May day 2019: what is may day, what is labour day?

May is the fifth month in the Gregorian calendar and consists of bank holidays, christian observances and national holidays. The whole month is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in

Catholic tradition as well as being Cystic Fibrosis awareness month and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome awareness month. Two national holidays which take place are May Day and Labour day, but what

are they? MAY DAY May Day falls on Wednesday, May 1 and is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival. In the UK, traditional May Day celebrations include dances around a maypole,

crowning a May Queen and often Morris dancing. May 1 is not a national holiday in the UK, with May bank holiday instead falling on the first Monday of the month. Read More: Bank Holidays UK

2019: When is the next bank holiday? Across the UK for May Day, traditional celebrations and activities take place. One such celebration happens in Oxford, when in a centuries-old tradition

revellers gather below the Great Tower of Magdalen College at 6am to hear the school choir. LABOUR DAY Labour Day also falls on May 1 and is an annual holiday which celebrates the

achievements of workers. In the UK it is also known as International Workers’ Day - with the date chosen to commemorate the Haymarket affair of 1886. The Haymarket affair began as a peaceful

rally, held on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, in support of workers striking in a push for an eight hour day. But the demonstration ended in tragedy, with a bombing which

killed seven police officers and four workers. As well as commemorating those who died, International Workers’ Day celebrates labourers and the working classes. The day has also in recent

years become synonymous with large-scale protests organised by socialist and anti-capitalist groups. WHEN IS THE NEXT BANK HOLIDAY? There are five bank holidays left in 2019. These are: *

Monday, May 6 - May bank holiday * Monday, May 27 - Spring bank holiday * Monday, August 26, summer bank holiday * Wednesday, December 25, Christmas Day * Thursday, December 26, Boxing Day