Italy celebrates Labor Day, known as Festa dei Lavoratori or Festa del Lavoro, as a nationwide public holiday held every year on May 1. While the United States celebrates Labor Day every year on the first Monday of September, the May 1 date is marked by over 80 countries around the world. The holiday commemorates the labor movement and the success of trade unions on behalf of workers dating as far back as the 19th century.
The labor movement originated in the United States in Chicago, Illinois when the windy city passed the first eight-hour workday law in 1866. The law only went into effect the following year on May 1, 1867 after thousands of workers took to the streets in protest, an Italian daily newspaper.
May 1st was soon thereafter marked across the world as Labour Day. At the Paris International Congress of 1889, the day was officially declared International Workers' Day and was adopted by many countries around the world. In Italy, the day was first celebrated on May 1, 1891, but was suspended in 1924 following dictator Benito Mussolini’s rise to power. The holiday was celebrated again on May 1, 1947, after a 23-year suspension. The commemoration was also adopted by the Catholic Church in 1955, when Pope Pius XII instituted the fast of Saint Joseph the worker. This ensured that the date would also recognize Catholic workers.
Every May 1, the city of Rome holds a concertone, a large concert organized by Italy’s trade unions that is streamed live on nationwide television stations. Primarily geared toward the city’s youth, the concert features established and rising Italian artists. It has been held every year since 1990, excluding the years 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Piazza San Giovanni and is free to the public. This year’s lineup of artists includes Carl Brave, Aiello, Mr. Rain, and Lazza. Additional information can be found on the Primo Maggio concert’s website.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.