Labor Day: What Is It and Why Do We Celebrate It?

If someone were to ask you the question, "What is Labor Day?" could you really answer it? From its original conception as a labor union celebration, Labor Day has mostly become symbolic of the end of summer activities.

Very few of us really know anything about this holiday other than the fact that it is the first Monday in September and that it is the unofficial end of summer. At one time, it also signaled the beginning of the new school year, but with more students returning to classes in middle or late August that is no longer the case. However, beaches stay open and many other summer activities continue throughout Labor Day weekend.

The tradition of celebrating Labor Day as a national holiday is over one hundred years old. It began in 1882 as a parade by the Knights of Columbus to give credit to working class citizens for their contributions to the city of New York. Some confusion exists concerning the adoption of the first Monday in September for the official Labor Day celebration. Some sources say it was to differentiate it from the Socialist Labor Day on May 1st, a date that later became known as May Day, while others indicate that it was chosen because it is halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Regardless of which version you believe, it is still important to know that Labor Day is not just a holiday to celebrate the beginning of autumn.

Toward the end of the 1800's, labor organizations began to lobby state legislatures to observe Labor Day as an official state holiday. The first states declared it a holiday in 1887. This included Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Finally, in 1894, Congress passed a law that designated Labor Day as an official national holiday.

Currently Labor Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, and many other industrialized countries. In European countries its origins with the working class remains clear. However, in the U.S., Labor Day has become a generic holiday due to its association with the end of the summer season. At its inception, 40 percent of Americans worked under a labor union. But currently, only about 11 percent of the workforce belongs to a labor union.

Sadly, Labor Day has taken the same road as Memorial Day and is only recognized as important by those who lived in bygone eras. Although it still holds significance for some older workers and those retirees who belong to the labor unions, for most, Labor Day simply means a day off from work or school. The meaning of this holiday will be lost to future generation unless will begin to teach its importance now. We must teach our children the struggles their forefathers endured in order to allow the labor force to become one where the average person can earn a decent wage without working 16-20 hours a day six days a week.