The name May Day refers to the International Workers’ Day, which is an important holiday for our society, as it commemorates the fight for an 8-hour-long workday. It was established in the 19th century, and has been celebrated since then. The first of May is also a national holiday in many countries, so it is often accompanied by many celebrations – so many that you might not know which one to attend. So if you’re wondering which traditions and celebrations you should opt for May Day, here is our list of the best 4.

4 Best International Workers’ Day traditions and celebrations

Let’s see how May Day is celebrated around the world.

  1. Parades – In many countries, especially those which were or still are under communist influence, you can find parades and marches as the most important celebrations of the May Day. These parades are often organized with a bang – the International Workers’ Day is one of the most important holidays for the communist states. The parades are often organized by trade unions and are a mix of colors, sometimes national symbols such as flags, and symbols of some of the professions. Watching a parade will let you truly feel the spirit of the International Workers’ Day.
  2. Picnics – An interesting tradition may be found in Greece. For the Greek, the 1st of May is also the holiday of flowers called Protomagia. They celebrate it by going out of town for picnics with their whole families. They fly kites, which make the sky delightfully colorful, gather flowers and use them to craft flower wreaths, which they later hang on their front door. They do so to welcome the spring. A lot of these activities happen to be on our spring activities bucket list, which just shows how universally fun they are!
  3. Maypoles – Something that you might have seen on the internet, but probably not in real life – well, unless you live in Great Britain or Ireland. Maypoles are, as the name suggests, poles which have colorful ribbons attached to them. Children and young adults often grab these ribbons and dance around the poles. As the concept is pretty simple, this is a fun family tradition that you can introduce no matter where you live – prepare the maypole and invite your guests, and you can merrily celebrate the May Day!
  4. Barbecues – If you prefer something rather simple, then this Polish tradition is for you. In Poland the first of May is the unofficial start of the barbecue season. Families or groups of friends gather to spend some quality time together during the so-called ‘Majówka’ – a long weekend, as both the 1st and the 3rd of May are Polish national holidays. So if you want to celebrate the labor day with your friends, just chillin’ & grillin’, then try to make this a tradition among your colleagues!
    Celebration of May day

Where to find May Day celebrations near me?

If you are wondering how to celebrate May Day in your area, you can try using YouMap. You can find communities that are all about celebrating holidays, and check their maps to see what kinds of celebrations are there around you for Labor Day.

And if you have done your research, and you know all about the May Day celebrations around you, you can help other people – download the app and create your own map of the events on the 1st of May – you will help those, who are looking for interesting celebrations, as well as you will get to know some likely-minded people – and maybe make new, lasting friendships?

The takeaway

There are numerous different traditions related to the 1st of May. You can celebrate the International Workers’ Day on a parade, outside of town or in your own garden – it only depends on what you like.

And if you are interested in the customs and traditions in other countries, check our article on different easter traditions around the world.