On Labor Day on May 1st, demonstrations and rallies take place in many places in Germany. © picture alliance/dpa
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While there is no fixed date for some public holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, Labor Day is different. It falls on May 1st every year – including 2024. But is it a public holiday everywhere in Germany? And what does it mean? We’ll explain it to you.
Labor Day 2024: Is May 1st a public holiday throughout Germany?
Labor Day on May 1st is, like Easter, for example, Pentecost or Ascension Day – one of the national holidays. This means: It applies to all 16 federal states – from Bavaria to Schleswig-Holstein and from Saxony to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Many employees therefore do not have to work on May 1st and can look forward to a day off. Offices and shops are usually closed. In addition, students in Germany have no school time. In 2024, Labor Day falls on a Wednesday and is therefore not ideal for a long weekend with a bridge day. Nevertheless, employees are unlikely to complain about a day off in the middle of the week.
Labor Day on May 1st: Meaning and Historical Background
The origin of Labor Day dates back to the 19th century in the USA. In 1886, thousands of workers went on a multi-day strike on May 1st to protest for better working conditions and, above all, shorter working hours. They chose the date because May 1st was the so-called “Moving Day” in America. Many employment contracts always expired on this day, which often meant changing jobs and living quarters.
At the Haymarket in Chicago, one of the main locations of the protest, there were bloody clashes between demonstrating workers and the police during the strike. On May 3, 1886, a bomb even exploded there, killing several people.
This led to Labor Day being celebrated for the first time in Europe on May 1, 1890, in memory of the events in the USA. According to the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), around 100,000 people took part in strikes and demonstrations in Germany at the time.
Since when has May 1st been a public holiday in Germany?
In 1919, May 1st was a public holiday in Germany for the first time. However, the corresponding law was only limited to the year itself, so that there was no longer a Labor Day in the following years. It was not until 1933 that the National Socialists reintroduced the holiday as “National Work Day” and misused it for their propaganda purposes.
After the end of the Second World War and the founding of the Federal Republic, May 1st was made a public holiday again. However, the official name of the day varies from state to state: while in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the “Day of Confession to Freedom and Peace, Social Justice, International Reconciliation and Human Dignity” is celebrated by law, in Hesse it is called “Working People’s Day”.
Incidentally, Labor Day is also a public holiday in other countries in Europe and around the world. For example, in France and Italy the “Festival of Labor” (“Fête du travail” or “Festa del lavoro”) is celebrated on May 1st and in Argentina the “Día internacional del trabajador” (International Workers’ Day) is celebrated . In the Netherlands, May 1st is not a public holiday.
Labor Day events
For many years it has been a tradition for trade unions, for example, to organize events on May 1st. There will also be actions and rallies in many places in Germany on Labor Day 2024. The central May rally of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) will take place in Hanover this year. This year’s motto for the event is “More pay, more free time, more security”.