicago.

The situation degenerated, there was more violence in the street, as a result of which both the policemen and people present at the protest died.

On May 4, 1886, a bomb was thrown at the police in Haymarket Square. As a result of the explosion, several policemen died and others were seriously injured. Several workers also lost their lives.

Gradually, May 1 was declared “Workers’ Day”, referring, at the same time, to those who lost their lives during the strikes in Chicago.

Thus, Labor Day is celebrated on May 1. This day is celebrated both in the Republic of Moldova and in more than 60 other countries of the world and is marked in red in the calendar, being included in the category of legal holidays.