Before 1961, May 24 was celebrated in Jamaica as Empire Day in honour of the birthday of Queen Victoria and her emancipation of slaves in Jamaica.[4] As its name suggests, the day was used to celebrate the British Empire and England, complete with flag-raising ceremonies and the singing of patriotic songs.
In 1961, Jamaican Chief Minister Norman Washington Manley proposed the replacement of Empire Day with Labour Day, a celebration in commemoration of May 23, 1938, when Alexander Bustamante led a labour rebellion leading to Jamaican independence.
Until May 23, 1971, Labour Day was primarily a trade unions celebration with public rallies and marches.[4] On occasion, opposing trade unions clashed on this day, so in 1972, Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley promoted Labour Day as a showcase for the importance of labour to the development of Jamaica, and a day of voluntary community participation to beneficial projects.[4] Since then, Labour Day has not only been a public holiday, but also a day of mass community involvement around the country.
Huge Labor Day Concert at the Waterfront
A huge gospel concert, dubbed Praise Vibes, will top off Labour Day 2009 during which Jamaicans have been encouraged to "Ketch the Vibes" as they undertake a variety of Labour Day activities today.
source: labor day
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