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Labor Day:
History & Traditions

Labor Day marks the end of summer and, for some,
a time to celebrate with an annual picnic.

Above, an extended family gathers for an annual Labor Day picnic

BRADENTON, Florida [NMT] -- Many people celebrate Labor Day across the country. But hardly anyone today knows how the Labor Day holiday came to be, or what it symbolizes.

History of Labor Day

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working man."

Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday -- a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations.

Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday.

Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Labor Day Traditions

Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and celebration.

Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events.

Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer.

Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school.

Labor Day marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the weekend of Labor day, with the NFL playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

Since 1966, the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association has been held on Labor Day weekend. The telethon, hosted by Jerry Lewis, raises tens of millions of dollars each year to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy.

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However you choose to celebrate the end of summer and the U.S. holiday on Monday, September 1st, 2008....

Happy Labor Day!!

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