May 1st, known as "May Day," throughout the entire world, is for working people to celebrate their strength and demand concessions from their government. Rarely do we here in the U.S. make such demands because we fear our government.
In more than 140 countries, May 1 is celebrated as a workers' holiday. Believe it or not, May Day started in the U.S. in 1886 when American labor organizations called a general strike, beginning on May 1, to demand the eight-hour workday. On May 4, 1886, Chicago police opened fire on the strikers in what is known as the Haymarket Massacre. Today we celebrate May Day, or International Workers' Day, in honor of the Haymarket martyrs and the international working class. It is a day when workers throughout the world take to the streets to fight against exploitation. So somewhere in our history, maybe your great great grandfather and grandmother fought so you could have the luxury to sit on your ass playing World of Warcraft, texting your friends, watching "American Idol" and letting your government siphon you and keep you in a constant state of hypnosis just like the aliens did in "The Matrix." They distract you from the fact you are a slave. They make you work to support ridiculous wars that they've also made you believe in, they make you believe a two party system wrestling match works, so they could take your money no matter who you think is in charge and give it to banks, big business and corporations who let executives make huge profits while kicking workers out onto the streets. All the while they make you believe it's the fault of the Unions. Our ancestors should be ashamed of us! The origin of the May Day as a day for celebration dates back to the days, even before the birth of Christ. And like most ancient holidays and festivals it also has a Pagan connection. For the Druids of the British Isles, May 1 was when the festival of Beltane held. It was thought that the day divides the year into half. In those days the May Day custom was the setting of new fire. The fire itself was thought to lend life to the sun.
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