May 1 - Labor Day. What we celebrate and why

May 1 (May Day) is Labor Day. The annual holiday in many countries of the world is timed to the transition to an 8-hour working day. It happened at the end of the 19th century. The peculiarity of the Labor Day holiday is that it is celebrated at different times of the year in many countries of the world.

May XNUMXst is Labor Day. What we celebrate and why

 

Until 1856, workers and employees around the world worked irregular working hours. About 10 to 15 hours a day. Due to the high mortality rate in production due to such workdays, the question of reducing the time to work has matured.

The eight-hour working day was not chosen by chance. For industrial plants, with a non-stop cycle of work, 8 hours a day helps to optimize the process. If you divide 24 hours by 8, you get exactly 3 shifts. It is convenient for both the owner of the factory and the worker.

The Labor Day holiday on May 1 was prompted by strikes in Australia. Where in 1886 the workers managed to "win back" the coveted 8-hour working day for themselves. Similar events took place all over the world. In the United States, for example, the riot was suppressed with particular brutality. And America managed to get the 8-hour day only in September 1894. Because of this, Labor Day is celebrated in the United States on the first Monday in September.

 

Why May 1 is not celebrated in all countries

 

For a century, the 8-hour workday has been in almost every country. But with the advent of the crisis, people themselves began to increase their working day in order to earn more. As a result, in more than 35 countries of the world the working day has increased to 10-12 hours. Therefore, the relevance of the Labor Day holiday has been lost.

But, in many countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, May 1 is considered a great holiday, which is associated with warm days and comfortable outdoor recreation. Whole families and large groups of people go to the forest, to the sea, to the countryside, to gather at their dachas. In noisy and cheerful companies, they discuss the latest news, play with a ball, eat barbecue and drink alcoholic beverages.