May 1st is known as Labor Day, being celebrated in many countries, including Romania.
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, with more violence in the street, as a result of which both 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”, also referring to those who lost their lives during the strikes in Chicago.
Labor Day in Romania
In Romania, Labor Day was celebrated for the first time during the reign of Carol I.
During the communist period, May 1 was transformed into a day dedicated to propaganda festivities, which were prepared long before and in the smallest detail.
After the events of December 1989, Labor Day began to be celebrated outdoors, at the sea or in the mountains, according to Wikipedia.
Labor Day is a legal holiday. This year, Romanians have several related free days, considering that Labor Day falls very close to Easter.
Budget workers also benefit from May 2nd as a day off, to be able to bridge the gap between May 1st and May 3rd. May 3rd is Good Friday, and May 5th is Orthodox Easter.
May 6, Monday, is the second day of Easter and is also a day off.
