• Zagorath@aussie.zone
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    8 months ago

    In Australia it varies by state. Only Queensland and the Northern Territory celebrate the early May Labour Day (and the NT calls it “May Day” rather than “Labour Day”). On the 1st of the month, but the first Monday in May.

    I think other states have it at different times for a variety of reasons. Part of it is a deliberate effort to disempower the day from its international meaning. But it’s also about spreading out public holidays. After two public holidays for Easter in late March/early April and ANZAC Day on 25th April, Labour Day being the first week of May is a lot of public holidays in a very short time.

  • Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone
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    8 months ago

    In Australia where I am from we have it the first Monday of May rather then a set day so it’s always a long weekend.

    Other parts of the country are the first Monday of October for whatever reason but I’m assuming better weather.

  • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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    8 months ago

    Er, May Day in the UK has absolutely nothing to do with Labour Day or International Workers Day. It’s just another Beltane derived festival where people dance like twats with sticks or around a big pole.

    • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      If they called it Labour Day, that uppity working class might think they have some kind of value.

      /s

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      8 months ago

      The fact that the UK calls public holidays “bank holidays” is the most adorable quaint thing you guys do.

      Anyway, there’s some nuance here. I think the Wikipedia section for the UK on “international worker’s day” says it quite well:

      A public bank holiday in the United Kingdom known as May Day was created in 1978 and is held on the first Monday in May each year.

      There are many traditional May Day rites and celebrations, some of which have been held for hundreds of years. However, it was not until the late 20th century that May Day in Great Britain became linked to International Workers’ Day, and the holiday is not officially a “Labour Day”.

  • Microw@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Technically Austria should be yellow, as officially our “state holiday” on May 1st is on that day for no particular reason and shares its date with Labour Day by accident… though of course everybody knows that this was an excuse to make it a holiday without causing a political fight.

  • redfellow@sopuli.xyz
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    8 months ago

    The yellow color of Finland is weird. We call it Vappu, or Walburgs Night, but it’s indeed a paid holiday labour day.

    • maynarkh@feddit.nl
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      8 months ago

      The date, May 1, was set in order to counter International Workers’ Day and was recognized by the U.S. Congress during the height of the Second Red Scare.

      It’s so symbolic that Worker’s Day is taken to be an opposite of loyalty to the US.