May holidays are celebrated not only in the post-Soviet space. In one form or another, something is celebrated at this time throughout Europe. It can be round dances around the Maypole, making fires or just an innocent trip to nature with food and drink. And all this is an echo of a completely different holiday, which the ancestors of modern Europeans celebrated thousands of years ago - Walpurgis Night. It falls on the night of April 30 to May 1.

Antiquity

The ancestor of Walpurgis Night is the feast of the Florals. The Sabines, who lived in Central Italy, celebrated it three thousand years ago. And in the VIII century BC. e. it was officially celebrated by the Romans. The holiday was dedicated to the goddess of flowers and spring Flora, a "relative" of the ancient Greek Chloris.

Games in honor of Flora were held from April 28 to May 3. It was a merry feast of the Roman plebs. Houses and tables were decorated with armfuls of spring flowers, people drank, ate, walked and had fun. Roman prostitutes took an active part in the holiday. Sexual freedom is on the rise these days.

Floralia, albeit in a somewhat ennobled, "urban" form, preserved the memory of the village holidays of the arrival of spring. The main goal of the villagers at that time was to help the awakening nature and ensure the harvest and fertility. To this end, the villagers massively indulged in sin, and also drank and ate plentifully.

Exactly the same way they celebrated May 1 in the Celtic countries - in Ireland, Scotland, Wales. The Beltane festival was dedicated to Belenus, the god of the sun and fertility. An important part of the holiday were the ceremonies associated with the blossoming branch, Maypole or Maypole. A young tree was cut down, then decorated with ribbons, placed on an elevated place and danced around it. By the way, our round dance around the Christmas tree comes from this tradition.

In the evening, calling Belenus, the Celts kindled fires and jumped over them. According to legend, this helped the sun god to rise higher in the sky and ensured high seedlings of cereals. After midnight, the guys and girls retired to the forests and all night long they were engaged in stimulating that same fertility.

May Day was celebrated all over Europe under different names. But his essence was the same everywhere - to help nature wake up from winter stupor and ensure the harvest.

Dark Ages

Centuries passed, the Roman Empire fell, the Great Migration of Nations began. Europe barely survived all these catastrophes. However, from Gibraltar to Tara, the locals continued to celebrate May Day with pleasure according to the precepts of their ancestors.

Christian missionaries tried to eradicate an indecent holiday. However, the flock remained faithful to their traditions. Then the holy fathers decided to change the holiday.

Approximately in the 860s, Walburga, the abbess of the Heidenheim monastery, who had died a hundred years earlier, appeared in a dream to the German bishop Otgar of Eichschett. Walburga complained to the bishop about the desecration of her grave. He immediately ordered her remains to be transferred and solemnly reburied. A "hype" was organized around the relics - they allegedly streamed myrrh and performed miracles. Lives of Walburga appeared, which described the numerous miracles she had performed.

Already in 870, Pope Adrian II canonized the deceased. St. Walpurgis Day, by an interesting coincidence, fell on May 1st. Now all decent Christians on this day were supposed to go to church and pray to the saint, and not participate in ungodly pagan rites.

But the complex intrigue of the churchmen was not successful. For centuries, people continued to celebrate May Day, but now pagan rites fell on the day - or night - of St. Walpurgis.

Almost all ancient rituals have been preserved, although they have been reinterpreted. Bonfires were now lit, ostensibly to protect the people from the witches that swept through the night air. For the same purpose they beat church bells.

The Maypole continued to be erected and danced around it. The custom, beloved by young people, of going out into the woods at night has not disappeared. Back in the 16th century, eight hundred years after the “Christianization” of May Day, an English writer bitterly noted: “I heard from very respectable people ... that hardly one third of the girls who went to the forests ... returned home as chaste.”

Inquisition

May Day finally became Walpurgis Night only with the heyday of the Inquisition, in the Renaissance. During the day, people were afraid to celebrate, it remained to gather in the dark. Places for gathering were chosen remote, deserted. Such was, for example, the Broken Mountain in Germany, Blokula in Sweden or Bald Mountain in Kyiv.

Any participant in Walpurgis Night could be declared a witch or witcher. The unfortunate creature fell into the hands of the Inquisition and, under torture, told absolutely monstrous things about May Day night. From the protocols of interrogations, we know her approximate scenario.

At night, when everyone fell asleep, the women stripped naked and rubbed themselves with a special ointment. Its indispensable component was the fat melted from the body of the baby, whom the witch killed in advance with her own hands.

Having smeared herself with ointment and smeared a broom or a stick with it, the witch flew out into the chimney and rushed to the place of the general gathering. There she was met by Satan himself. He could take the form of a goat, a wolf or a fox. In Sweden, however, he looked just like a hefty red-bearded man in red pants and a gray coat.

Witches worshiped Satan, but they did the opposite. Instead of kneeling down, they squatted down. Instead of bowing their heads, they threw it back. Then they kissed the devil in unspeakable places and served a hellish mass - all church hymns were perverted, and a freshly slaughtered baby was eaten as a sacrament.

Then came the feast. Delicacies could be served here, or all sorts of rubbish could be served - such as the half-rotten limbs of corpses. The poorest witches said that they ate cabbage soup, porridge and milk from the devil - it is not difficult to imagine how these women were starving in reality, if such food seemed to them a feast.

After dinner, there were dances - they always danced back to back, so that everything was "not like people." And Walpurgis Night ended with a sinful sin. According to the beliefs of that time, from the intercourse of a witch and a devil, dwarfs, freaks, toads and snakes were born. Back in the 18th century, ordinary people literally believed that the philosopher Voltaire was born by his mother from Satan. A bonus to the whole ceremony could be the beating of babies.

Historians are still arguing what caused this infernal nonsense, on the basis of which thousands of people were executed. Whether the unfortunate so acted sophisticated torture in the cellars of the Inquisition. Either they were recounting their hallucinations caused by taking henbane - it was part of the "witch" ointment. Perhaps the altered state of consciousness of the "witches" was provided by ergot, which was often infected with rye and rye flour. Or maybe it was just a literary tradition that the inquisitors forced into the slurred cries of the accused under torture.

Modernity

Today, Walpurgis Night has become a popular and well-selling tourist attraction. It is celebrated by neo-pagans, New Age enthusiasts, and followers of Aleister Crowley. US folk mythology says that the super-rich people, the world's "secret government", gather in the forest in the spring to worship the devil. A detailed depiction of the rite can be seen in the fifth season of House of Cards.

But the positive traditions of the spring fertility festival have been preserved, paradoxically, on Labor Day. The American proletarians very aptly set this date for May 1, although the reason for the date was the shooting of a demonstration in Chicago, which took place not on May 1, but on May 4.

On this day, the working people of the countries of the world go out into nature, drink and have a hearty snack. Dancing and revelry are included in the assortment. In general, our contemporaries celebrate the arrival of spring according to the precepts of their ancestors. Even the stubborn atheist V. I. Lenin used mythological imagery, arguing that on May 1 the workers “celebrate their awakening to light and knowledge.”

Ideally, the Leninist subbotnik fit in with the tradition of the spring holiday. From time immemorial, at the end of April, residents of European countries cleaned their houses, put things in order in the garden and garden, collected all the junk that had accumulated over the winter, and solemnly burned it in "cleansing" bonfires. Inquisitors and communists come and go, but the pagan traditions of our ancestors remain with us forever.

May 1 is the Day of Spring and Labor, this name was given to the holiday in 1993. However, it is also called the International Workers' Day. Recently, marches have been held in Russia, in which members of the Communist Party, as well as other trade union and social organizations, take part. This day is officially considered a day off, so it is customary to celebrate it with family and friends.

May 1 what holiday is the official name: the history of the holiday

The celebration of this day is connected with the events that happened in Chicago in the 19th century. In America, on May 1, 1886, the workers went on strike and demanded an eight-hour day. In the end, it all ended in a clash between protesters and the police. In 1889, the Congress of Paris declared 1 May Workers' Solidarity Day, which was officially made a day off. However, the Brussels Congress in 1891 gave each country the opportunity to independently approve the date of the celebration of May 1. Ultimately, the UK decided to celebrate the holiday on the first Sunday in May.

May 1 what holiday is the official name: the history of the holiday in Russia

May 1 became an official holiday only after the October Revolution, which took place in 1917. The country's government has decided to hold demonstrations and parades on May 1. For the first time, such an event on Red Square began to be broadcast by television channels in 1956.

In 1970, the name was assigned to this holiday - the Day of International Solidarity of Workers, and on May 2, as a rule, picnics are arranged in nature with relatives and friends. However, after the collapse of the USSR, this holiday was renamed to - the Holiday of Spring and Labor.

May 1 what holiday is the official name: holiday traditions

All over the world, trade unions demonstrate on this day and demand better working conditions. Employees who have distinguished themselves receive awards and certificates from the state. On this day, not only congratulate the workers, but also mark the beginning of the last month of spring. Therefore, it is customary to organize fairs, as well as concerts in which celebrities participate. For many people, this holiday is no longer considered political, but only serves as an occasion to meet friends and relax.

May 1 is not always an understandable holiday for representatives of the modern generation. Many interesting events are associated with its appearance. Few people know that the origins of the holiday go back to the pagan past. In ancient times, our predecessors associated this event with the onset of field work. According to work activity.

• History of the Slavic holiday
• How they celebrated May 1 in the Soviet Union

Holidays in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece

The tradition of celebrating May 1 was known in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The peoples of these two states worshiped the goddess Maya, who patronized all farmers. Every year, farmers organized festivities to appease Maya, to bring her gifts. All work at the time of the celebration was silently stopped. Everyone was celebrating the start of the harvest season. Subsequently, the inhabitants of Rome in honor of Maya gave the name to the month.

History of the Slavic holiday

The holiday was also celebrated among the ancient Slavs. Two dates on their calendar were marked in red - April 30 and May 1. The rite, annually performed by our ancestors, was called Radonitsa. The advent of May 1 meant farewell to the long cold. Also on this day it was necessary to honor the memory of deceased relatives. All sorts of treats were brought to their graves, including colored eggs. The ancestors expressed their gratitude to the goddess Zhiva, who transformed nature with the onset of spring. On May 1, it was necessary to rest from work. It was strictly forbidden to work in the fields.

An integral ritual was bathing in cold water, which brought purification. Ritual bonfires were erected on the banks of the rivers. With the adoption of Christianity, the usual celebration has changed dramatically. Church ministers were categorically opposed to pagan traditions. Both the cult of the goddess herself and the commemoration of the dead were treated negatively. It was not possible to eradicate the tradition of the church. The ritual was firmly entrenched in the everyday life of the ancient Slavs, so they continued to celebrate it. I had to look for a compromise and slightly modify the holiday. Now on this day they praised Christ, while retaining some pagan elements.

The struggle of workers for an 8-hour working day

During the time of Christianity, the holiday lost its original meaning and was already celebrated as the miraculous resurrection of Christ. Then history made its own adjustments. In April 1856, workers in Australia rose in revolt and demanded that the state fulfill the following requirements. Firstly, to reduce the working day to 8 hours, and secondly, to keep the original wages. The goal was achieved peacefully. Since that day, the event has been celebrated annually.

After 30 years, workers in the United States and Canada took advantage of a vivid example, who also staged rallies and demonstrations. The fate of the holiday is extremely tragic. Freedom was sought by every city, but for the most part everything happened without bloodshed. The opposite fate awaited the city of Chicago. About 40,000 striking workers filled the streets of the city. The authorities did not keep themselves waiting long. On May 2, almost 1.5 thousand people were fired from large enterprises.

In response to the government's reaction, a second demonstration took place. The police dispersed the rebels using brute force. Many people suffered, some lost their lives in the struggle for freedom. But the fury of the workers did not subside, but took on new momentum. On May 4, the situation worsened. The shopping center in Haymarket Square became the place of new protests against the arbitrariness of the authorities. Initially, the rally was calm. An unexpected outcome was the throwing of a bomb at the police by one of the workers. The shelling began. During the shootout, civilians were killed. A series of reprisals followed, but after some time the authorities expressed their regret. Thus, the whole world became aware of the revolution. Now everyone knew that on May 1 the working people had taken over the system.

The official nature of the holiday

The socialist workers' parties of the world were united under the auspices of the Congress of the Second International. The decision to take to the streets of the city every year and defend their rights was made in Paris in 1889. The tradition has taken root all over the world. In Russia, this holiday was first massively celebrated in 1890. Cities gradually adopted the tradition. The workers hid in the forest, discussing the main issues of the revolution. In 1985, the first ever May Day was held in the capital.

May 1 was celebrated on a large scale in 1917. The celebration was based on political considerations. With the help of slogans and portraits of prominent political figures, the need to fight for class superiority was shown. A year later, Labor Day was celebrated at the state level, as this was already documented in the legislation.

Collectives were preparing for the May Day actions for long weeks. Every Soviet citizen knew the main essence and history of the holiday. If now this day is perceived as another day off, then in those years, on May 1, large-scale cultural programs were planned.

The whole world watched with interest the parades of the Soviet Union. Citizens with joy and pride represented their work collectives at rallies. To attract the attention of the people, the Soviet government used one trick. In front of the columns of workers, vehicles were let in, including a tank that aroused public interest. Also, older people often remember numbers with the participation of acrobats and athletes. Various scenes denouncing capitalism were presented to the attention of the audience.

Variety of holiday names

The history of the holiday has changed over the years, as has its name. It was both the Day of the International and the Holiday of the International Solidarity of the Proletariat. Be that as it may, the people are accustomed to abbreviate long names and call the red day of the calendar, like May 1. Around the world, May 1 is considered a public holiday. At this stage, the holiday is celebrated in countries such as Holland, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Spain, etc. Each nation has its own traditions of celebration, but the essence is the same - the freedom of the working class.

Attitude to the holiday of today's Russians

It is no secret that May 1 is no longer celebrated on such a large scale as in the era of socialism. Gone are the days when the working people took to the squares of the city with banners and balloons, the excitement has passed. Historians argue that such an attitude of the masses to the holiday is due to the fact that in the last years of Soviet power, going to rallies was almost forced.

In the modern state, the holiday is official, but has already lost its political overtones. We all celebrate this day the Holiday of Spring and Labor. The officiality of this holiday is emphasized in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. On May 1, people meet in nature with relatives and friends, taking a break from everyday work.

What is the name of the May 1 holiday? On the eve of the first day, we will answer a sharp question in a short article. Let's look into the history of May 1, open its traditions. On this day, a public holiday has been declared throughout the country. People gather for picnics and barbecues, and “peace, labor, May” is spinning in my head.

What is the name of the May 1 holiday? Story

Oddly enough, the history of the May 1 holiday is not at all tied to work in the sense in which we imagine it: a garden, seeds, rakes, shovels, backs aching in the evening and consciousness of one's own significance from the completed sowing.

In the nineteenth century, they worked 15 hours, and this was the official norm for the length of the working day. It is clear that protests broke out in distant Australia. This significant event took place in 1856 on the twenty-first of March. Thirty years later (in 1886) rallies were organized in America and Canada. The demonstrators wanted one thing: an eight-hour day.

It is clear that the powerful of this world did not want to make concessions. On May 4 in Chicago, the police tried to disperse the protesters. As a result, six protesters were killed. The indignation of the people about the impunity of the police resulted in real confrontations between the authorities and workers who dream of reducing their working days.


There were new victims as a result of clashes between demonstrators and police. The bomb exploded. The consequences are sad:

• several dozen protesters were injured;
• four died;
• police losses amounted to eight people;
• 5 workers were accused of organizing the explosion;
• 3 people were sentenced to hard labor.

Three years later, the Second International met in Paris, where they decided to support American and Canadian workers. At the congress, indignant denunciations were heard against the authorities, who unjustifiably used force against peaceful demonstrators. There was also opposition to the executions that took place after the bombing.

Today, the political color of May Day has faded. People still celebrate, but without rallies, in the home circle, more often in nature.

One hundred and forty-two countries celebrate May 1st. Traditionally, the holiday of spring and labor is on the first Monday in May. In some countries, however, rallies are still taking place today, at which sharp slogans are heard on the topic of the day. Nevertheless, most of the people on this day walk, attend fairs, fry meat in the country.

Before the revolution, May 1 among the Russian peoples was a holiday of the beginning of summer: warm sunny weather, blooming gardens and bright yellow dandelions. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, the almighty Yarilo walks at night through meadows and forests in snow-white clothes, blessing for life and growth.

The history of May 1 for children

May 1 - Spring and Labor Day

About the holiday May 1 for children. Interesting and useful information about May Day.

For many years, May Day has been called International Workers' Day. Every year on this day, schoolchildren, students and workers went to the demonstration.

Adults carried large flags, flowers and banners in their hands, and children had small flags and balloons in their hands. Everyone rejoiced at the spring, the renewal of nature and the warm rays of the sun. Returning home, everyone sat down at the festive table.

May Day was a great occasion to send greeting cards to friends and relatives and wish them health and happiness.

On May 1, 1990, the last May Day demonstration took place. The Day of International Solidarity of Workers lost its political character and was renamed the Holiday of Spring and Labor. Today it is not celebrated as actively as in the past. But, since this day is a day off, people have the opportunity to take a break from work, invite guests or go to visit and have a good time on a good spring day. And some, on the contrary, believe that on Labor Day you must definitely work - they go to the dacha and work in the garden.

How May Day is celebrated in different countries

America

Labor Day in the United States is not celebrated on May 1, but on the first Monday in September. But on May 1, Americans have a custom to sing and dance around the Maypole (this custom came to America from Europe). Children collect spring flowers in paper baskets. They put these baskets under the door of close friends and relatives, and then they press the bell and run away. Someone opens the door, and there is a pleasant surprise!

England

In ancient times, on the first day of May, the Celts celebrated Beltane - a holiday whose name means "Cheerful Bonfire" in translation. It was dedicated to the sun and pasture of cattle to summer pastures. Residents collected firewood for sacred fires. They piled them on the hills and set them on fire at dawn. Cattle were driven from pastures and led between fires. Thus, they paid tribute to the sun and tried to propitiate the forces of nature. Of course, today Beltane is no longer celebrated like that - they just arrange processions and mass festivities.

Germany

German youths secretly plant may trees in front of the windows of their beloved girls. Nice tradition, right? And the holiday could have turned out to be very pleasant, if not for one circumstance. On May 1, numerous parties and movements hold rallies, which very often end in fights and brawls.

In general, in Germany, the night from April 30 to May 1 is Walpurgis Night! Tradition says that at this time the witches hold a sabbath on Mount Brocken. And that's why this legend appeared. In the Middle Ages, some Germanic tribes did not want to accept Christianity and secretly arranged bonfires with dances, worshiping pagan gods. Well, legends began to circulate among the people that it was witches who were going to the Sabbath.

Greece

In Greece, it is customary to celebrate the transition of spring into summer. Wreaths are hung over the entrance to the house, symbolizing the onset of the flower festival. Early in the morning, girls in the villages dress up in elegant national dresses and go to pick flowers to weave wreaths and decorate their houses with them. The Greeks also arrange processions with flowers in honor of the arrival of summer.

Italy

The Italian holiday has ancient pagan roots. And it's called Labor Day for a reason. The fact is that three thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Ancient Italy worshiped the goddess Maya, the patroness of the earth and fertility. It was in her honor that the last month of spring was named May. Well, on the first day of May, celebrations and festivities were arranged.

The ancient Romans in late April - early May held festivals called Floralia, which were dedicated to Flora - the goddess of flowers and youth. Today, the inhabitants of Italy also revere this goddess: they hold festivals of flowers, bring flowers to the temple. Well, in Sicily on May Day, everyone collects meadow daisies - according to local beliefs, these flowers bring happiness. The Italians have another wonderful tradition - the decoration of the "May Day tree". Moreover, they can dress up not only a tree, but even an ordinary pole. Tassels, bows, artificial flowers are used - the main thing is to make it beautiful and festive! Round dances are performed around the May Day tree, they dance and sing, arrange fiery performances and fireworks. The main thing is that no one dug up the tree on the night before the holiday.