Internationalworkers' Day
May 1st is one of the most significant days in the working calendar, as it is celebrated as International Workers' Day, a day to commemorate the struggle for labor rights.
In Spain, this day is traditionally a national holiday, but in 2024 it will be a replaceable holiday because it falls on a Sunday. For this reason, some autonomous communities will move the holiday to the following Monday. The origin of this celebration dates back to the labor movement of the late nineteenth century, which managed to establish the eight-hour working day after the Haymarket Revolt in Chicago. This strike, which occurred on May 1, 1886, culminated in the death sentence of five union leaders. In 1889, the Second Socialist International decided to declare this date as a tribute to the so-called 'Chicago Martyrs' and the workers' struggle.
When was the first Workers' Day celebrated in Spain?
The Second Socialist International designated May Day as a festive and protest day in 1889. That same year, the socialists in Spain considered commemorating the date, and many workers joined the idea, organizing various demonstrations for May 1, 1889.
On that first Workers' Day, there were two different rallies in Madrid, one socialist and one anarchist, which went off without a hitch. However, violent acts occurred in other parts of Spain, such as the Basque Country, Valencia and Barcelona, which led to the 1890 demonstration being banned.