By Susan Dickson, Staff Writer
For some of us, the approach of Labor Day is somewhat depressing, signaling the end of the heretofore seemingly endless lazy days of summer, filled with rivers and rope swings, front-porch beers, evening ice cream and days by the Carolina coast.
For others – maybe more so this year – the holiday shines like a beacon, an indication that perhaps the days-on-end 90-plus-degree weather won’t go on forever. And for sports fans, the weekend marks the unofficial start to the football season: UNC plays its season opener against LSU in Atlanta on Saturday at 8 p.m.
But the roots of Labor Day aren’t cookouts and trips to the beach. Rather, Labor Day originated with celebrations and demonstrations by the Central Labor Union dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The union outlined the form that Labor Day should take in the first proposal of the holiday, which specified that a street parade should show “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,†while a party to follow would allow workers and their families to celebrate.
The first Labor Day, held Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City, was, in accordance with the proposal, celebrated with a 700-worker parade and an enormous party, which included “speeches, a picnic, an abundance of cigars and lager beer kegs … mounted in every conceivable inch,†according to the Department of Labor.
The first Monday in September was selected for the holiday in 1884, and by 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers throughout the country. But it wasn’t until 1894 that Labor Day became a national holiday.
Over the years, the holiday has certainly morphed. Labor Day is still celebrated as it once was with parades, speeches and parties – though the emphasis most frequently falls on the latter.