Xref: utzoo soc.culture.french:4723 trial.soc.culture.italian:119 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zazen!psl.wisc.edu!psl.wisc.edu!SGRO From: sgro@psl.wisc.edu Newsgroups: soc.culture.french,trial.soc.culture.italian Subject: Re: May Day Message-ID: <1991May2.011003.21899@pslu1.psl.wisc.edu> Date: 2 May 91 01:10:03 GMT References: Sender: news@pslu1.psl.wisc.edu (USENET News System) Reply-To: sgro@psl.wisc.edu Organization: University of Wisconsin - Physical Science Lab Lines: 51 In article , jeanne@ecse.rpi.edu (Philippe Jeanne) writes: > >May 1st is traditionally Labor Day in most western european countries, and >I think, a significant number of other countries, but not the US. This morning >I heard on RFI (Radio France Internationale) an editorial dealing with the >origins of this date. According to this show, the origins of the celebration >of Labor day on May 1st are to be linked to a demonstration which occured in >Fourmi (where is it ?), and at the end of which the troop fired on the workers >and killed a lot of them. The story I had heard before was quite similar >except that the place of this demonstration was in the US (Chicago or Detroit) >which makes it very paradoxal: the US being one of the few countries that do >not celebrate Labor Day on May 1st. > >Has anyone heard another story, which would confirm either of the hypotheses >or a new one maybe ? By the way, what about islamic countries, or south-east >asian countries ? Do they celebrate it as well ? > > >Philippe Jeanne > >=============================================================================== > O< > \{^) >~~~~~~~~~~~ >jeanne@asterix.sarnoff.com The unofficial version that I knew was that the US did NOT celebrate MAY DAY on MAY 1rst because it was a "COMMUNIST" celebration!.... Whether this is true or not, well, I dunno! It is true however that in France there usually is a DEMONSTRATION in Paris sponsored by the communist party and labor unions, especially the ones "affiliated" with the party (even though, of course everybody knows that the are "independent" from, one another, just loke the french communist party is independent fron Moscow... But you know very well just how much you can TRUST politicians!!!!!) Bon, la parole est au camarade suivant, et attention! des fois que les goulags reviennent a la mode! Jean-Yves --------------------------------------------------------------- Jean-Yves Sgro I N S T I T U T E F O R M O L E C U L A R V I R O L O G Y 1525 Linden Drive, Madison Wi 53706 - USA - --------------------------------------------------------------- (608) 262 7464 Lab (direct) 262-4540 (secretary) (608) 257 7305 Home (608) 262 4570 FAX bitnet SGRO@WISCPSL Internet sgro@psl.wisc.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------