distef@eecg.toronto.edu (Eugenia Distefano) (05/02/91)
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