By Nethmie Dehigama   For me, 1 May has always had a special ring to it. It is a holiday in many countries around the world, and it is also my birthday. Have you ever wondered why the day is so significant? From pagan festivals to labour movements, there is a lot more to this day than meets the eye.   Pagan festival day   Historically, in many European cultures, the first day of May was celebrated as it was considered the first day of the season change; it is a day filled with revelry, food, and drink. The Celts of the British Isles celebrated “Beltane” (“The Fire of Bel” – Belenus being a Celtic sun god) on this day. It was one of their most important festivals of the year. Symbolically, the festival “divides” the year into half, between the light and the dark, as it was held on the first day of summer. The use of bonfires during festivities signified new life and fertility. They would also pass cattle between two fires with the belief that this would purify them and ensure the fertility of the herd. Once the Romans invaded the British Isles, they brought with them their own five-day festival called “Floralia” – devoted to the goddess of flowers, Flora. They celebrated this from 20 April to 2 May, and over time, these rituals combined with those of “Beltane”. The Maypole dance, a traditional May Day activity, has also been practised through the centuries and is thought to have begun during the Middle Ages. Again, it symbolises fertility; ribbons attached to a pole, set up in the woods, would be intricately wrapped around by dancers – usually women and children, while the music played, and the dance progressed. The Maypole dance is still practised to this day. People would also prepare “May Baskets” and fill them with flowers and rations which were then given to people in need of care. It may be this tradition that carried across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, where during the 19th and 20th Centuries, May Basket Day was commemorated. Baskets topped with flowers and treats would be hung on loved ones’ and neighbours’ doors. However, it must be noted that with the establishment of the Church and State in Britain, celebrations were banned around the 16th Century due to pagan roots; 14 rioters were even hanged. These celebrations only resumed during the rule of the “Merry Monarch” King Charles II.   Labour Day – International Workers' Day   In the US during the height of the industrial revolution, thousands of men, women, and children died due to poor working conditions and long hours. The Federation of Organised Trades and Labour Unions (which would later become the American Federation of Labour, or AFL) held a convention in Chicago in 1884 in an attempt to put an end to these conditions. They mainly wanted to fight for an eight-hour workday. Two years later on 1 May, more than 300,000 workers walked out of their jobs across the country. More protestors joined the next day. However, on 3 May, Chicago police and strikers clashed, where many were injured and one was killed. On 4 May, people gathered to protest police brutality at Haymarket Square. The protests were peaceful at first, but a police contingent arrived to try and disperse the crowd, after which an unidentified individual threw a bomb into the crowd. Police responded with random gunfire. Seven police officers were killed, 60 others were injured; up to eight civilians died, and 40 were injured. Needless to say, the Haymarket riots caused mass hysteria and panic. Eight supposed anarchists were subsequently arrested and sent to trial and convicted, despite no solid evidence existing that incriminated them. Seven were given the death sentence, and one was given a 15-year sentence. This was shocking news. A few years later, to honour these “Haymarket Martyrs,” over 300,000 people protested in solidarity in London during a May Day rally, organised by a newly formed coalition of socialist and labour parties. This day was eventually embraced by governments around the world and is now officially a holiday in 66 countries, although it is not really recognised in the country where it all began – the US, whose leaders moved “Labour Day” to the first Monday of September in fear that it would give rise to communist and other radical causes.   Distress call “May Day, May Day” – a very popular distress call surprisingly has no connection to the first of May. Instead, it is a word derived from the French word m’aider which means “help me” – a shortened form of “venez m’aider” meaning “Come and help me.” It was introduced by a senior radio officer at London’s Croydon Airport, Frederick Stanley Mockford, who was asked by his seniors to come up with a word that can be used by pilots and ground staff alike to indicate distress.     PHOTOS © GETTY IMAGES, NYRI0, OMILIGHTS.COM, HOBBE SMITH   Nethmie Dehigama has a BA (Hons) in International Communications. She is a digital marketer, songwriter, literature enthusiast, and writer.