Your trusted source

May 1 is celebrated in Armenia and more than 140 countries throughout the world as International Workers' Day, also known as Labor Day and often referred to as May Day.

International Workers' Day is a celebration of laborers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labor movement, anarchists, socialists, and communists and occurs every year on May Day, 1 May, an ancient European spring holiday.

The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket Affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4 May 1886. This day has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

Labor Day has been one of the most important holidays in the former Soviet Union, typically featuring elaborate workforce parades, including displays of military hardware and soldiers.

Armenia has celebrated the holiday since 2005.