As we know, Labor Day is typically the “unofficial” end of summer because of school starting and everyone heading back to work for the fall and winter seasons.
But what is this weird holiday? Why do we celebrate it? Who and where did it start? When did it become a “big time” holiday? How did this holiday evolve to what it is today?
This holiday roughly started in 1882 when Peter Macguire of the American Federation of Labor witness a labor festival up in Toronto, Canada earlier that year. The point of a “Labor Day” was to celebrate the accomplishment of economic and social contributions of the working force in America.
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, 30 states already were acknowledging and celebrate the holiday.
The idea for the September date was chosen by the CLU of New York that had observed by the trade unions for the several years before causing it to be selected rather than widespread.
The first series of celebrations started as street parades and as a festival for the workers and their families. This has evolved to fireworks, barbeques, field art, etc. to celebrate not just the “unoffical” end of summer, but to celebrate the fruits of labor from the previous year. It is
Funny thing is, the USA’s labor day is in fact a tone down version of May 1st’s “May Day”; which is the International Worker’s Day in every other country in the world. The reason the USA don’t celebrate it then is because the US government doesn’t want to be associated with any thing negative with the holiday that some of the countries use the holiday for. But that’s another time and another place to explain about that.
The holiday is one of few we celebrate that seemingly goes unnoticed as another day off from worker. But at the same time, it seems like it is a built in day off created by the government. I guess they can’t be that bad.
source:
JMcDonaldMedia 
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