How to restore the tradition of Labour Day?
As an exception to neighbouring countries, such as Belgium and Germany, 1 May is not celebrated as a national holiday in the Netherlands. This year however, the Christian holiday, Ascension Day, collided with May Day, and, therefore, more workers than usual were given the possibility to take part in May Day celebrations. However, as the fact that May Day is not a national holiday shows, there is not a strong tradition in the Netherlands to celebrate 1 May. In fact, when Queen’s Day, which is celebrated every year on the 30 April, draws tens of thousands of people throughout the country to different activities, May Day celebrations are limited to several thousands of participants. Big May Day demonstrations, such as take place in Belgium every year all across the country, are a rare phenomenon in the Netherlands. In fact, the only city in the Netherlands where such a demonstration takes place is Rotterdam. Around 1,000 participated. The lack of tradition is also shown by the absence of
