The story of May Day in Russia and the Soviet Union

May Day has a long history in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the current Russian Federation. The origins of this event can be traced back to the tumultuous era of the 19th-century Chicago insurrection in the United States, a period characterised by profound social unrest and class struggle. The day has since come to symbolise the unity and solidarity of the working class in Tsarist Russia with their global counterparts, serving as a testament to the universal nature of labour rights and the shared struggles of the working class across different geographical and historical contexts.

Following the revolution, the entity underwent a transformation of sorts. The significance of May Day shifted from its original connotation as a clandestine society of labourers convening to a prominent political event during the Soviet era. Subsequent to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the day's ideological significance diminished. The festival is recognised in the official calendar as both a spring festival and a labour festival.

The First of May was designated as the International Day of Solidarity with Working People in 1889 by the Second International in remembrance of the bloodshed that occurred in Chicago. In Europe, May Day celebrations rapidly became a common occurrence during the 1980s and 1990s. Nonetheless, in the Russian Empire, May Day was not permitted and was even subject to persecution. Therefore, the Russian workers acquiesced to the tactic of May Day celebrations, which included a picnic in the park. These celebrations were referred to as "Mayovka" (a term derived from the word "May"). The inaugural "Mayovka" was held on 1 May 1891 in Saint Petersburg, with subsequent events taking place in other industrialised cities the following year. In Moscow, for instance, the event took place in 1895 and attracted 300 representatives from 35 factories and plants.

The Tsarist regime sought to introduce a variety of events to distract the populace from the celebration of May Day. In 1913, the House of Romanovs celebrated its 300th anniversary, and the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 was also commemorated. Nonetheless, these events had no impact on workers' commitment to improving their lives.

Following the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government legalised the celebrations of 1 May. At that juncture, Lenin had already declared the trajectory towards a Socialist Revolution. Following the Socialist Revolution, the first May Day celebrations took place in 1918, with the Red Army being celebrated for its strength and power. It was Trotsky who was responsible for the organisation of the military parade that took place in the centre of Moscow, specifically in Hadinka Square. This event followed the tradition of May celebrations held by the workers in the area, known as "Mayovkas".

Following the triumph of the Revolution, there was a notable absence of antagonism between the working class and the class of exploiters. Consequently, May Day assumed a new role, namely to demonstrate to the populace the necessity of caring for their newly acquired Motherland. The tradition of May Day as a day of volunteer work for the well-being of society traces its origins to the Soviet era. Indeed, Lenin himself participated on several occasions in the cleaning of the Kremlin grounds. It was evident that volunteering would serve as a significant catalyst for inspiring individuals to comprehend the reality that, in the aftermath of the Revolution, the nation had been entrusted to the custodianship of its working class, thereby necessitating their responsibility to safeguard the well-being of their homeland. The inaugural “subbotnik” (volunteer work day) was held in 1920, with approximately 450,000 individuals in Moscow and 165,000 in Petrograd participating.

Notwithstanding the victory of the Revolution, it proved challenging to generate widespread enthusiasm for a celebration that coincided so closely with Easter. The response to the question of how to accomplish this came from poets, writers and theatre artists who performed on that day from a number of lorries. The lorries travelled from one locale to the next, accompanied by vibrant performances that invoked a sense of selflessness and affection for the Motherland, as well as the nascent social order that the Revolution had engendered.

Each year, in May, the thoroughfares were resplendent with decorations, instilling in the populace the profound sense that a momentous and deeply spiritual event was poised to begin on the first day of May. The Red Square May Day events were of significant importance in the Soviet Union. It is sufficient to note that the Military Parade was held in the USSR on the 1st of May, rather than the 9th of May, until the end of the 1960s. 

May Day was not merely a holiday; it was a day of political significance. The prevailing sentiment among the Soviet populace was one of solidarity with their global counterparts, coupled with profound respect for other nations and a universal yearning for peace. This ethos was a fundamental part of daily life. The concept of solidarity with workers and oppressed nations inspired a number of significant literary works, including the Tajik intellectual Sadriddin Ayni’s "The Slaves" and Leonid Soloviev's "The Story of Khadja Nasreddin".

In addition, collective efforts were made to gather items that could potentially be utilised by those engaged in the struggle for liberation. Towards the close of the 1960s, while I was at school in Moscow, our educational establishment organised a collection of toys for children in Angola. Following the 1966 earthquake, the reconstruction of Tashkent was a collective endeavour. Similarly, in the aftermath of the 1988 earthquake in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, collective action by the international community was instrumental in aiding the affected populations.

It is therefore imperative in conclusion that the spirit of solidarity and collective action that characterised these efforts is perpetuated, with the objective of uniting those who advocate for peace and justice throughout the world.