T h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f M a y D a y ( I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wo r k e r s D a y )

On 1 May this year, several countries have been celebrating the annual International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day, which is often referred to as May Day It is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement. Traditionally, 1 May is the date of the European spring festival of May Day

Millions hit the streets in worldwide May Day rallies and people across the world participate in demonstrations to mark the day

The origins of May Day

In 1889, the Marxist International Socialist Congress met in Paris and established the Second International as a successor to the earlier International Workingmen's Association They adopted a resolution for a "great international demonstration" to support working-class demands for the eighthour day

The American Federation of Labor chose the 1 May date to commemorate a general strike in the United States, which had begun in 1886 and culminated in the Haymarket affair four days later The demonstration subsequently became an annual event.

In 1904 the Sixth Conference of the Second International called on "all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and universal peace".

Then in 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated 1 May to "Saint Joseph the Worker" Saint Joseph is the patron saint of workers and craftsmen, among others

In Malta, as in 79 other countries, 1 May is an official public holiday celebrated as "Workers' Day” The day, that started to be celebrated by the Labur Party and the General Workers Union, is commemorated together with the religious feast of Saint Joseph the Worker The saint's main feast, commemorated by the Catholic Church on 19 March, is also a public holiday in Malta

The Labour Party always celebrates this day with a mass meeting, the same this year, in Valletta The Nationalist Party in opposition started to celebrate this day, but primarily to commemorate Malta's accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004 This year, while the Labour Party, as usual, decided to celebrate the day as it had been doing for several years, the Nationalist Party decided to organise a mass protest

Some countries celebrate Labour Day on other dates significant to them, such as the

United States and Canada, which celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September.

In Australia, while unofficial activities and commemorations associated with International Workers Day occur on May Day, Labour Day in the various states and territories generally falls on other days. It is only in the Northern Territory (where it is called May Day) and Queensland that Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday in May, which is also a public holiday under the name of "May Day"

Queensland holds the largest rallies in Australia, with the biggest of them in Brisbane. Rallies are also held in Cairns, Rockhampton, Townsville, Barcaldine, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Maryborough, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and other regional centres