:
Africa Algeria In
Algeria, 1 May is a public holiday celebrated as Worker's Day.
Angola 1 May is recognized as public holiday in
Angola and called Workers' Day.
Egypt In
Egypt, 1 May is known as Labour Day and is considered a
paid holiday. The
President of Egypt traditionally presides over the celebrations.
Ethiopia In
Ethiopia, 1 May is a public holiday and celebrated as Worker's Day. May day was most often celebrated under the previous government of the
Derg and the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Ghana 1 May is a holiday in
Ghana. It is a day to celebrate all workers across the country. It is celebrated with a parade by trade unions and labour associations. The parades are normally addressed by the Secretary General of the trade union congress and by regional secretaries in the regions.
Libya In
Libya, International Workers' Day was declared a national public holiday by the
National Transitional Council in 2012 the first year of the post-Qaddafi era. On 1 May 1978, then
Libyan leader
Colonel Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi addressed the nation in the capital city of
Tripoli calling for
administrative and also economic
reforms across Libya.
Mauritius In
Mauritius, 1 May is a public holiday celebrated as Labour Day. It was celebrated for the first time in Mauritius on 1 May 1938, and for the first time as an official public holiday on 1 May 1950. This was thanks largely to the efforts of Guy Rozemont, Dr. Maurice Curé, Pandit Sahadeo and Emmanuel Anquetil, as a day of special significance for Mauritian workers who for many years had struggled for their social, political and economic rights.
Morocco In
Morocco, 1 May is recognized as a public holiday.
Mozambique Mozambique celebrates International Workers' Day on 1 May.
Namibia 1 May is recognized as public holiday in
Namibia and celebrated as Workers' Day.
Nigeria Since 1981, 1 May is a public holiday in
Nigeria. On the day, people gather while, traditionally, the president of the
Nigeria Labour Congress and other politicians address workers.
Somalia In
Somalia, 1 May is a public holiday and celebrated as Labour Day.
South Africa In
South Africa, Workers' Day has been celebrated as a national public holiday on 1 May each year since 1995. Workers' Day started to get more attention by African workers in 1928, which saw thousands of workers in a mass march. In 1950, the
South African Communist Party called for a strike on 1 May in response to the
Suppression of Communism Act declaring it illegal. Police violence caused the death of 18 people across Soweto. It has its origins within the historical struggles of workers and their trade unions internationally for solidarity between working people in their struggles to win fair employment standards and more importantly, to establish a culture of human and worker rights and to ensure that these are enshrined in international law and the national law. In 1986, the hundredth anniversary of the
Haymarket affair, the
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) called for the government to establish an official holiday on 1 May. It also called for workers to stay home from work that day. COSATU was joined by a number of prominent anti-
apartheid organizations, including the
National Education Crisis Committee and the
United Democratic Front (South Africa). The call was also supported by a number of organizations regarded as conservative, such as the
African Teachers' Association of South Africa, the
National African Federated Chamber of Commerce, and the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa, an organization that represented employers in the metal industries.
Tanzania In
Tanzania, it is a public holiday on 1 May and celebrated as Worker's Day.
Tunisia ,
Tunisia 1 May is recognized as Labour Day in
Tunisia, and is a paid public holiday
Uganda In
Uganda, Labour Day is a public holiday on 1 May.
Zimbabwe 1 May is recognized as a public holiday in
Zimbabwe and called Workers' Day.
Americas Antigua and Barbuda In
Antigua and Barbuda, Labour Day is a public holiday on the first Monday in May.
Argentina In
Argentina, Workers' Day is an official holiday on 1 May, and is frequently associated with labour unions. Celebrations related to labour are held including demonstrations in major cities. The first Workers' Day celebration was in 1890, when Argentinian unions organized several celebrations in
Buenos Aires and other cities, at the same time that the international labour movement celebrated it for the first time. In 1930, it was established as an official holiday by the
Radical Civic Union president
Hipólito Yrigoyen. The day became particularly significant during the worker-oriented government of
Juan Domingo Perón (1946–55). He permitted and endorsed national recognition of the holiday during his tenure in office.
Barbados In
Barbados, International Workers' Day is a public holiday celebrated on 1 May.
Bolivia 1 May is known as Labour Day and is a holiday. By custom, it is usually the day on which wage increases (e.g., the national minimum wage) and other labour improvements are announced by the Government. In recent years it was also the day chosen by the Bolivian government to announce the (re)nationalization of strategic sectors of the economy (e.g. hydrocarbons in 2006, telecommunications in 2008, electricity in 2010, etc.).
Brazil In
Brazil, "Workers' Day" is an official holiday celebrated on 1 May, and unions commemorate it with day-long public events.
Canada In Canada,
Labour Day is celebrated in September. In 1894, the government of Prime Minister
John Sparrow David Thompson declared the first Monday in September as Canada's official Labour Day. Labor Day in the United States is on the same day. International Workers' Day is however marked by unions and leftists on 1 May. It is an important day of trade union and community group protest in the province of
Quebec (though not a provincial
statutory holiday). Celebration of the International Labour Day (or "International Workers' Day"; ) in
Montreal goes back to 1906, organized by the Mutual Aid circle. The tradition had a renaissance at the time of a mass strike in 1972. On the 1973 Labour Day, the first contemporary demonstration was organized by the major trade union confederations; over 30,000 trade unionists took part in this demonstration. Further, it is the customary date on which the
minimum wage rises. Since 2019, the Labour May Day Committee has organized the International Workers' Day march with a rally at
Nathan Phillips Square on either May 1 or the closest Saturday. The Mayworks Festival of Working People & the Arts has been held annually in Toronto since 1985 throughout the month of May.
Chile President General of the Army
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo decreed 1 May a national holiday in 1931, in honour of the dignity of workers. All stores and public services must close for the entire day, and the major trade unions of Chile, represented in the national organization
Workers' United Center of Chile (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores), organize rallies during the morning hours, with festivities and cookouts in the later part of the day, in all the major cities of Chile. During these rallies, representatives of the major left-wing political parties speak to the assemblies on the issues of the day concerning workers' rights.
Colombia 1 May has long been recognized as Labour Day and almost all workers respect it as a national holiday. As in many other countries, it is common to see rallies by the trade unions in all over the main regional capitals of the country.
Costa Rica First celebrated in 1913, labor day is a public holiday, and at the same time an important day for government activities. On this day, the
President of Costa Rica gives a speech to the citizens and the
legislature of Costa Rica about the duties that were undertaken through the previous year. The president of the legislature is also chosen by its members.
Cuba This day is known as Labour Day in Cuba. People march in the streets, showing their support to the
Cuban Communist government and the
Cuban Revolution during the whole morning.
Dominica In
Dominica, Labour Day is a public holiday on the first Monday in May.
Dominican Republic 1 May is a national holiday known as Labour Day and celebrated by festivities.
Ecuador In Ecuador, 1 May is an official public holiday known as Labour Day. People do not go to work and spend time with their relatives or gather for demonstrations.
El Salvador 1 May is an official public holiday known as Labour Day.
Guatemala 1 May is an official public holiday known as Labour Day.
Haiti 1 May is an official public holiday known as Agriculture and Labour Day.
Honduras 1 May is an official holiday, known as "Labour Day" within Honduras.
Mexico 1 May is a public holiday.
Panama 1 May is an official public holiday, known as "Labour Day" within Panama.
Paraguay 1 May is an official public holiday, known as "Labour Day" within Paraguay.
Peru 1 May is an official public holiday, known as "Labour Day" within Peru.
Saint Kitts and Nevis In
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Labour Day is a public holiday on the first Monday in May.
United States In the U.S. starting in 1887, a "Labor Day" celebrated on the first Monday in September was given increasing state recognition. Then in 1894, in the wake of the nationwide
Pullman Strike,
Congress and President
Grover Cleveland passed a law declaring Labor Day a
federal holiday. In 1947, 1 May was established as
Loyalty Day by the U.S.
Veterans of Foreign Wars as a way to counter communist influence and recruitment at International Workers' Day rallies. Loyalty Day was celebrated across the country with patriotic parades and ceremonies, however the growing conflict over U.S. involvement in Vietnam detracted from the popularity of these celebrations. Law Day exercises, such as mock trials and courthouse tours, are often sponsored by the American Bar Association. Unions and Political organizations including
anarchist groups and socialist and communist parties have kept the International Workers' Day tradition alive with rallies and demonstrations. In 1919 especially large demonstrations took place, and violence greeted the normally peaceful parades in
Boston,
New York, and
Cleveland and
a number of people were killed. In Milwaukee, an annual commemoration takes place at the site of the
killing of seven workers during a march for the 8-hour workday. On 1 May 2007, a mostly peaceful demonstration in
Los Angeles in support of undocumented immigrant workers ended with a widely televised
dispersal by police officers. In March 2008, the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union announced that
dockworkers will move no
cargo at any
West Coast ports on 1 May 2008, as a protest against the continuation of the
Iraq War and the diversion of resources from domestic needs. On 1 May 2012, members of
Occupy Wall Street and labor unions held protests together in a number of cities in the United States and Canada to commemorate International Workers' Day and to protest the state of the economy and economic inequality. group marching in
Minneapolis on 1 May 2010 On 1 May 2017, immigrants' rights advocates, labor unions and leftists held protests against the immigration and economic policies of President
Donald Trump in cities throughout the US, Chicago and Los Angeles having some of the largest marches. On 1 May 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic, "workers at
Amazon,
Whole Foods,
Instacart,
Walmart,
FedEx,
Target, and
Shipt say they will walk off the job ... to protest their employers' failure to provide basic protections for frontline workers who are risking and losing their lives at work." Additionally, on the same day, there will be a
rent strike, the largest in nearly a century. On 1 May 2021,
black bloc protesters clashed with police in Oakland & Portland. Numerous other activities occurred across the country.
Uruguay In Uruguay, 1 May – Workers' Day – is an official holiday. Even when it is associated with labour unions, almost all workers tend to respect it. Since the late 1990s, the main event takes place at the
First of May Square in Montevideo.
Venezuela In
Venezuela, Workers' Day () is celebrated on 1 May since 1936, but from 1938 to 1945 it was held on 24 July, by an order of
Eleazar López Contreras. However,
Isaías Medina Angarita changed it back to 1 May in 1945.
East Asia Mainland China 1 May is a statutory holiday in the
People's Republic of China. It was a three-day holiday before 2008, but was only one day from 2008 onward. During a
Golden Week, surrounding weekends are rescheduled so that workers have seven continuous days off before 2009 and four to five continuous days after 2018.
Hong Kong In
Hong Kong, 1 May is known as Labour Day and has been considered a public holiday since 1999.
Macau In
Macau, it is a public holiday and is officially known as (
Portuguese for "Workers' Day").
Taiwan 1 May is known as Labor Day in
Taiwan. Originally, students and teachers did not have this day off. However, Labor Day was later upgraded as a full national holiday and extends beyond workers.
Japan May Day march, Tokyo International Workers' Day is not officially designated by the Japanese government as a national holiday, but as it lies between other national holidays, it is a day off work for the vast majority of Japanese workers. Many employers give it as a day off, and otherwise workers take it as "paid leave". 1 May occurs during "
Golden Week", together with 29 April ("
Shōwa Day"), 3 May ("
Constitution Memorial Day"), 4 May ("
Greenery Day") and 5 May ("
Children's Day"). Workers generally take the day off work not so much to join street rallies or labour union gatherings, but more to go on holiday for several consecutive days (in Japanese corporate culture, taking weekdays off for personal pleasure is widely frowned upon). Some major labour unions organize rallies and demonstrations in
Tokyo,
Osaka, and
Nagoya. Japan has a long history of labour activism and has had a communist and socialist party in the
Diet since 1945. In 2008, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (
Zenrōren) held a rally in
Yoyogi Park attended by 44,000 participants. In 2026,
Rengō, the largest Japanese trade union, held its International Workers' Day rally on April 29th with the Prime Minister attending.
North Korea In the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1 May is known as International Workers' Day, and is a public holiday. Celebrations, local meetings and rallies are held every year throughout the country to honor the holiday. The
Rungnado May Day Stadium in the capital of
Pyongyang is named in honor of the holiday.
South Korea In the
Republic of Korea, 1 May is known simply as "Workers' Day". It is a public holiday since 2026 by the
Designation of Workers' Day Act.
Europe Albania Labour Day () is an official holiday celebrated on 1 May and thus schools and most businesses are closed.
Armenia Labour Day (, ) is an official holiday celebrated on 1 May.
Austria at Rathausplatz in
Vienna Labour Day (), officially called (state's holiday), is a
public holiday in Austria. Left parties, especially social democrats and democratic socialists organize celebrations with marches and speeches in all major cities. In smaller towns and villages those marches are held the night before.
Belgium In Belgium, Labour Day (, , , ), is observed on 1 May and is an
official holiday since 1948. Various socialist and communist organizations hold parades and other events in different cities.
Bosnia and Herzegovina In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 and 2 May (
Bosnian and / , ) are an official holiday and day-off for public bodies and schools at the national level. Most people celebrate this holiday by visiting natural parks and resorts. Additionally, in some places public events are organized. In its capital city, Sarajevo, 12 and 13 June are also celebrated as Labour day due to its many natural parks and springs.
Bulgaria Labour Day is one of the
public holidays in Bulgaria, where it is known as ''Labour Day and International Workers' Solidarity Day'' () and celebrated annually on 1 May. The first attempt to celebrate it was in 1890 by the Bulgarian Typographical Association. In 1939, Labour Day was declared an official holiday. Since 1945 the communist authorities in the
People's Republic of Bulgaria began to celebrate the holiday every year. After the end of socialism in Bulgaria in 1989 Labour Day continues to be an official and public holiday, but state authorities are not committed to the organization of mass events.
Croatia In Croatia, 1 May is a national holiday, Labour Day. Many public events are organized and held all over the country where bean soup is given out to all people as a symbol of a real workers' dish. Red carnations are also handed out to symbolise the origin of the day. In
Zagreb, the capital, a major gathering is in
Maksimir Park, which is located in the east part of Zagreb. In Split, city on the coast, people go to Marjan, a park-forest at the western end of Split peninsula.
Cyprus In Cyprus, 1 May () is considered as an official Public Holiday (Labour Day). In general, all stores remain closed in public and private sector. The Labor Union and Syndicates celebrate with various festivals and events across the country.
Czech Republic In the Czech Republic, 1 May is an official and national holiday known as Labour Day ().
Denmark In
Denmark, 1 May is not an official holiday, but a variety of individuals, mostly in the public sector, construction industry, and production industry, get a half or a whole day off. It was first celebrated in
Copenhagen in 1890. The location of the first celebration, the
Fælledparken, still plays an important part today with speeches by politicians and trade unionists to mark the occasion. Many other events are also held around the country to commemorate the day.
Estonia In
Estonia, 1 May is a public holiday and celebrated as part of May Day (Kevadpüha). It also coincides with Walpurgis Day (volbripäev).
Finland , Finland In Finland, 1 May is an official and national holiday. It is mainly celebrated as a feast of students, and spring, called or Walpurgis Night. Finland also celebrates Workers' Day (officially: , "day of Finnish labour") on the same day.
France , France In France, 1 May is a public holiday called Workers' Day (). It is, in fact, the only day of the year when employees are legally obliged to be given leave, save professions that cannot be interrupted due to their nature (such as workers in hospitals and public transport). Demonstrations and marches are a Labour Day tradition in France, where trade unions organize parades in major cities to defend workers' rights. It is also customary to offer a
lily of the valley to friends or family. This custom dates back to 1561, when king
Charles IX, aged 10, waiting for his accession to the throne, gave a lily of the valley to all ladies present. Today, the fiscal administration exempts individuals and workers' organizations from any tax or administrative duties related to the sales of lilies of the valley, provided they are gathered from the wild, and not bought to be resold.
Germany In April 1933, the recently installed
Nazi government declared 1 May the "Day of National Work", an official state holiday, and announced that all celebrations were to be organized by the government. Any separate celebrations by
Communists,
Social Democrats or
labour unions were banned. After
World War II, 1 May remained a state holiday in both
East and
West Germany. In communist
East Germany, workers were
de facto required to participate in large state-organized parades on International Workers' Day. Today in Germany it is simply called "Labour Day" (), and there are numerous demonstrations and celebrations by independent workers' organizations. Today,
Berlin witnesses yearly demonstrations on Labour Day, the largest organised by labour unions, political parties, the
far left and the leftist . , Germany, 1 May 2013 Since 1987, Labour Day has also become known for riots in some districts of Berlin. After police actions against radical leftists in that year's annual demonstrations, the
Autonomen scattered and sought cover at the ongoing annual street fair in
Kreuzberg. Three years prior to the
reunification of Germany, violent protests would only take place in the former
West Berlin. The protesters began tipping over police cars, violently resisting arrest, and began building
barricades after the police withdrew due to the unforeseen resistance. Cars were set on fire, shops plundered and burned to the ground. The police eventually ended the riots the following night. These violent forms of protests by the radical left later increasingly involved participants without political motivation. Annual street fairs have proven an effective way to prevent riots, and Labour Day in 2005 and 2006 have been among the most peaceful known to Berlin in nearly 25 years. In recent years,
neo-Nazis and other groups on the
far right, such as the
National Democratic Party of Germany, have used the day to schedule public demonstrations, often leading to clashes with left-wing protesters, which turned especially violent in
Leipzig in 1998 and 2005. Labour Day violence flared up again in 2010. After an approved far-right demonstration was blocked by leftists, a parade by an estimated 10,000 leftists and anarchists turned violent and resulted in an active response by the
Berlin Police.
Greece In Greece, 1 May is an optional public holiday, but is treated by workers as a strike. The
Ministry of Labour retains the right to classify it as an official public holiday on an annual basis, and it customarily does so. The day is called (, "Workers' 1 May") and celebrations are marked by demonstrations in which left-wing political parties, anti-authority groups, and workers' unions participate. On Workers' Day in 2010, there were major protests all over Greece, most notably
Athens and
Thessaloniki, by many left, anarchist and communist supporters and some violent clashes with
riot police who were sent out to contain the protesters. They opposed economic reforms, an end to job losses and wage cuts in the face of the government's proposals of massive public spending cuts. These reforms are to fall in line with the
IMF-
EU-
ECB loan proposals, which demand that Greece liberalize its economy and cut its public spending and private sector wages, which many believe will decrease living standards.
Hungary Hungary celebrates 1 May as a national holiday, Workers' Day (), with open-air festivities and fairs all over the country. Many towns raise May poles and festivals with various themes are organized around the holiday. Left-wing parties and trade unions hold public rallies commemorating Labour Day.
Iceland In Iceland, Labour Day () is a public holiday. The first demonstration for workers rights in Iceland occurred in 1923. A parade composed of trade unions and other groups marches through towns and cities across the country and speeches are delivered. However, some private businesses are open, mainly in the capital.
Ireland , 2011 The
Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) marks International Workers' Day with rallies in
Belfast and
Dublin and other events such as lectures, concerts and film screenings also take place around a wider International Workers' Day festival. The first Monday in May has been a
public holiday in the Republic of Ireland since 1994 and in Northern Ireland since 1978. In the Republic the public holiday was demanded by the ICTU and proposed by the
Labour Party in negotiating
its 1992–94 coalition government with
Fianna Fáil, and marked the centenary of the ICTU's predecessor, the
Irish Trades Union Congress. The public holiday has no official designation, as "Workers' Day" or otherwise. In 2005, Labour's
Ruairi Quinn condemned an alleged Fianna Fáil proposal to replace the May holiday with one on 24 April commemorating the
1916 Rising as a slight to workers. The proposal was, in actuality, for an extra holiday – rather than a replacement.
Italy The first International Workers' Day celebration in
Italy took place in 1890. It started initially as an attempt to celebrate workers' achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better social and economic conditions. It was abolished under the
Fascist regime and immediately restored after the
Second World War. (During the fascist period, a "Holiday of the Italian Labour" () was celebrated on 21 April, the date of , when
Rome was allegedly founded.) In 1947, following an unexpected electoral victory of the
Popular Democratic Front in
Sicily, local secessionists and pro-USA mafia hitmen killed 14 and injured 27 firing machine guns at an International Workers' Day celebration in the
Portella della Ginestra Massacre. International Workers' Day is now an important celebration in Italy and is a national holiday regardless of what day of the week it falls. The ("1st of May Concert"), organized by Italian labour unions in Rome in
Piazza di Porta San Giovanni has become an important event in recent years. Every year the concert is attended by a large audience of mostly young people and involves the participation of many famous bands and songwriters, lasting from 15:00 until midnight. The concert is usually broadcast live on
Rai 3. A second big concert is organised in the city of
Taranto and it is transmitted locally by
TGR Apulia.
Lithuania In Lithuania, 1 May is an official public holiday celebrated as International Work Day (). Celebrations for workers' day were mandatory during the
Soviet occupation, and carry a negative connotation as a result today. As Lithuania
restored its independence in 1990, Work Day lost its public holiday status, but regained it in 2001.
Latvia In Latvia, Labour Day is an official public holiday celebrated as Convocation of the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Latvia, Labour Day.
Luxembourg In Luxembourg, 1 May, called the ("Labour Day"), is a legal holiday traditionally associated with large demonstrations by trade unions in Luxembourg City and other cities.
Malta In Malta, 1 May is an official public holiday celebrated as "Workers' Day", together with the
religious feast of
Saint Joseph the Worker. (
Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March, the saint's main feast, is also a public holiday in Malta).
Netherlands In the Netherlands, 1 May or Labour Day () is not an official holiday. This is due in part to its proximity to the national holiday,
Koningsdag, which was celebrated on the day before until 2013. Labour movements also did not see the need to agitate for an extra day off during the
Post–World War II recovery efforts.
Liberals who joined the
Labour Party in this same period also wanted to distance themselves from the
Soviet Union because of
Cold War sentiments. A small number of public servants has the day off, as well as bank employees and financial traders as the European banking system is not open that day.
North Macedonia in
Skopje, 1909 In North Macedonia, 1 May (, ) is an official public holiday. Before 2007, 2 may was also a public holiday. People celebrate with friends and family at traditional picnics across the country, accompanied by the usual outdoor games, various grilled meats and beverages. Left organizations and some trade unions organize protests on 1 May.
Norway gives his 1 May speech in 2009 in
Oslo, Norway. In Norway, Labour Day () is celebrated 1 May and has been an official public holiday since 1947. It was first introduced by the workers movement in 1890, and recognized as an official flag day in 1935. The program for the day is presented by local unions and labour organizations.
Poland in Wodzisław Śląski, Poland In Poland, since the fall of communism, 1 May is officially celebrated as
Labour Day. It is customary for labour activists to organize parades in cities and towns across Poland. The holiday is also commonly referred to as "Labour Day" (). In Poland, Labour Day is closely followed by
May 3rd Constitution Day. These two dates combined often result in a
long weekend called , which may last for up to 9 days from 28 April to 6 May, at the cost of taking only 3 days off. People often travel, and is unofficially considered the start of barbecuing season in Poland. Between these two, on 2 May, there is a patriotic holiday, the Day of the Polish Flag (), introduced by a parliamentary act of 20 February 2004. The day, however, does not force paid time off. In Soviet times, streets, places, squares, parks and also factories were frequently named in honor of International Workers' Day, such as
1 Maja Coal Mine in or 1 Maja Ironworks in
Gliwice.
Portugal In Portugal, Workers' Day () on 1 May was suppressed during the
Estado Novo dictatorship. The first workers' day demonstration was held a week after the
Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974. It is still the largest demonstration in the history of Portugal. It is used as an opportunity for workers and workers' groups to voice their discontent over working conditions in demonstrations across Portugal, the largest being held in Lisbon. It is an official public holiday.
Romania In Romania, 1 May, known as the "International Labour Day" (), the "International Workers' Day" (), or simply "1/First of May" (), is an official
public holiday. During the
communist regime, like in all former Eastern Bloc countries, the day was marked by large state-organized parades in most towns and cities. After the
Romanian Revolution of 1989, 1 May continues to be an official public holiday, but without any state organized events or parades. Most people celebrate together with friends and family, organising
picnics and
barbecues. It is also the first day of the year when people, especially those from the southeastern part of the country including the capital
Bucharest, go to spend the day in one of the
Romanian Black Sea resorts.
Russia In
Russia, the "Day of International Workers Solidarity, the 1st of May" () was celebrated illegally in the country until the
February Revolution enabled the first legal celebration in 1917. The following year, after the
Bolshevik seizure of power, the International Workers' Day celebrations were boycotted by
Mensheviks,
Left Socialist Revolutionaries and
anarchists. It became an important official holiday of the Soviet Union, celebrated with elaborate popular parade in the centre of the major cities. The biggest celebration was traditionally organized in
Red Square, where the
General Secretary of the CPSU and other party and government leaders stood atop
Lenin's Mausoleum and waved to the crowds. Until 1969, the holiday was marked by
military parades throughout the
Russian SFSR and the union republics. The following was the order of the march past: • Parade commander holding the appointment of commanding officer of the
Moscow Military District • Corps of Drums of the
Moscow Military Music College •
Frunze Military Academy •
V.I. Lenin Military Political Academy •
Felix Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy •
Military Armored Forces Academy Marshal Rodion Malinovsky • Military Engineering Academy •
Military Academy of Chemical Defense and Control • Yuri
Gagarin Air Force Academy • Prof. Nikolai
Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy • Delegation of naval officer cadets from the
Soviet Navy •
98th Guards Airborne Division •
Moscow Border Guards Institute of the Border Defence Forces of the KGB "Moscow City Council" •
Separate Operational Purpose Division •
336th Marine Brigade of the
Baltic Fleet •
Suvorov Military School and
Nakhimov Naval Schools •
Moscow Military Combined Arms Command Training School "Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR" • Mobile Column •
2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division • 4th Guards Tank Division • Missile Troops and Artillery of the Moscow Military District • 1st Aerospace Defense Army •
Northern Fleet and
Baltic Fleet Coastal Defense, Surface and Submarine Forces (until 1974) •
Massed Bands of the Moscow Military District (parade finale) The first of these parades were held
1918, when
Vladimir Lenin presided over a ceremony at
Khodynka Field. Notable parades included the parade of 1941 (which saw the presence of a
Wehrmacht delegation led by
Ernst August Köstring) and 1963 (where Cuban leader
Fidel Castro was a guest). The only parades on 1 May to be cancelled were the parades scheduled during the years of the
Second World War and the 1965 parade (this was cancelled to make way for the
1965 Moscow Victory Day Parade nine days later). In 1979, ten years after the last annual parade, a brief
exhibition drill and
military tattoo of the forces of the Moscow Garrison took place. In 1991, which preceded the last year that demonstrations were held in Red Square, International Workers' Day grew into high-spirited political action. Around 50,000 people participated in a rally in Red Square in 1991 after which the tradition was interrupted for 13 years. In the early post-Soviet period the holiday turned into massive political gatherings of supporters of radically minded politicians. For instance, an action dubbed as "a rally of communist-oriented organisations" was held in Red Square in 1992. The rally began with performance of the Soviet Union anthem and raising the
Red Flag and ended with appeals from the leader of opposition movement Working Moscow,
Viktor Anpilov, "for early dismissal of President
Boris Yeltsin, ousting
Moscow Mayor Gavriil Popov from power and putting the latter on trial". Since 1992, International Workers' Day is officially called "Spring and Labor Day", and remains a major holiday in present-day Russia. : anarchist demonstration : red flags and social slogans visible ,
LGBT, feminists In 1993, a Moscow Labor Day rally followed by a procession organized by the
National Salvation Front, Labor Moscow, and the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation turned into clashes between demonstrators and riot police near houses 30 and 37 along
Leninsky Avenue. After the demonstrators broke through the cordon, OMON went on a counterattack near house 37 along Leninsky Avenue. "The demonstrators fought fiercely using banner poles." To overcome the barriers, the demonstrators used trucks as rams. One of the rams resulted in severe injuries to OMON Sergeant Vladimir Tolokneyev, who died four days later. Media reports on the number of victims varied: the initial figure of 150 people soon quadrupled. The Spring and Labor Day, celebrated as a state holiday, is usually used for political actions under independent slogans by trade unions, parties, and movements of various orientations, from the left to the far right:
United Russia (together with the
Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia and the
Young Guard of United Russia),
A Just Russia, the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation,
Yabloko,
Solidarnost, the
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and
Autonomous Action. The slogans of official events organized by the authorities are far from the historical roots of the Labour Day demonstrations: "Putin's plan is a plan for Victory!", "Bonuses for pensioners", "Three kids in a family is the norm!". A more radical attitude to the holiday in 2009 was expressed by the head of the metropolitan branch of the
Right Cause party, Igor Trunov: "To be honest, I didn't really want to celebrate 1 May, because I don't stand in solidarity with the workers of Chicago, where this holiday came from". On 1 May 2013, several hundred thousand workers took to the streets of Russian cities. More than 100,000 people took part in the Labour Day demonstration in Moscow. Since 2014 a national civil parade has been held on 1 May on Red Square, with similar events held in major cities and regional capitals. In 2016, the celebration of Easter and Labour Day overlapped, which led to the abandonment of Labour Day events in some regions.
Serbia In Serbia, 1 May (and also 2 May) is a day off work and a day out of school. It is one of the major popular holidays, and the only official holiday from socialist times that is still officially celebrated. People celebrate it all over the country. By tradition 1 May is celebrated by countryside picnics and outdoor barbecues. May is marked by warm weather in Serbia. In
Belgrade, the capital, most people go to or , which are parks located in and . People go around the country to enjoy nature. A major religious holiday of is on 6 May so quite often days off work are given to connect these two holidays and weekend, creating a small spring break. 1 May is celebrated by most of the population regardless of political views.
Slovakia In Slovakia, 1 May is an official holiday. Celebrations are held surrounding workers' day but are also connected with the commemoration of the
entry of the Slovak Republic into the European Union (1 May 2004).
Slovenia In Slovenia, 1 May and 2 May are public holidays. There are many official events all over the country to celebrate workers' day. In
Ljubljana, the capital, the main celebration is held on
Rožnik Hill in the city. On the night of 30 April, bonfires are traditionally burned.
Spain , Spain In Spain, the first Workers' Day () was celebrated in 1889 but only became a public holiday with the beginning of the
Spanish Second Republic in 1931. It was banned afterwards by the
Franco regime in 1937. The year after it was decreed that the "Fiesta de la Exaltación del Trabajo," or Labor Festival, be held on 18 July, the anniversary of the
Francoist military coup, instead. After the death of
Francisco Franco in 1975 and the move towards democracy, the first large rallies on 1 May began again in 1977. It was re-introduced as a public holiday in 1978. Commonly, peaceful demonstrations and parades occur in major and minor cities.
Sweden at International Workers' Day demonstration in
Stockholm,
Sweden, in 2006. The party has dominated Swedish politics for nearly a century. The
trade union palace in Stockholm is seen at the end of the picture. 1 May has been an important part of Swedish history since the late 19th century. The day was made a
public holiday in 1938 but had been celebrated by the
Swedish Social Democratic Party and the
left since 1890. The first International Workers' Day celebration gathered more than 50,000 people in central Stockholm. The crowd went to hear speeches by the leading figures in the
Swedish labour movement such as
Hjalmar Branting (later
prime minister),
August Palm and
Hinke Bergegren. During
World War I the demonstrations mainly had a peace message and the
Liberal Party also joined the demonstrations. The
eight-hour working day and
women's suffrage were the principal themes during the troubled times after World War I. Recognizing the central contributions of workers and international worker solidarity in Swedish social, economic, political and cultural development, International Workers' Day demonstrations are an important part of Swedish politics and culture for social democrats and democratic socialists. In Stockholm the
Social Democratic Party always marches towards
Norra Bantorget, the historical, physical centre of the Swedish labour movement, where they hold speeches in front of the headquarters of the
Swedish Trade Union Confederation, while the smaller
Left Party marches in larger numbers towards
Kungsträdgården. Since 1967, the
Communist Party and its
youth wing,
Revolutionary Communist Youth, have held their own International Workers' Day march, known as ('Red Front'). In 2016, Röd Front marches were held at 33 locations across the country. The largest Röd Front marches are usually held in the industrial and financial port town of
Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city and one of the party's strongholds. in the 1970s
Switzerland In Switzerland, the status of 1 May differs depending on the
canton and sometimes on the municipality. Labour Day is known as in German-speaking cantons, as in the French-speaking cantons, and as in the Italian-speaking canton of . • In the cantons of , ,
Jura, , and , Labour Day is an official public holiday equal to Sundays, based on federal law (, article 20a). • In the cantons of , , and , Labour Day is an official "day off" (). This is equal in practice to an official public holiday, but is not based on federal law and cantonal regulations may differ in details. • In the canton of
Solothurn it is an official half-day holiday (starting at 12 noon). • In the canton of , public servants get the afternoon off, many companies follow this practice. • In the canton of it is not an official holiday, but most employees get the afternoon off. • In the municipalities of and (both in the canton of
Lucerne) as well as in (canton of ), 1 May is an official public holiday, but as commemoration day of the local
patron saint, not as Labour Day. In the other parts of the cantons of Lucerne and , 1 May is a regular work day. • In all other cantons, 1 May is a regular work day. The largest Labour Day celebrations in Switzerland are held in the city of . Each year, 's 1 May committee, together with the
Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, organizes a festival and 1 May rally. It is the largest rally held on a regular basis in Switzerland.
Turkey , 1 May 2012 1 May is an official holiday celebrated in Turkey. It was a holiday as "Spring Day" until 1981 when it was canceled after the
1980 coup d'état. In 2009, the Turkish government restored the holiday after some casualties and demonstrations.
Taksim Square is the centre of the celebrations due to the
Taksim Square massacre. Workers' Day was first celebrated in 1912 in
Istanbul and in 1899 in
İzmir. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the celebrations continued. In 1924, it was forbidden by a decree of the
Kemalist government in both 1924 and 1925, demonstrations were intervened by arm floats. In 1935, The National Assembly declared 1 May as "Spring Day" to be a public holiday. During the events leading to the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, a massacre occurred on 1 May 1977 (Taksim Square massacre), in which unknown people (
agents provocateurs) opened fire on the crowd. The crowd was the biggest in Turkish workers' history with the number of people approximating 500,000. In the next two years, provocations and confusion continued and peaked before the 1980 coup d'état. The 1 May holiday was cancelled after the coup d'état. Still, demonstrations continued with small crowds, and in 1996, three people were killed by police bullets, and a plain-clothes man who spied in the crowd was revealed and lynched by workers. On the same evening, a video broadcast on TV showed that two participants in the demonstration were lynched by far right-wing nationalist groups and this lynching occurred in front of police forces who were watching the scene with happy faces. Thus, 1 May 1996 has been remembered by workers' movements. The year 2008 was remembered with police violence in Istanbul. Police fired tear gas grenades among the crowds, and into hospitals and a primary school. Workers pushed forward so that in 2010, 140,000 people gathered in Taksim, and in 2011 there were more than half a million demonstrators. After three years of peaceful meetings in 2013, meetings in Taksim Square were forbidden by the government. Clashes occurred between police and workers;
water cannon and
tear gas have been widely used.
Ukraine International Workers' Day is a public holiday in Ukraine, inherited from the Soviet era. The 1st May as a day of workers' solidarity in Kyiv began as early as 1894. Until 2018, 2 May was also a public holiday (as in the Soviet era), instead in 2017
Western Christianity's
Christmas celebrated 25 December became a new Ukrainian public holiday. The 1 May International Workers' Day remained a Ukrainian public holiday, although it was renamed (also in 2017) from "Day of International Solidarity of Workers" to "Labour Day". Late May 2015
laws that ban communist symbols came into effect in Ukraine, thus banning communist symbols, singing the Soviet national hymn or the Internationale. According to Interior Minister
Arsen Avakov during the 2016 International Workers' Day rallies in some major cities the number of
police officers far outnumbered the number of rally participants.
United Kingdom A public bank holiday in the
United Kingdom was created in 1978. It is called the "Early May bank holiday" and is held on the first Monday in May each year.
Oceania Australia , is the largest rally in
Australia. While unofficial activities and commemorations associated with International Workers' Day occur on 1 May in Australia,
Labour Day in the various states and territories generally falls on other days. In the
Northern Territory and
Queensland, Labour Day is a public holiday on the first Monday in May. Queensland holds the biggest rallies in Australia, with the rally in
Brisbane averaging 30,000 people. In Australia, one of the first Labour Day marches occurred in Queensland on 1 May 1891. There are also rallies held in
Cairns,
Rockhampton,
Townsville,
Barcaldine,
Ipswich,
Toowoomba,
Bundaberg,
Maryborough,
Sunshine Coast,
Gold Coast and other regional centres.
New Zealand New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim the right for an eight-hour working day when, in 1840, the carpenter
Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in
Wellington. Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on 28 October 1890. Labour Day falls every year on the fourth Monday of October.
South Asia Bangladesh In Bangladesh, 1 May is a public holiday and called International Workers' Solidarity Day. A parade and other events are held on the day to commemorate the occasion.
India '' at the
Marina Beach in
Chennai In India, Labour Day is a not a public holiday on 1 May. The International Workers' Day is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties. Labour Day is known as "Uzhaipalar dhinam" in
Tamil and was first celebrated in
Madras, "Kamgar Din" in
Hindi, "Karmikara Dinacharane" in
Kannada, "Karmika Dinotsavam" in
Telugu, "Kamgar Divas" in
Marathi, "Thozhilaali Dinam" in
Malayalam and "Shromik Dibosh" in
Bengali. Since Labour day is not a national holiday, Labour day is observed as public holiday at
State Government's discretion. Many parts especially in
North Indian States it is not a public holiday. The first celebration in
India was organized in Madras (now
Chennai) by the
Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on 1 May 1923. This was also the first time the
red flag was used in India. The party leader
Singaravelu Chettiar made arrangements to celebrate International Workers' Day in two places in 1923. One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the
Madras High Court; the other meeting was held at the
Triplicane beach.
The Hindu newspaper, published from Madras reported, The Labour Kisan party has introduced May Day celebrations in Madras. Comrade Singaravelar presided over the meeting. A resolution was passed stating that the government should declare May Day as a holiday. The president of the party explained the non-violent principles of the party. There was a request for financial aid. It was emphasised that workers of the world must unite to achieve independence. 1 May 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 on linguistic lines. Maharashtra Day is held at
Shivaji Park in central
Mumbai. Schools and offices in Maharashtra remain closed on 1 May. A similar parade is held to celebrate
Gujarat Day in
Gandhinagar.
Vaiko (Vai Gopalsamy), General Secretary of
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, appealed to the then Prime Minister
V. P. Singh to declare 1 May as a national holiday, to which the PM heeded and from then on it became a national holiday to celebrate International Labour Day.
Maldives Maldives first observed the holiday in 2011, after a declaration by
President Mohamed Nasheed. He noted that this move highlighted the government's commitment as well as efforts of private parties to protect and promote workers' rights in the Maldives.
Nepal International Workers' Day has been celebrated in
Nepal since 1963. The day became a public holiday in 2007.
Pakistan International Labour Day is observed in Pakistan on 1 May to commemorate the social and economic achievements of workers. It is a public and national holiday. Many organized street demonstrations take place on Labor Day, where workers and labor unions protest against labor repression and demand for more rights, better wages and benefits.
Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, International Workers' Day was declared a public, bank, and mercantile holiday in 1956. The government has held official celebrations in major towns and cities, with the largest being in the capital,
Colombo. During celebrations, it is common to witness party leaders greeting the crowds. Workers frequently carry banners with political slogans and many parties decorate their vehicles.
Southeast Asia Cambodia In Cambodia, it is known as International Labour Day and is a public holiday. No marches for labour day were permitted in Cambodia for several years after the
2013 Cambodian general election and surrounding mass protests. A tightly controlled march on a limited scale was first permitted again in 2019.
Indonesia s demonstration in Jakarta, 2007 International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, in
Indonesia was first observed by
Kung Tang Hwee labour union in Semarang on 1918. The organizations such as
Sarekat Islam,
Boedi Oetomo, and Insulinde also took parts on strike that day through
Radicale Concentratie alliance. But in 1927 the celebrations banned by the
Dutch East Indies colonial government. After independence, the 1 May Labour Day was observed again from 1946, with
Soekarno, the first president of the Republic, always attending the celebration. Two years later, he signed Law No. 12 of 1948 concerning workers' rights. The
Soeharto New Order regime banned Labour Day celebrations again from 1967 because of the day's association with Marxist and communist movements. The regime changed Labour Day to 20 February from 1973, marking the day on which all labour unions were merged by the government into ghe All Indonesian Federation of Workers (now
Confederation of All Indonesian Workers' Unions). After the
fall of the New Order, the day began celebrated again as a day for protests by labourers and workers. The day was officially made a public holiday in 2014. Every year on the day, labourers and students take over the streets in major cities across the country, voicing their demands for better income and supportive policies from the government.
Malaysia Malaysia began observing the holiday in 1972 following an announcement by the late
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister,
Ismail Abdul Rahman.
Myanmar In Myanmar, 1 May is known as Labour Day () and is a public holiday.
Philippines 1 May is known as "Labor Day" (, also known as
Araw ng Paggawa) and is a
public holiday in the Philippines. On this day, labour organizations and unions hold protests in major cities. On 1 May 1903, during the
American colonial period the (Filipino Democratic Labor Union) held a rally in front of the
Malacañang Palace demanding workers' economic rights and Philippine independence. In 1908, the
Philippine Assembly passed a bill officially recognizing 1 May as a national holiday. In 1913, the first official celebration was held on 1 May 1913 when 36 labour unions convened for a congress in
Manila. During the
Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a policy was adopted called
holiday economics policy that moved holidays to either a Monday or a Friday to create a
long weekend of three days. In 2002, Labor Day was moved to the Monday nearest to 1 May. Labour groups protested, as they accused the Arroyo administration of belittling the holiday. By 2008, Labor Day was excluded in the holiday economics policy, returning the commemorations to 1 May, no matter what day of the week it falls on.
Singapore In Singapore, it is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday. The
Prime Minister, who is the leader of the ruling
People's Action Party, gives a Labour Day Rally championing the
tripartite relationship between government, employers, and employees.
Thailand In Thailand, the day is known in English as National Labour Day, and is one of 17 official
public holidays in Thailand.
Vietnam In Vietnam, it is known as International Labour Day () and is a public holiday. It was first adopted by the
Nguyễn dynasty on the 11th day of the 9th month of the 16th year of the
Bảo Đại Emperor (30 October 1941) by imperial decree.
Iran In
Iran, 1 May is known as the International Workers' Day. It is not a public holiday but according to article 63 of
Iranian labour law on top of the official public holidays observed in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Labour Day shall be considered an official holiday for workers.
Iraq In
Iraq, it is known as the International Workers' Day and is a public holiday.
Israel After historically varying popularity of Labour Day, 1 May is not an official holiday in the
State of Israel. In the 1980s there were several large marches in Tel Aviv, numbering as much as 350,000 in 1983 and perhaps even more in 1988, but a steady decline in numbers led to only 5,000 marchers in 2010. During the 1990s businesses began to treat it like a regular working day as the number of Labour Day-related activities decreased. 1 May is largely celebrated by the
former Soviet Jews who
immigrated to Israel in the 1990s.
Jordan 1 May is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday.
Lebanon 1 May known as the Workers' Day and is a public holiday. Left-wing parties and workers' unions organize marches on 1 May.
Palestine 1 May is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday.
Yemen 1 May is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday. == Observation tables by countries and territories ==