May Day

See: Mayday, for the distress signal

May Day is a name for holidays celebrated on May 1. Labour Day is celebrated in many nations (particularly in the United Kingdom), Loyalty Day in the United States, or springtime celebrations such as Walpurgis Night in Northern Europe, Beltane in Ireland and Roodmas.

Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, and dancing around a Maypole.

These holidays were also respected by some early European settlers of the American continent.

May 1 is also the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers. May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various Communist, socialist, and anarchist groups.