Labor Day

So we all headed down to the lake for Labor Day to do anything but labor. We had a great time there and the weather was perfect, warm but with a slight breeze blowing so it was not too hot. The kids were able to swim but the adults didn't feel the need to get in the water which was great! Especially since some of us don't feel as comfortable as we used to in a bathing suit! But I'm working on it! More on that later.

So, I'm wondering, just what is Labor Day? When did this holiday orginate and what is it supposed to honor? I know it celebrates the "last day of summer" although not really according to the calendar. So where did this tradition come from? Here is a simple explanation from yahoo.

"The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5, 1882 in New York City. They were inspired by an annual labor parade held in Toronto, Canada. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Many other labor organizations, notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen's Association, favored a May 1 holiday. With the event of Chicago's Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to breaking with tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor movements with internationalist sympathies.

Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day, political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as the 24th of July in many urban districts, including Nashville and Atlanta.

According to Howard Zinn in his research in A People's History of the United States, the original parade in 1882 organized by the Knights of Labor had a loose affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, a main reason why the more progressive supporters of a labor parade preferred the May Day march."

So there you have it, a day of rest declared by the "labor unions" of the late 1800's. Hope you all enjoyed your day of rest, and if you had to work, well that stinks!!