Russia celebrating Spring and Labor Day

Today, on May 1, Russia is celebrating the Spring and Labor Day.

The Day of International Solidarity of Workers was established by the Congress of The Second International (Paris, July 14-21, 1889) in memory of the workers' protest in Chicago on May 1, 1886, when people demanded an 8-hour working day.

In Soviet times May 1 was celebrated in Russia as International Workers' Day and saw massive Communist Party rallies. In 1992, the name was changed to Spring and Labor Day but it still remains a national holiday. Currently, in Russia, it is celebrated as the Holiday of Spring and Labor.