In ongoing decades, songs from the Mamas and the Papas and the Boomtown Rats have reminded us that Monday is not the most popular day of the week. However, before industrial capitalism got a firm grip in Britain, it was common for artisan workers to take Monday off as well, a practice known as Saint Monday. In 2023, it may surprise people to learn that important protests such as Peterloo and the Chartist protest for the vote both took place on Mondays.
May Day 2023 Bank Holiday in Britain: History and Traditions
To regularize and control the practice of taking Monday off, the 1871 Bank Holidays Act was passed, permitting a small number of official holidays, including Boxing Day and Whitsun. Only in 1978 was May Day added by a Labour government, marking International Workers’ Day and attempting to stifle the practice of workers taking unofficial strike action on May 1.
Despite demands from reactionaries to move the May Day holiday to the autumn and rename it Trafalgar Day or Margaret Thatcher Day, May Day is marked around Britain with a series of marches and festivals. While reflecting the traditions of laborism dating back to the 1860s, May Days have become more diverse in recent times, reflecting a living tradition.
May Day in Britain is also combined with the traditional welcoming of spring that May brings, as Walter Crane’s graphics for the day sometimes reflected a new season of labor. In contrast to British May Days, May Day celebrations in some other countries are marked with more lively and robust protests, as noted by Eric Hobsbawm.
One week after the May Day bank holiday, another holiday will be held on May 8 to mark the coronation of King Charles III on May 6. While special holidays can appear at an official whim in Britain, many will be glad of a further paid break. However, despite the enormous wealth of the royals and the King personally, the coronation holiday will cost many millions of public money.
The coronation has its traditions, many of them historic, but often invented or reinvented for the occasion. For example, an Australian citizen Simon Abney-Hastings will carry a golden spur at the coronation, a tradition that dates back to the coronation of King Charles II. The purpose of the golden spurs in 2023 is unclear, and many may think back to May 1 and ponder if there are not other ways of running society.
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