Today is May 1, also known as Labor Day, also known as May Day, also known as Beltane.

Today, if you say “May Day”, you get the side-eye from a lot of people.  That’s because May Day has become a symbol of workers rights and is often linked with institutional communism and we all know how that worked out.  

In reality, however, May Day goes well beyond its current American connotation.  Before the 1880’s it was fundamentally a religious holiday, tied to ancient pagan celebrations.  Traditions ranged from the May pole to running up hills to catch dew in Scotland to letting livestock to free in Ancient Rome.  Rome’s celebration was the earliest known May celebration, honoring the goddess Flora, (the goddess of flowers and spring) as well as Dionysus (the god of a bunch of things, most notably wine-making, fertility, festivity, and insanity)  and Venus (the goddess of desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory).  Based on the gods it honors, you know this must have been a festive event!  Plus, as the Puritans banned May Day upon landing in (what would become) North America because it was too darn much fun!

In the 1880’s, May Day was starting a slow transition to becoming Labor Day in many places. It is still celebrated as Labor Day in most of the world.  When it found its way to the United States, it was “celebrated” with a general strike.  In 1886, the Haymarket Affair occurred.  The event and its judicial aftermath solidified May Day as International Workers’ Day and its popularity spread rapidly.

In the United States we get to be reminded of Labor Day twice, if we’re paying attention. First on May Day and then again on Labor Day, celebrated in early September.

There is something important about the religious backdrop of Labor Day.  I think it says a lot that an important celebration of life, rebirth and renewal was chosen so very uniformly across cultures as a day to recognize the labor class.

So, this May, let’s take a minute to honor the labor that has brought you the products and services you need to continue.  Everything we touch has been placed in our hands through the work of labor.  I, for one, am glad for it and welcome the opportunity to celebrate it on this auspicious day.

Photo credit: By Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1743, public domain