Labor Day

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What is this holiday for?

Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and, compared to the May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries, parades, speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key, although especially in election years, events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, as of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as the July 24 in many urban districts, including major southern cities in the United States such as Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the weekend of Labor day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

Labor Day Originally

Labor Day was originally meant as a day to honor and exhibit the American spirit through it's hard working people via the labor unions. Labor Day now is a Holiday set aside to honor all workers and is no longer a labor union issue but is celebrated every year on the first Monday in September. Labor Day is considered a workingman's holiday.

Pattern of Celebration

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations", followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school, although school starting times now vary.

End of Summer

Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white or seersucker.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 1983 in Darlington, South Carolina. At Indianapolis Raceway Park, the National Hot Rod Association hold their finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race.

In the U.S. most school districts that started summer vacation in early June will resume school the day after this day (see First Day of School), while schools that had summer vacation begin on the Saturday before Memorial Day in late May will have already been in session since late August. However this tradition is changing as many school districts end in early June and begin mid-August.

What Labor Day means to most

Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday in September. In America, Labor Day Holiday usually marks the end of Summer Vacation and the time to get back to school and get ready for the cool snap in the weather. The beach season has ended and most everyone's family vacations have ended as well.

Labor Day for us means the last long weekend to enjoy outdoor cookouts (grilling BBQ) with the family and the last time to wear those shorts and tank tops before Mom packs them away until next summer. Many families actually pack up all their grill supplies after the Labor Day weekend and bring out the fall decorations in it's place.

Bales of hay and pinestraw start to fill front yards in September along with other decorations like pumpkins, gourds and fall wreaths on doors. Fall wouldn't be be same if we didn't have our ever so popular scarecrows to decorate the porch either.

Facts

The first Labor Day observance was celebrated on September 5th 1882 in New York City. It fell on a Tuesday in that year. New York State's legislature was the first to have a Labor Day bill introduced.

New York was the first to have a Labor Day bill but it was the State of Oregon that passed the first bill declaring Labor Day on February 21, 1887.

In 1884 Labor Day was set to be celebrated on the first Monday in September.

As labor unions spread over the country, so did the Labor Day Holiday.

Samuel Gomper was the head of the American Federation of Labor in 1898 and he said that Labor Day was.... " the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed... that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

Labor Day began by being adopted one state at a time instead of being declared a national holiday by the Congress of the United States.

June 28, 1894 marked the date that the bill was passed in Congress stating that the first Monday in September of each year would be a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and all the U.S. territories.

Labor Day parades are traditional and so are picnics in the park and the last lazy weekend at the river.

Fun Quotes

If little labor, little are our gains: Man's fortunes are according to his pains. - Robert Herrick

It's better to wear out than rust out. - Richard Cumberland

The fellow who isn't fired with enthusiasm is apt to be fired. - B.C. Forbes

We found recognition about this holiday from:

Calendar sites, news and personal Internet sites that blog and share information about this holiday.

dol.gov says "The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883....etc."

timeanddate.com says "Traditionally, people did not wear white clothes, particularly shoes, after Labor day. However, this custom is slowly dying out. More and more people now wear white all year round, rather than just in the summer. Similarly, it is the custom to wear a straw cowboy hat from Memorial Day until Labor Day, then a felt one until Memorial Day comes around again.

apples4theteacher.com says "Labor Day Dates are: Sept. 3, 2012 / Sept. 2, 2013 / Sept. 1, 2014 / Sept. 7 2015 / Sept. 5 2016

calendar-365.com says "Labor Day Dates are: September 4, 2017 / September 3, 2018 / September 2, 2019 / September 7, 2020 / September 6, 2021 / September 5, 2022

usa.gov says "Minimum Wages, by State. View the minimum wage and overtime laws for each state and U.S. territory......etc."

Labor Day Articles:

Labor Day party Summers last Hurrah

Back to School

USA.gov's Online Resources to Get You or Your Kids Back to School

Recreation

Barbeque Safety Tips

Beach and Water Temperatures

Boating Safety from the U.S. Coast Guard

Camping, Picnics, Fishing, and More from Recreation.gov

Marine and Coastal Weather Forecasts and Warnings

Recipes from and for Americans

Summer Health Tips

Travel

Airport Delays

Weather Forecasts from the National Weather Service

What You Can and Cannot Take on Airplanes

More Holidays in September:

September Food Holidays

Weird September Holidays

Movable September Holidays

September by day, week & month

Labor Day is a Federal Holiday. Other Federal Holidays include:

New Year's Day / Inauguration Day / Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday / President's Day / Washington's Birthday / Memorial Day / Independence Day / Labor Day / Columbus Day / Veteran's Day / Thanksgiving / Christmas

Resources, References & External Links

• This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses some material from Wikipedia/article LaborDay © / and other related pages.

• Top photo: homestead stock