Interesting Facts About May 1st!

By Staff

Monday, April 13, 2009, 10:56

May 1st is also known as May Day, International Worker"s Day or Labour Day. As a day of celebration, however, May Day has ancient origins and can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. The day is celebrated as Labour Day to acknowledge the social and economic achievements of labor movement. The international worker"s day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. In this article we will discuss some of the interesting facts about May 1st.

The earliest May Day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures.

In England, traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and celebrations involving a Maypole.

The event involves thousands of motorbikes taking a 55-mile (89 km) trip from the south of London to Hastings Seafront.

In Oxford many pubs are open from sunrise, and some of the college bars are open all night on May Day

In Scotland some of the students gather on the beach late on April 30th and run into the North Sea at sunrise on the 1st, occasionally naked.

In Germany May 1st is celebrated by the delivery of a tree covered in streamers to the house of a girl the night before.

In America May 1st is celebrated with a May Day basket. These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats are left at someone's doorstep. When you ring the bell, you are supposed to run away.

In France a sprig of lily is exchanged on the May Day as a symbol of springtime.

In Cornwall, people usually wear red and white coloured accessories on May Day.

In India, May Day is celebrated as Labour Day in association with the labor movement.

If you want to share the May Day celebrations in your country, write to us