May 1: Public Holiday in Turkey?
May 1: Labor and Solidarity Day
Born out of the struggle of workers to reduce daily working hours, May 1 has been celebrated as a labor and workers’ day all around the world for over a century.
This year, May 1 Labor and Solidarity Day falls on a Wednesday. According to the law, there will be a one-day public holiday on Wednesday, May 1, and public institutions, banks, and some organizations will not be operating for the day.
The declaration of May 1 as an official holiday dates back to the late 19th century. The movement started in the USA in 1884 to reduce daily working hours from 12 hours to 8 hours, leading to mass strikes in 1886 and growing into a global fight for workers’ rights.
In 1889, at the Paris Congress of the International Organization of Workers’ Fraternity, it was agreed to designate one day of the year as a common holiday for workers in solidarity. This day was chosen to be May 1, and since then, it has been celebrated worldwide as “Labor Day”, “Workers’ Day”, or “May 1st Day”.
In the Ottoman Empire, May 1 was first celebrated in 1911 by tobacco, cotton, and dock workers in Thessaloniki, followed by Istanbul in 1912. In Ankara, May 1 was officially celebrated as Labor Day in 1923, marking a gesture of friendship with the Soviet Union.
However, the May 1 program held in Taksim Square in 1977 turned tragic when 37 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured in a violent incident during a rally. Following the September 12 military coup, May 1 was no longer recognized as a holiday, and celebrations were prohibited.
Years later, in 2009, May 1 was reinstated as a public holiday under the name “Labor and Solidarity Day”. Despite its history of struggle and hardship, May 1 continues to be a day of recognition for the rights and contributions of workers worldwide.
