May 1 in Russia: From Political Slogans to Quiet Barbecues How the main Soviet workers' holiday turned into an excuse for the first outings into nature and four consecutive weekends off 1890year of the first celebration 1917legalization 1992renaming 120+countries worldwide For most Russians, May 1 is primarily about long weekends, the first truly warm days, and the opportunity to go to the dacha or forest for barbecues. However, behind these peaceful scenes lies a history of over a century — from the bloodshed in Chicago to mandatory demonstrations in the USSR and the complete transformation of the holiday's meaning in modern Russia. Origins: Events in Chicago and the Emergence of Labor Day The date of May 1 dates back to the events of 1886 in the American city of Chicago. Workers took to the streets demanding an eight-hour workday. The protest took on a massive scale, and the subsequent clashes with the police resulted in human casualties. In memory of the "Chicago Events" and in honor of the workers' struggle for their rights, the Paris Congress of the Second International in 1889 declared May 1 the International Workers' Solidarity Day. The first celebration took place in 1890 in Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the United States, France, Sweden, and some other countries. The Russian Empire and the First May Day Celebrations In the Russian Empire, May 1 was long under a ban. The first illegal May Day celebration took place in 1891 in Warsaw, and in Moscow, workers gathered for the first time in 1895. The holiday had a strongly political character: revolutionary slogans were heard, the "Marseillaise" was sung, and sometimes there were clashes with the police. Only after the February Revolution of 1917 did May 1 celebrate freely and openly. The Provisional Government even sent troops into the streets of Petrograd, and the columns of demonstrators stretched for 40 kilometers. The Soviet Canon: The Main Workers' Holiday In the Soviet U ... Read more