欧美人文风情第207篇:五一劳动节的由来

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In the late 19th century, American labor¹ unions were fed up—fed up with being overworked, in dangerous conditions and with little pay. 十九世纪晚期，美国工会受够了－－受够过度劳累、身处危险工作环境但只领到微薄薪水。

So in 1884, the Federation² of Organized Trades and Labor Unions met in Chicago and had one major demand: an eight-hour workday. 于是在 1884 年，美加产职业工会联合会聚在芝加哥，并提出一项主要诉求：一天工作八小时。

And on May 1, 1886, over 300,000 American workers went on strike. 1886 年 5 月 1 日，超过三十万名美国劳工发动罢工。

Three days later, thousands of strikers met in Haymarket Square, where a riot broke out between cops and workers. 三天后，数千名罢工工人在干草市场广场聚集，警方与劳工在那爆发冲突。

A bomb was thrown into the crowd, killing³ several people. It was called the Haymarket Massacre⁴. 一颗炸弹被丢到群众中，造成数人死亡。这被称作「干草市场屠杀」。 

And today, May 1 is known as International Workers' Day. 如今，5 月 1 日被称为国际劳动节。

While every country's workers have a different history behind May Day, 尽管每个国家的劳工在劳动节背后有着不同历史，

they all commemorate⁵ those who have and continue to give their lives for workers' justice. 但他们全都纪念着那些曾经，并且持续为劳工正义付出生命的人。

 

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