In many countries around the world, May 1st is a holiday which is called Labor Day or Workers' Day. It is an interesting holiday that honors working people and their jobs. But do you know how it started?
During the late 1880s, in many parts of the world, people worked for fourteen to sixteen hours a day in factories, but made very little money. Later, in the United States and Canada, working people got together to set up unions (工会). The union leaders asked factory bosses for shorter working time and higher salaries (工资), but many of the bosses ▲ .
On May 1st, 1886, men and women in the United States and Canada stopped working and went onto the streets. They walked through cities and towns toforcebosses to let them work eight hours a day. In the city of Chicago, several people died in fighting with the police. Over the next few years, people in cities around the world stopped working on May 1st to honor workers everywhere. By the early twentieth century, the first of May became a national holiday in many countries.
However, in the United States and Canada, May 1st is not a holiday. North Americans celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September. Today in the United States, Labor Day is mostly about having fun. People enjoy a long weekend and often celebrate it by having picnics with friends or family. In many parts of the United States, Labor Day is also the last day of summer vacation, and students return to school the next day.
