May Day - Not For Me

Today, May Day, is celebrated in many different ways throughout the world.  I've always been a bit confused about May Day and as I did some research into it, I understand why.  It isn't a uniformly celebrated holiday and its orientation varies widely depending on the country.

The earliest origins of May Day were celebrations honoring the Roman Goddess of Flowers, Flora.  Also, at that time, was the celebration of Maiouma which occurred every 3 years as a festival honoring Dionysus and Aphrodite.  It was known for its licentiousness and took place throughout the night with banquets and orgies.

Through the centuries, various countries and regions have held celebrations more-or-less coinciding with the 1st of May that were focused more on the transition of the seasons into summer.  Other things were sprinkled in which honored various local traditions.

In the late 19th Century, the Communist Party International decided to celebrate International Workers Day on May 1 to commemorate the Haymarket Affair in which a labor protest in Chicago ended in a bloodbath after someone threw a bomb at the police who were trying to break up the protest.  The result was 7 police officers and 4 civilians dead with dozens more wounded.  The protest was an attempt to get an 8-hour workday established as the norm.  The event served to unify labor into a more cohesive force on the American industrial scene.

Today, May Day in the U.S. has both "green" elements (those related to the beginning of summer) and "red" elements (those related to the Communist International Workers Day).  In either case, it isn't something I care to celebrate.  I suspect though, with he growth in influence of communists within the Democratic Party and their current emphasis on the end-of-the-world scenario they pose in relation to global warming, (at least 2 candidates have put a time limit on a worldwide government response to combat it) I wouldn't be surprised to see a growing number of May Day celebrations that include both red and green aspects.  It just seems to fit.  One more reason for me to dislike the term....