mayday two thousand - did you get a may basket from me ?


	celebrations in britain are based on a pagan festival associated with the arrival of spring and according to folklore , the beginning of the month where cows can be milked three times a day . villages would organize a festival where a young maiden would be crowned may day queen and children would dance round elaborate , permanent carved may - poles . for centuries the large may day maypoles were located in villages around the country until the church pulled them down via an act of parliament in 1644 . the clergy had no love for a pagan ceremony that encouraged unmarried young couples 'to make merry' in the woods. today the maypole is the strongest image we associate with may day in england. many communities still participated in may day celebrations after 1644 and still do today as a salute to an ancient tradition and a convenient excuse to have a spring summer festival. clifton is one such village where every year there is old fashioned village fete with morris dancing , side-shows , refreshment tents , maypole dancing , competitions and the crowning of a may day queen .
	the american federation of labor , in 1886 organized workers from the united states and canada in chicago to protest the long hours (14 to 16 hours per day that the industry of the day required of them . ) their protest was put down by government agencies and a $2,000 machine gun . one was killed and scores wounded in an act of violence that helped to solidify the standing of the american labor movement of the day .
	the modern day soviets had parades of thousands through red square , showcasing their military hardware for all the world to see in support of their marxist idealology .