Why Do We Celebrate May Day?
The first May Day celebrations in India were in 1923, in the city then called Madras, with the leader of the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan, Singaravelar, holding meetings near the Madras High Court and at Triplicane Beach. The resolution to urge the British government to declare May 1 as Labour Day was passed here. In the years following the resolution, workers’ rallies and parades have been held across India, to mark the occasion.
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Labour Day or International Workers' Day is observed each year on the first day of May to celebrate the achievements of the working class. The day, also called May Day, is also observed as a public holiday in many countries. Labour Day is a public holiday in India as well, where it is celebrated as Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas (International Labour Day).
The day is known as "Kamgar Din" in Hindi, "Karmikara Dinacharane" in Kannada,"Karmika Dinotsavam" in Telugu, "Kamgar Divas" in Marathi, "Uzhaipalar Dhinam" in Tamil, "Thozhilaali Dinam" in Malayalam and "Shromik Dibosh" in Bengali. In North India, however, Labour Day has lost significance as a holiday. The theme of Labour Day 2019 is 'Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY HISTORY:
The first May Day celebrations focused on workers took place on May 1st 1890 after its proclamation by the first international congress of socialist parties in Europe on July 14th 1889 in Paris, France, to dedicate May 1 every year as the "Workers Day of International Unity and Solidarity."
The date was chosen due to events on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1884 the American Federation of Organised Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday, to come into effect as of May 1st 1886. This resulted in the general strike and the Haymarket (in Chicago) Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. Three years later, a French socialist party created an international day to honour the labour movement and marked May 1 in commemoration of the Haymarket Massacre.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY IN INDIA
The first May Day celebration in India was organised in Madras (now Chennai) by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. This was also the time when the red flag was first used in India. The day is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties
It should be noted that May 1 is also celebrated as 'Maharashtra Day' and 'Gujarat Day' to mark the date in 1960 when the two western states attained statehood after the erstwhile Bombay State was divided into linguistic lines.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY WISHES
- Today is the day to honour those souls striving hard in life to make it worthwhile. Happy Labor Day!
- The country will not be able to shine without workers like you. Wishing you a wonderful Labor Day.
- Happy May Day to you all. I take this opportunity to thank you all who work for our nation.
- Sending our appreciation and respect to the workers of every field. Happy International Labour Day!
- All the hardworking labourers and people who work for the betterment of our society do not deserve recognition on just one day. They should be celebrated every day. Happy International Workers' Day 2023.
- Happy International May Day 2023. All my best wishes and luck to you, may you keep working hard and achieve all that you want in life.
- A very Happy International Workers' Day 2023 to the ones who have survived this year with great willpower and hard work. May you keep doing well in life and achieve all that you wish.