Next: 1 May 2027
May Day (International Workers' Day)
Red flags, red banners and red carnations for labour, and in France a sprig of white lily of the valley.
The colours of May Day (International Workers' Day)
The first of May has been the day of the labour movement since 1890, and it is a public holiday in most countries. Its colour is red. The red flag was carried by workers and revolutionaries in nineteenth-century Europe, and it became the sign of socialist and communist parties and of trade unions. Marchers carry red banners with their union's name, and red carnations are worn in Austria, Italy and Portugal. In Kerala and West Bengal the marches are red too. The day has an older, greener side: in much of northern Europe it was the feast of spring, with maypoles and flowers. In France people give each other muguet, small bunches of white lily of the valley, for luck.
#D0021BBanner redThe red flag of the labour movement.#C2182BCarnation redThe flower worn by marchers.#FDFDF8Muguet whiteLily of the valley given in France.#3C8D40Maypole greenThe older spring festival.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "International Workers' Day" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.