May Day
May 1st or May Day, is may be the only holiday of the year with reasons to celebrate much more than just one. It is a celebration of the influx of spring; is a day of innumerable political protests; is a neopagan festival; is a saint's feast day; and is a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.
All those hold equal importance, but chiefly May Day is recognized as an International Workers’ holiday, decided on charily over 100 years ago to venerate the efforts and expansion of workers and the labor movement. May Day is also holds it’s meaning in the toil for the present eight-hour workday. Not only for its historical significance, but this day is also important because it provides platform to orchestrate a loud voice towards issues that are impacting working-class people in present times.
Labor Day
Originated from the US , labor movement started in the late 19th Century. May 1, 1886 , marked all the labor unions including socialists, anarchists, and others in organized labor movements across the country calling a strike on, demanding that the standard workday should be shortened to eight hours. The protests though were not immediately victorious, but when tested on time machine, achieved the targeted goal of an eight-hour work days. Labor Day is still often a day for protests and rallies though recently, it has often been targeted against globalization.
Neopagan Festival or Beltane
By historical findings, Beltane was a Celtic calendar feast conducted at the time of the start of summer. Bonfire—created by rubbing wooden sticks together, was a common attribute of Beltane celebrations. Other rituals included burning witches in effigy, dancing around the fire and driving cattle between two fires. Recently, Beltane has been revived by neopagan groups as a major seasonal festival.
Walpurgisnacht
St. Walburga (or Walpimeurgis), the abbess of the monastery of Heidenheim, helped St. Boniface bring Christianity to 8th Century in Germany . She met her fate on February 25, 1779 . As her remains have been moved on multiple occasions, several days have been designated in her honor, one of which is the first of May.
This date also coincides with a pre-existing pagan festival, which again in Germany , included means to protect one against the witchcraft. This led to a crossbreed legend developing in which witches were said to meet with the Devil on the eve of May 1 on the Brocken peak. The eve of May 1 became notorious as Walpurgisnacht, and the annual meeting was dramatized by Goethe in Faust.
Fertility Festivals
Some civilizations in India and Egypt celebrate May 1 as spring fertility festivals. Another English tradition is the maypole. Some towns had permanent maypoles that would stay up all year; others put up a new one each May. In any event, the pole would be hung with greenery and ribbons, brightly painted, and otherwise decorated, and served as a central point for the festivities.
May Day was also a time for Morris dancing and other dances often around the maypole according to an English tradition. In the 19th century, people use to braid the maypole with ribbons by weaving in and out in the course of a dance. Later on inclusions like making garlands for children and crowning of the May Queen were made.