Pervomai: From Demonstration to Monstration. From the History of Holidays of Novosibirsk

The holiday of 1 May is known to appear in the framework of international working movement at the end of 19th century. The first protests in Australia, the USA, Canada and other countries took place under the social slogan for reducing the working day among workers in the middle of 19th century. By the 1880s they had acquired a mass character. One of the demonstrations in Chicago, the USA, on 1 May, 1886 finished with a big number of victims; some of the participants were arrested and executed. In memory of this tragic event, Paris Congress of II Internationale in 1889 declared 1 May, 1890 the Day of international solidarity of working people and suggested celebrating it annually. Workers from many countries took the initiative. In Russia Pervomaisky (1 May) meetings and demonstrations took place at the turn of 19–20th centuries and they were of more and more political character. In early 20th century tens of thousands people participated in Pervomaisky demonstrations under the slogan of the overthrow of tsarism.