End of Summer Earmarked by Labor Day
Miscellaneous Tidbits
August 27th, 2008
Is summer really coming to an end so soon?
Didn’t it just begin?
What did you do this summer to make it different to others?
I invite you to leave a comment about your summer
and what you know about Labor Day…
Click here for other countries celebrating Labour Day…
What do you know about the origins of Labor Day in your country? It doesn’t just occur in the U.S.
Wikipedia states the U.S. version of Labor Day started in 1882 in New York as a union thing to give a day off for workers and it became a federal Holiday in the United States in 1894.
It’s back to school and more serious business perhaps!
Maybe it’s even time to get serious about finally selling or buying your home!
As always, I am here for your Relocation Needs anywhere around the United States.
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Thanks Mary, I knew it had something to do with a day off but wasn’t sure when it began or its exact origin. Now I know.
I remember as a child that school always started just after labor day and was shocked when my kids first started school (in Alaska)and the school year began a week or two before labor day. It still does as our schools were back in session last Wednesday.
Sheilah
I LOVE the picture of the girls & the mud! It reminds me of a reunion in Kansas I went to last year when all of the kids (13 & younger) went swimming in the river and ended up with mud baths and mud facials! Quite the site to see! Especially since my fastidious niece who hates to get her hands dirty was right there with them.
I hadn’t realized that was the origin of the US Labor day. Very interesting… I wonder if my man of many miscellaneous facts brother-in-law knows that tidbit…
Here in the Denver area the kids are all back to school and have been for about a week. Like Sheilah I remember going back after labor day!
Liz
http://www.me2rr.com
Hey Mary,
It is always nice to be reminded why we celebrate certain holidays.
Thanks for the reminder.
Be safe this holiday.
Best regards,
Barbara
Kids start school here in Redding, CA what seems to be very early - I believe it was August 19th this year compared to after Labor Day when I was a kid in Minnesota.
It’s always amazing to me to see how many people don’t realize the true meaning behind our nation’s holidays…
To most people; I think it simply is the sign of an extra long weekend.
It’s kind of saddening to think that something so significant; as to be turned into a national day of celebration, could be reduced to just an extra day off… But I suppose it means that people are at least celebrating it- even if they don’t realize the significance.
Thanks for the question Mary…
~Cher Wada
No Labor Day in the UK, but I have lived in the US for quite some time and the Labor weekend was always fun!
I always knew Labor day was a holiday to celebrate the American worker, assumed it was probably a labor union thing, but only ever recognized the day as the logical end of summer and the start of the school year.
I do agree with Cher’s amazement on the lack of knowledge people have in regard to our national holidays.
These days were set aside as observances for people to remember the contribution and sacrifice associated to the day.
If it were not for the contributions of labor unions and the ethic of those who came before us, we would not enjoy so many of the working privledges we have today.
The idea of the 40 hour work week, vacation, overtime pay, fair pay for honest work, etc… are all things we should be thankful for; but yet we take them for granted.
Not to mention the soap box I could get on in regard to Memorial Day, Independance Day, Veterans Day, Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Thanksgiving Day. All of these days have been set aside for specific occasion.
But so many of us forget.
Don’t get me wrong, all the activities we do on these days are great; but we simply have lost sight of the original meaning of the day.
Great question, and some great responses.
Cheers,
Dan
P.S. I’m ready for that beer now.
Isn’t it amazing how people merely look for that day off, the holiday to give them a day to not go to work?
I remember growing up how important holidays were in my family and, I raised my children with the same loyalty/dedication to holidays. Observance of the meaning of the holiday is an important thing to teach our youth of today.
Now, I am thankful I have a job BUT, I would be so loving life if it was a 4 day work week.
Be safe all.
Barbara
Hi! Dan’s comment is so true about how so many holidays have lost the true meaning for so many people and it’s now more commercial than anything else!
On a lighter note, I love the summer more than any time of year because I am a ‘warm weather addict’. My family spends a significant amount of time in the Allegheny National Forest area here in PA camping, swimming in the creek, skipping rocks, making smores, quad riding, nature walks, the whole nine yards
Happy Labor Day everyone!
-Jennifer Murphy
Labor Day (May 1st) in Holland is no official holiday - unions and socialist parties celebrate it on their own account - unlike many other countries where it is an official holiday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day :
“May Day has become an international celebration of the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. Although May Day received its inspiration from the United States, the U.S. Congress designated May 1 as Loyalty Day in 1958 due to the day’s appropriation by the Soviet Union.[10] Alternatively Labor Day traditionally occurs sometime in September in the United States.”
So, the ‘inventors’ let go off it…
Summer here in South Africa is just starting - too hot to be outside in the daytime already, but only these days the nights start to become warmer again - actually later than usual. Rather local cooling than global warming, it seems
Love the comments - keep them coming!! I read them all and am learning just like you are! Think we’ll head up to Mt. Shasta for a bit over the Holiday…
Hi Mary,
Thanks for inviting me to visit your blog. I enjoyed scrolling through the photos and blog posts. I especially like the pictures of the girls and your trip to Alaska.
My summer has been rather uneventful. I have been saving my vacation time for a possible fall cruise and/or for time off that I may need if I move this fall.
Talk to you more soon!
Rita
I knew the origin of Labor Day, but always remember it as my parent’s personal Family chore weekend. It was usually at our lake cabin and was the end of the year clean-up and fix-up party. Over the years, it grew to include friends that had enjoyed summer visits and wanted to help. When I was in College, the Fraternity I joined would always help out - great times, great memories.
I continued this tradition until 2003, the previous two Labor Days I injured myself seriously enough to require trips to the emergency room. Now the family makes me relax all day, I can’t pick up anything that even remotely resembles a tool. It’s tough,but I manage!:)
I hope everyone is having an EXCELLENT Labor Day week-end! It’s a hot/windy one in Shasta County!
Hi Mary,
Thanks for the reminder of the holiday. When I was a kid it always marked the end of summer with school beginning the next week. I always enjoyed going back to school and wearing my new fall clothes.
I was going to write a lot more but I will simply wish everyone a wonderful, happy and safe Labor Day!
Make it your best day ever,
Dyann
Hi Mary!
Labor Day is a (not so?) gentle reminder that I am now a year older.
I grew up hearing, every Birthday, that mom went into labor on Labor Day!
I really love this time of the year! Nature’s colors are awesome; temps begin cooling (really important now living in the desert! Ha); and this time of the year makes me energetic and nostaglic!
Love it!
I wish everyone a wonderful upcoming fall!
Jan
I’ll have to admit, Jan, that this is the best time of year “coming right up!” Having grown up in Minnesota and enjoyed the autumn colors every year, I am still able to do that in Northern California.
HAPPY B’DAY to you - in early Sept!! And enjoy the cooler temps in the desert. This is just the best time of year for so many reasons.
I appreciate everyone’s input here so keep it coming!!
Cheers,
Mary
You’re not supposed to wear white shoes after labor day or some such thing…the fashion plate that I am…
So, Maria, if I wanted to wear white to a wedding this month, I shouldn’t? That would probably be a double no-no actually. Guess I’ll have to go shopping!
Well I must say the real Summer has passed us by and has left us with lots of rain. I’m in the UK so not 100% sure about Labour day..It’s a holiday so that’s the best part…time with the family
Enjoy the Summer Mary.
Cheers
Danny