From astronomy to Maypole dance -- why May 1 is not all about International Workers’ Day

Sky gazers will tell you that May Day (May 1) has its roots in astronomy - on that day we are about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

Labour rights campaigners will pin this date as the commemoration of past labour struggles against lengthy workday, poor conditions and child labour. For the romantics, May 1 was the day of expressing love; for beekeepers, the day they moved bees; for farmers, the day they planted turnips. May 1 is International Workers’ Day - an official holiday in 66 countries and unofficially celebrated in many more.

Here’s a close look at May 1.

8-hour workday from May 1, 1886: At the height of the Industrial Revolution, workers were dying of long working hours often stretching to 10-16 hours. The first law in the United States that called for an 8-hour workday was passed in Illinois in 1867 but it was not meant for all workers. When thousands of industrial workers went on a strike in the United States to demand better working conditions, in October 1884, the Federation of Organised Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada decided that May 1, 1886, would mark the first day that an 8-hour workday would go into effect.

May Basket Day: Towards the end of April, young boys and girls started collecting flowers, candies and small gifts to put in May baskets to hang on the doors of friends, neighbours and loved ones on May 1. It was also an occasion to express romantic interest. Hang a May Day basket on the door of the one you love. If the basket-hanger was caught by the recipient, the recipient chased the basket-hanger and tried to steal a kiss.

On May 1, 1900, St. Louis Republic newspaper wrote of “May Basket Day when the youthful fancy manifests its turn to thoughts of love by surreptitiously leaving baskets of spring flowers on the stoop appertaining to the home of the one adored.” Author Louisa May Alcott wrote about May Basket Day in her 1880 children's book Jack and Jill.

Maypole Dance: The first maypole dance originated as part of the Celtic fertility ritual, where the pole symbolised male fertility and baskets and wreaths symbolised female fertility. In the Middle Ages, towns would compete to see who had the tallest or the best Maypole. Much later, May 1 grew into a day of merriment where a Maypole was wrapped in colourful ribbons and people danced around it all day. Maypole on May 1 was also the site to find love. If paired by sundown, the couple courted for 6 weeks to marry on June’s Midsummer’s Day - that is how the tradition of June Wedding began.

Oss Oss on May Day: In Cornwall (England), May 1 marks a procession in which the central figure is Oss Oss, a witch doctor disguised as a horse and wearing a medicine mask. Dancers sing the May Day song, beat drums, and in turn act the horse or dance in attendance.

May Day Festival: For the Celts of the British Isles, May 1 was the most important day of the year. The Festival of Beltane (May Day festival) was thought to divide the year in half, between the light and the dark. When the Romans took over the British Isles, they brought with them their 5-day celebration known as Floralia, devoted to the worship of the goddess of flowers, Flora.

May Day as Distress Call: This May Day call is not restricted to May 1, instead, it is an international distress call. ‘Mayday, Mayday, Mayday’ code was invented in 1923 by Frederick Mockford, an airport radio officer in London. Challenged to come up with a word that would be easily understood by pilots and ground staff in case of an emergency, Mockford coined the word ‘mayday’ which stems from the French ‘m’aider’ (literally, help me).

Wash your face with Dew: Among the many superstitions associated with May Day was the belief that washing the face with dew on the morning of May 1 would beautify the skin and bring good luck. On May 1, often, kids would walk barefoot on dew for the first time.

Lei Day: In Hawaii, May 1 is called Lei Day and people make pretty leis (garlands/wreaths made with native Hawaiian flowers and leaves).

May Bush: On May 1, many Irish make a May bush, typically a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers and ribbons.

Plant turnips. Move Bees: Beekeepers traditionally moved bees on May 1 and farmers planted turnips on this day.

May Day Songs

1. Loretta Lyn: Coal Miner’s Daughter
2. Dolly Parton: 9 to 5
3. Woody Guthrie: Union Burying Ground
4. Pete Seeger: We Shall Not be Moved
5. Florence Reese: Which Side are you On?
6. Elvis Costello: Welcome to the Working Week
7. John Lennon: Working Class Hero
8. Ramones: It is not my place (in the 9 to 5 world)
9. Randy Newman: Mr President, Have Pity on the Working Man
10. Bob Dylan: Maggie’s Farm