Re: May day

[Doug Henwood <dhenwood@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:

>Hmm.  So when was the public law 85-529 passed?  And what was the rationale
>behing selecting May 1st for the festivity?

I think it was explained to me as an anti-Communist redefinition of Mayday.
When was Labor Day created? Wasn't that also an anti-May Day thing?

Doug

Here's the law, from the searchable U.S. Code:

 -CITE-
    36 USC Sec. 162                                              01/16/96
-EXPCITE-
    TITLE 36 - PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES AND OBSERVANCES
    CHAPTER 9 - NATIONAL OBSERVANCES
-HEAD-
    Sec. 162. Loyalty Day
-STATUTE-
      The 1st day of May of each year is designated as Loyalty Day and
    is to be set aside as a special day for the reaffirmation of
    loyalty to the United States of America and for the recognition of
    the heritage of American freedom; and the President of the United
    States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling
    upon officials of the Government to display the flag of the United
    States on all Government buildings on such day and inviting the
    people of the United States to observe such day, in schools and
    other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies.
-SOURCE-
    (Pub. L. 85-529, July 18, 1958, 72 Stat. 369.)