Comments on: Happy May Day

By: asha.

asha. — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:09:31 +0000

Hey. I just watched the united snakes video you posted. That’s not brother ali! It sounds like “immortal technique” but i’m not sure.Anyhow, the brother ali song you were probably thinking of is called “Uncle Sam Goddamn”.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO18F4aKGzQ

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:19:33 +0000

No, you’re old enough. But pictures like this:http://www.life.com/Life/classicpictures/mayday/6.htmlresonate with me. You’re right about these other things, of course.I always thought, from my own upbringing, that it was annoying that the soviets did link world domination and labor, and thus, made labor a hard line to tow in the increasingly anti-communist US. I remember labor-connected elders wishing the soviets would specifically not parade the military stuff on may day/labor day.

By: Lassi Hippeläinen

Lassi Hippeläinen — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:27:39 +0000

At a few days short of 53 I may be too young…May 1st was the worker’s parade day. Not so much emphasis on military stuff, because the USSR was all for global peace and love, not war. Don’t know about Havana.The Soviets did have a military show also in May, but the day is the 9th, to celebrate the end of WW2. If rumors are correct, that tradition will be revived this year.The Russians don’t seem to care that Germany had surrendered unconditionally already on May 8th. But a Soviet representative wasn’t on location, and Stalin wasn’t happy until he got his own surrender ceremony on the next day.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:55:07 +0000

Lassi … I assure you that the existence of May First does not obviate the “October Revolution” of November 7th. You are probably too young to remember the parades of military hardware in Havana and Moscow and elsewhere. On May 1st…. So, I “not” your “no”

By: Lassi Hippeläinen

Lassi Hippeläinen — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:16:18 +0000

“May Day is the day that we traditionally get our military hardware out and parade it around Moscow…”Actually, no. It was on November 7th (Oct 25th of the old calendar), to celebrate the October Revolution.

By: the real cmf

the real cmf — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:15:30 +0000

“I, Colugo, am a moron”.Well said!!happy Maty Day all…;-0

By: laurisa

laurisa — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:28:54 +0000

thx all for the educational lesson. I am constantly amazed at the influences I see each and every day from the colonial powers that once resided here, whether the tradition makes sense or not in this geographical area. May day is one more example.thx for the lesson. Do i label this “Home Schooling” ;>) HA!

By: Colugo

Colugo — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:37:41 +0000

I, Colugo, am a moron; May Day as a labor holiday began as a commemoration of the Haymarket Riot – as everyone else probably already knows (I’m sure that I knew that but forgot somewhere along the way). But celebrations on the first of May are ancient, as already noted.In any case, it was too close to home for the day to become a labor holiday in the US.

By: Colugo

Colugo — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:24:21 +0000

Excellent May Day illustration by Rockwell Kent. Have you seen Kent’s Moby Dick series?Adolf Hitler was the first German leader to make May Day a national holiday, called the National Day of Labor. An official Nazi medallion for May 1, 1934 depicts a face, eagle and swastika flanked by a hammer and sickle.The Haymarket Riot probably has a lot to do with May Day never becoming an official holiday in the United States.

By: Romeo Vitelli

Romeo Vitelli — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:42:06 +0000

Really, it’s the night before May 1 that has the big ritual significance. The evening of April 30th is a traditional Celtic/Gaelic ritual time (it was called Beltane or the feast of fire) and Wiccans are big on celebrating it. Germans called it Walpurgis Night which was a time to stay indoors since all sorts of dark, supernatural baddies were abroad to ensnare Godfearing folk. May 1 was the time for celebration since the forces of darkness were defeated for another year. It’s a very old tradition.