五一国际劳动节源于美国芝加哥城的工人大罢工。1886年5月1日，芝加哥的二十一万六千余名工人为争取实行八小时工作制而举行大罢工，经过艰苦的流血斗争，终于获得了胜利。为纪念这次伟大的工人运动，1889年7月第二国际宣布将每年的五月一日定为国际劳动节。
May 1st International Labor Day originated from the strike of workers'congresses in Chicago, USA. On May 1, 1886, more than 216,000 workers in Chicago went on a general strike for the eight-hour work system. After a painstaking and bloody struggle, they finally won. In commemoration of this great workers'movement, the Second International announced in July 1889 that May 1 will be designated as International Labor Day every year.
1999年9月，国务院改革出台新的法定休假制度，每年国庆节、春节和“五一”法定节日加上倒休，全国放假7天。从此，3个“黄金周”掀起的旅游消费热成为我国经济生活的新亮点，假日经济成为人们津津乐道的新话题。
In September 1999, the State Council reformed and promulgated a new statutory vacation system. Every year, the National Day, Spring Festival and May Day statutory holidays are added with reverse vacation, and the national vacation lasts for 7 days. Since then, the tourism consumption fever triggered by the three "Golden Weeks" has become a new bright spot in China's economic life, and the holiday economy has become a new topic that people enjoy talking about.
国际劳动节的意义在于劳动者通过斗争，用顽强、英勇不屈的奋斗精神，争取到了自己的合法权益，是人类文明民主的历史性进步，这才是五一劳动节的精髓所在。所以，人们才这么注重劳动节。
The significance of International Labor Day lies in the fact that the laborers have won their legitimate rights and interests through struggle and with indomitable and heroic spirit of struggle. This is the historical progress of human civilization and democracy. This is the essence of May Day. So people pay so much attention to Labor Day.
The first labor day holiday was celebrated on tuesday, september 5, 1882, in new york city, in accordance with the plans of the central labor union. the central labor union held its second labor day holiday just a year later, on september 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first monday in september was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the central labor union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of new york and celebrate a "workingmen"s holiday" on that date.
The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 labor day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
In the new founded Wellington colony in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell refused to work more than eight hours a day. This movement also began in Australia, when the Stonemasons stopped working and proceeded to march on Parliament from the University of Melbourne, to achieve an eight hour work day. This movement eventually found its way to Canada as well, and Labor Day in Canada as well as the United States can be attributed directly to the efforts of the Knights of Labor.
The Knights of Labor was labor union founded in secrecy in December 1869, by a group of Philadelphia tailors led by Uriah S. Stephens. Originally called 'The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor', it was designed to protect all who worked for a living. They organized a parade by on September 5, 1882 in New York City which became an annual parade when it was organized a second time in 1884.
The International Workingmen's Association, many of whom were socialists or anarchists, favored a May 1 holiday. With the event of Chicago's Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.
Since then, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of the world.
Enjoy your leisure time and enjoy your family members, have a happy labor day from everyone at The Motivated Entrepreneur.
参考资料：http://www.motivatedentrepreneur.com/articles/The_Origin_of_Labor_Day.shtml
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