-> May Day is recognized as International Workers’ Day, commemorating the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. This began after the Industrial revolution, with a conference in Chicago attempting to create labor union and labor conditions for all workers.
-> In Europe May 1 was historically associated with rural pagan festivals, but the original meaning of the day was gradually replaced by the modern association with the labor movement.
-> The Celts of the British Isles believed May 1 to be the most important day of the year, when the festival of Beltane was held.
-> This May Day festival was thought to divide the year in half, between the light and the dark. Symbolic fire was one of the main rituals of the festival, helping to celebrate the return of life and fertility to the world.
