Labor Day
What do you think of when you hear the word Labor Day?  Labor Day leads you to imagine the smell of the barbeque, laughter of friends, and the warm sun shining on your skin.  On Labor Day, we spend time with family and friends at the beach, lake, or around the backyard pool and reminisce about the long summer that has just passed.

Labor Day is a national legal holiday that has been celebrated for over 100 years.  Over the past century, Labor Day has gone from a strictly labor union celebration to a day the marks the end of the summer season across the nation.

Labor Day grew out of a celebration and parade that honored the working class of the Knights of Labor in New York City.  The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday September 5, 1882, in New York City.  The Central Labor Union planned the parade to honor the working men in the union.  The Central labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday a year later on September, 5, 1883. 

In 1884 the first Monday in September was chosen as the day to honor labor workers.  The Central Labor Union encouraged other cities with labor unions to follow their example.  This idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial cities in the country.  As the years passed, the nation gave increasing recognition to Labor Day.  By June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States.

The celebration of Labor Day has expanded in the United States.  To some, Labor Day signals the end of the lazy days of summer and the beginning of a new school year.  To others, Labor Day is a day of celebrating the hard work they have accomplished throughout year.  There are still Labor Day parades and celebrations that take place in cities across the nation.  Many people take the opportunity of the extended weekend to travel to the beach or take a short vacation.

In cities across the nation, Labor Day signals a change in the season, cooling of temperatures, and changing of leaves.  Labor Day can also signal changes in a city’s economy.  For example, many beach cities will see a significant decline in their visitors after the Labor Day weekend and therefore the rates of hotel rooms and local attractions will also decline.  People choosing to vacation over the Labor Day weekend will often find that the demand for lodging is greater than the weekends following Labor Day. 

Labor Day is a national holiday in which we honor the workers of America.  What initially began as a celebration of the worker has turned into an extended weekend to spend time with family and friends.  Ironically, Labor Day is actually a day in which you do not labor and take a much needed rest from your work.