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From: distef@eecg.toronto.edu (Eugenia Distefano)
Subject: Re: May Day
Message-ID: <1991May2.123742.25206@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: EECG, University of Toronto
References: <ya2gnkd@rpi.edu>
Date: 2 May 91 16:37:42 GMT
Lines: 18

As others have already written, the demonstration in question took 
place in Chicago. As far as I know, May Day has been a holiday for
a long time in many countries. In Italy, for example, it was a 
holiday already before Fascism; then the Fascists moved Labour Day
to April 21st (same day as "i natali di Roma") and after Fascism it
was moved back to May 1st. 

What I was wondering about is if this is what happened in the U.S.
too - i.e. was Labour Day once celebrated in the U.S. on May 1st? Perhaps 
it might have been moved after the 1917 October revolution (in Russia May 
1st immediately became a national holiday after the revolution, as far as 
I know) to dissociate it from its socialist tradition? Or is it a more recent 
holiday that was placed in September directly (for the same reason as above)?
When was Labour Day first celebrated in the U.S.? France? Other countries?

-- 
 Eugenia Distefano 
 distef@eecg.toronto.edu