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20
CELEBRATING
MAY DAY
M
ay 1 is internationally
known today as Workers'
Day or May Day, a celebration
of the labour movement the
world over.
But during medieval times
May Day was dedicated to an
earlier symbol of social justice,
Robin Hood, and saw songs and
plays performed up and down
the country to celebrate the
coming of spring.
Rumour has it that Mayfair
in London is named after a
particularly debauched and
raucous festival held during the
18th century.
International Workers' Day
began life as a commemoration
of the 1886 Haymarket massacre
in Chicago. During a general
strike for the eight-hour
workday police fired on the
workers, killing dozens of
demonstrators and their own
officers.
In 1890 May Day was
formally recognised as an
annual event. In 1955, even the
Catholic Church dedicated May
1 to ‘Saint Joseph The Worker’.
However in the United States
and Canada the official holiday
for workers is Labour Day in