History Of Labor Day Holiday

The Labor Day holiday is celebrated on the first Monday in September.  This is the same day that Canada celebrates their Labor Day holiday.  This year, that date is September 7, 2020.

The history of Labor Day in the U.S. goes back to the labor movement of the late 1800s and became an official federal holiday in 1894, celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events. Prior to 1894, workers who wanted to participate in Labor Day parades would forfeit a day's pay.

Over the ensuing decades, Labor Day has come to symbolize something else, too. In defiance of the Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox signaling the official beginning and ending of the summer on the calendar, Labor Day has become the unofficial end of the summer season that unofficially started on Memorial Day weekend (the fourth Monday in May in the U.S.).

What led up to the creation of a holiday specifically designated to honor and celebrate the workers and their accomplishments? The seeds were planted in the 1880s at the height of America's Industrial Revolution when the average American worked 12 hour days/7 days a week in order to manage a basic living. Although some states had restrictions, these workers included children as young as 5 years old who labored in the mills, factories, and mines earning a fraction of the money paid to the adults in the same workplace. Workers of all ages were subjected to extremely unsafe working conditions in addition to insufficient access to fresh air and sanitary facilities.

Labor Unions had first appeared in the late 1700s. As America changed from an agrarian society into an industrial one, these labor unions became more vocal and began to organize rallies and strikes in protest of poor working conditions and low wages. Many of these events turned violent. One prominent such incident was the Haymarket Riot of 1886 where several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Other rallies were of a more positive nature such as September 5, 1882, when 10,000 workers took unpaid time off from their jobs and held the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history when they marched from City Hall to Union Square in New York City.

It was another 12 years before Congress legalized the holiday. This was primarily brought about on May 11, 1894, when employees at the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. Then on June 26, the American Railroad Union called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars thus crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the government sent troops to Chicago. The resulting riots were responsible in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. As a result, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in all states, the District of Columbia and the territories (several of which later became states).

And now, more than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day still hasn't been identified.

 So, for everyone enjoying this 3 day holiday weekend, now you know why you have that additional day. And why the banks are closed and you don't have any mail delivery.  :) 

September's Bizarre And Unique Holidays

Every month seems to have at least one holiday for each day, some well-known and celebrated and others wrapped in varying stages of obscurity.  And in addition to the daily holidays, there are also month long celebrations devoted to various endeavors.

In the year 2018, the following month-long observations for September include:  Classical Music Month, National Piano Month, International Square Dancing Month, National Courtesy Month [shouldn't this be a year long observation, every year?], National Chicken Month, National Honey Month, National Rice Month, National Papaya Month, Self-Improvement Month, Be Kind To Editors and Writers Month, Cable TV Month, National Bed Check Month, and National Mind Mapping Month.

Here's a list of the daily holidays (some dates having multiple celebrations scheduled for the same date). I've even included an explanation for a few of them.

Sept. 1        Emma M. Nutt Day—in celebration of the first woman telephone operator.

Sept. 2        National Beheading Day—every once in a while there's a holiday that has no obvious reason for being. Why would someone declare something as gruesome as beheading to be an activity that warrants a special holiday celebration? Beheadings have been a method of execution for both commoners and royalty throughout history and in today's society the practice includes the activities of terrorist groups. Probably the most famous royal beheadings were Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793 during the French Revolution. There isn't any factual information about the origin of this holiday.

Sept. 3        Labor Day—since Labor Day is the first Monday in September, the date changes from year to year. This is the only legal holiday in September, one honoring the nation's workers, where government offices are closed along with the banks, schools, and the post office which means no mail delivery. This is the unofficial close of the summer season, as Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning. Canada also celebrates their Labor Day holiday on the first Monday in September.

Sept. 3        Skyscraper Day—a celebration of tall buildings?

Sept. 4        Newspaper Carrier Day—to honor those who deliver the newspaper to our homes.

Sept. 5        Be Late For Something Day—if you are among the millions who can't seem to stay on schedule, then this is a holiday for you. Being late is a common occurrence and can be caused by any number of things from it being a conscious desire to it being caused by circumstances beyond your control. There is no factual information about this holiday, but it leads us to the September 6^th holiday which is…

Sept. 6        Fight Procrastination Day—for those of you mired down in Be Late For Something Day, this is a day to get things done. Many people consider procrastination as a way of life. There are even clubs dedicated to procrastination. Today is the day to make a decision…to take action. Fight those procrastination urges. There is no factual information about the origin of this holiday.

Sept. 6        This is also Read A Book Day—self-explanatory and important for those of us who write. Goes along with this being Be Kind To Editors and Writers Month.

Sept. 7        Neither Rain Nor Snow Day—this sounds like a tribute to those who deliver our mail.

Sept. 8        International Literacy Day—another holiday pertinent to those of us who write. Something we should all support with the goal of wiping out illiteracy in all countries.

Sept. 9        Teddy Bear Day—a day to honor our teddy bears, those past and those present.

Sept. 10      Swap Ideas Day—a day to share information, plans, ideas, and maybe even dreams.

Sept. 11      911 Remembrance—while not a legal holiday in the manner of Labor Day, it's certainly far removed from the frivolous and fun nature of the other holidays that fall into the bizarre and unusual category. This is the day in 2001 when 4 commercial airliners were high-jacked by terrorists; 2 flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, 1 flown into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and 1 brought down by the passengers in a field in Pennsylvania thus preventing it from reaching its target in Washington D.C. To quote FDR (when speaking of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that officially brought the U.S. into World War II): "A date which will live in infamy."

Sept. 11      National Pet Memorial Day—this falls on the second Sunday in September, so the specific date changes from year to year. A day to honor the pets we've lost to time.

Sept. 12      Chocolate Milk Shake Day—all I can say is yummy!

Sept. 13      Defy Superstation Day—this is the day for you to defy all those superstitious beliefs that surround us. And the defiance starts by celebrating on the 13^th. This holiday was created to help you eliminate all those superstitions from your daily life. There isn't any group who claims responsibility for this holiday, but it dates back at least to 1999 in origin.

Sept. 14      National Cream-Filled Donut Day—again, all I can say to this holiday is yummy!

Sept. 15      Make A Hat Day—I can only assume it's a holiday dedicated to making hats of all type for all occasions.

Sept. 16      Collect Rocks Day—for all you rock hounds out there, this is your day of celebration.

Sept. 17      National Apple Dumpling Day—and once again, all I can say about this holiday is yummy!

Sept. 18      National Women's Friendship Day—this is celebrated on the third Sunday in September.  It's nice to have a holiday dedicated to friendship.

Sept. 18      National Cheeseburger Day—and even more yummies! Have you noticed how many holidays celebrate food and drink?

Sept. 19      International Talk Like A Pirate Day—a day to let out the pirate in each of us. You need to brush up on your pirate-speak in anticipation of this holiday. You're not required to dress like a pirate on this date, only to talk like one. This holiday was created by John Baur and Mark Summers in 1995 while they were playing racquetball and started talking to each other in pirate-speak as a fun thing to do.

Sept. 20      National Punch Day—I'm assuming (or choosing to believe) this relates to the beverage rather than hitting someone. So, I have to give it a yummy!

Sept. 21      World Gratitude Day—we all have things for which we need to express our gratitude. This is the day to do it.

Sept. 22      Elephant Appreciation Day—you can show your appreciation for all the elephants in the world.

Sept. 23      Dog In Politics Day—it seems that every year and every month and for that matter, every day in this election year, is filled with politics.

Sept. 24      National Cherries Jubilee Day—oh, yes…and another yummy!

Sept. 24      International Rabbit Day—this is celebrated on the 4^th Saturday in September, for those of you who love your pet rabbits or are fans of Bugs Bunny.

Sept. 25      National Comic Book Day—for those who enjoy reading, writing, drawing, and collecting.

Sept. 26      Johnny Appleseed Day—in honor of the young man named John Chapman who planted apple trees across the country.

Sept. 27      Crush A Can Day—the beer can (hopefully empty) on the forehead? All I can say about this is ouch!

Sept. 28      Ask A Stupid Question Day—this is a chance for you to get all those stupid questions out of your system, all those questions you've been saving up because you thought they were too stupid to ask. And for this day, we have a special quote:  "Stupid is as stupid does." (Forrest Gump). The origins of this holiday goes back to the 1980s when there was a movement by teachers to try to get kids to ask more questions in the classroom.

Sept. 29      Confucius Day—this is the day to get a fortune cookie and check your fortune.

Sept. 30      National Mud Pack Day—and another yummy!  Oops, wait a minute…that's wrong. Mud packs, not mud pie…I've never understood how smearing mud on your face is suppose to be good for the skin.

And that's a listing of the bizarre and unique holidays for September of this year. Do any stand out as a favorite for you?

September 2012 Bizarre and Unique Holidays

Every month seems to have at least one holiday for each day, some well-known and celebrated and others wrapped in varying stages of obscurity.  And in addition to the daily holidays, there are also month long celebrations devoted to various endeavors.

In the year 2012, the following month-long observations for September include:  Classical Music Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Fall Hat Month, International Square Dancing Month, National Blueberry Popsicle Month, National Courtesy Month [shouldn't this be a year long observation, every year?], National Piano Month, Chicken Month, Baby Safety Month, Little League Month, Honey Month, Self Improvement Month, and Better Breakfast Month.

Here's a list of the daily holidays (some dates having multiple celebrations scheduled for the same date).  I've even included an explanation for a few of them.

Sept. 1        Emma M. Nutt Day—in celebration of the first woman telephone operator.

Sept. 2        National Beheading Day—every once in a while there's a holiday that has no obvious reason for being.  Why would someone declare beheading as an activity that warrants a special holiday celebration?  Beheadings have been a method of execution for both commoners and royalty throughout history.  Probably the most famous royal beheadings were Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793 during the French Revolution.  There isn't any factual information about this holiday.

Sept. 3        Labor Day—since Labor Day is the first Monday in September, the date changes from year to year.  This is the only legal holiday in September, one honoring the nation's workers, where government offices are closed along with the banks and other facilities and no mail delivery.  This is the unofficial close of the summer season, as Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning.  Canada also celebrates their Labor Day holiday on the first Monday in September.

Sept. 3        Skyscraper Day—a celebration of tall buildings?  Something to celebrate on those years when Labor Day falls on a different date.

Sept. 4        Newspaper Carrier Day—to honor those who deliver the newspaper to our homes.

Sept. 5        Be Late For Something Day—if you are among the millions who can't seem to stay on schedule, then this is a holiday for you.  Being late is a common occurrence and can be caused by any number of things from it being a conscious desire to it being caused by circumstances beyond your control.  There is no factual information about this holiday, but it leads us to the September 6^th holiday which is…

Sept. 6        Fight Procrastination Day—for those of you mired down in Be Late For Something Day, this is a day to get things done.  Many people consider procrastination as a way of life.  There are even clubs dedicated to procrastination.  Today is the day to make a decision…to take action.  Fight those procrastination urges.  There is no factual information about this holiday.

Sept. 6        This is also Read A Book Day—self-explanatory and important for those of us who write.  Perhaps it's also an opportunity to read about beheadings.

Sept. 7        Neither Rain Nor Snow Day—this sounds like a tribute to those who deliver our mail.

Sept. 8        International Literacy Day—another holiday pertinent to those of us who write.  Something we should all support with the goal of wiping out illiteracy in all countries.

Sept. 9        National Pet Memorial Day—this falls on the second Sunday in September, so the specific date changes from year to year.  A day to honor the pets we've lost to time.

Sept. 9        Teddy Bear Day—a holiday for those years when National Pet Memorial Day falls on a different date.  A day to honor our teddy bears, those past and those present.

Sept. 10     Swap Ideas Day—a day to share information, plans, ideas, and maybe even dreams.

Sept. 11     911 Remembrance—while not a legal holiday in the manner of Labor Day, it's certainly far removed from the frivolous and fun nature of the other holidays that fall into the bizarre category.  The day in 2001 when 4 commercial airliners were high-jacked by terrorists; 2 flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, 1 flown into the Pentagon, and 1 brought down by the passengers in a field in Pennsylvania thus preventing it from reaching its target in Washington D.C.  To quote FDR:  "A date which will live in infamy."

Sept. 12     Chocolate Milk Shake Day—all I can say is yummy!

Sept. 13     Defy Superstation Day—this is the day for you to defy all those superstitious beliefs that surround us.  And the defiance starts by celebrating on the 13^th.  This holiday was created to help you eliminate all those superstitions from your daily life.  There isn't any group who claims responsibility for this holiday, but it dates back at least 1999 in origin…which, coincidently, was 13 years ago.

Sept. 14     National Cream-Filled Donut Day—again, all I can say to this holiday is yummy!

Sept. 15     Make A Hat Day—I can only assume it's a holiday dedicated to making hats of all type.

Sept. 16     National Women's Friendship Day—this is celebrated on the third Sunday in September.  It's nice to have a holiday dedicated to friendship.

Sept. 16     Collect Rocks Day—for the years when National Women's Friendship Day doesn't fall on the 16^th, here's an alternative holiday.  For all your rock hounds out there, this is your day of celebration.

Sept. 17     National Apple Dumpling Day—and once again, all I can say about this holiday is yummy!

Sept. 18     National Cheeseburger Day—and even more yummies!  Have you noticed how many holidays celebrate food and drink?

Sept. 19     International Talk Like A Pirate Day—a day to let out the pirate in each of us.  You need to brush up on your pirate-speak in anticipation of this holiday.  You're not required to dress like a pirate on this date, only to talk like one.  This holiday was created by John Baur and Mark Summers in 1995 while they were playing racquetball and started talking to each other in pirate-speak as a fun thing to do.

Sept. 20     National Punch Day—I'm assuming this relates to the beverage rather than hitting someone.  So, I have to give it a yummy!

Sept. 21     World Gratitude Day—we all have things for which we need to express our gratitude.  This is the day to do it.

Sept. 22     International Rabbit Day—this is celebrated on the 4^th Saturday in September, for those of you who love your pet rabbits or are fans of Bugs Bunny.

Sept. 22     Elephant Appreciation Day—for the years when International Rabbit Day falls on a date other than the 22^nd, you can show your appreciation for all the elephants in the world.

Sept. 23     Dog In Politics Day—well, this is definitely a year for politics.

Sept. 24     National Cherries Jubilee Day—oh, yes…and another yummy!

Sept. 25     National Comic Book Day—for those who enjoy reading, writing, drawing, and collecting.

Sept. 26     Johnny Appleseed Day—in honor of the real or fictitious young man who planted apple trees across the country.

Sept. 27     Crush A Can Day—the beer can (hopefully empty) on the forehead?  All I can say about this is ouch!

Sept. 28     Ask A Stupid Question Day—this is a chance for you to get all those stupid questions out of your system, all those questions you've been saving up because you thought they were too stupid to ask.  And for this day, we have a special quote:  "Stupid is as stupid does." (Forrest Gump).  The origins of this holiday goes back to the 1980s when there was a movement by teachers to try to get kids to ask more questions in the classroom.

Sept. 29     Confucius Day—this is the day to get a fortune cookie and check your fortune.

Sept. 30     National Mud Pack Day—and another yummy!  Oops, wait a minute…that's wrong.  Mud packs…I've never understood how smearing mud on your face is suppose to be good for the skin.

And that's a listing of the bizarre and unique holidays for September of this year.  Do any stand out as a favorite for you?