In Soviet times, May 1 and 2 were public holidays. May 1 was International Workers’ Day, marked by large-scale parades celebrating the proletariat, while May 2 served as a day to recuperate before returning to work. Today, three of the five Central Asian republics have preserved the tradition of celebrating May Day, effectively marking the arrival of spring twice, once through Central Asian customs – Nauryz – and again through European ones.
Workers of the world, unite!
Coined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto, this famous communist slogan once appeared on the coats of arms of the Soviet Union and its republics. International Workers’ Day became the living embodiment of this phrase. Celebrated on 1 May, May Day began as a European festival of spring but gained global significance through the labor movement. The Second International, formed at the 1889 International Workers Congress in Paris, called for an annual demonstration advocating an eight-hour workday. The date honors the U.S. general strike that started on 1 May 1886 and led to the tragic Haymarket massacre on 4 May. The date became a powerful symbol of working-class solidarity and a yearly tradition across large swathes of the globe.
Soviet-era poster for International Workers’ Day
Before the Bolsheviks came to power, political agitators in the Russian Empire used May 1 to call for change with slogans such as “Down with the Tsar” and “Give us freedom.” After the October Revolution, May 1 and 2 became official state holidays, with May Day becoming synonymous with International Workers’ Day and mandatory parades. Unlike the more formal and solemn celebrations honoring the October Revolution, however, May Day events were often met with genuine enthusiasm.
After the collapse
The fall of the USSR brought about a widespread reevaluation of Soviet holidays. The celebration of the October Revolution on November 7 was widely discarded, but many post-Soviet republics retained May 1 as a public holiday, albeit with new interpretations and meanings.
In Central Asia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan do not officially celebrate May 1. Turkmenistan has developed a distinct holiday calendar, while in Uzbekistan, May 1 is observed symbolically as the Day of Fountains.
Day of Fountains, Tashkent; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland
Though celebrations are more modest and it is no longer officially a day off, Tajikistan has retained the holiday’s Soviet-era name, International Workers’ Day. Some traditions, such as honoring outstanding workers, persist.
Kyrgyzstan calls the holiday Labor Day, in line with its American equivalent. It is marked by festive events and activities organized by trade unions.
Kazakhstan has taken a different approach, reimagining May Day as the Day of Unity of the People of Kazakhstan. The name reflects the country’s emphasis on stability and interethnic harmony, a model promoted by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, an institution established on March 1, 1995, at the initiative of the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Since 2016, March 1 has also been celebrated as Thanksgiving Day, another holiday focused on national unity. Over a hundred different nationalities and ethnic groups reside within Kazakhstan.
On the Day of Unity, cities across Kazakhstan host concerts featuring ethnic groups and pop stars, fairs, exhibitions, and traditional folk festivities. The holiday is a vibrant expression of the country’s multicultural identity, underscoring the idea that “We are different, but we are equal,” a phrase frequently invoked by the current president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Day of Unity of the People of Kazakhstan celebration; image: el.kz
The modern iteration of May Day originated as a commemoration of American workers’ struggles in the late 19th century, but in East Slavic traditions, among Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, May 1 also marked the seasonal transition from winter to spring. Bonfires were lit, and straw effigies representing winter were burned. These celebrations often involved gatherings with family and friends, symbolizing rebirth and renewal.
In essence, May Day is the East Slavic counterpart to Nowruz, the Central Asian New Year, which is celebrated at the end of March. While the ideological undertones of May Day have faded, it remains one of the most beloved and eagerly anticipated holidays in the post-Soviet world.
