VOA文化艺术2024--Labor Day in the US

Labor¹ Day is a national holiday to celebrate workers in the United States. The holiday, on the first Monday of September, is on September 2 this year.

For Americans, the holiday also informally marks the end of summer. The hot days of summer turn to cooler days ahead. Students are returning to school. Many celebrate the holiday with an outdoor barbecue or one more weekend at the beach.

Origin of Labor Day

But Labor Day started with a struggle.

On May 1, 1889, workers demonstrated on the streets of Paris, France. The demonstration² led to International Labor Day. Most countries in the world, except the United States and Canada, celebrate Labor Day on the first of May.

The first American Labor Day celebration was held on September 5, 1882, in New York City. About 10,000 workers marched through the streets to show the strength of labor organizations.

For many years after that, American workers used the first Monday in September to demand better working conditions and pay. Several U.S. cities and states began to recognize the day as Labor Day. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law making it a national holiday.

Music was a part of many Labor Day marches.

One American labor song is called Bread and Roses. It is based on a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim. The poem speaks about the women's labor movement. At that time, conditions in factories, where many women worked, were horrible. A fire at a clothing factory in New York killed 146 people. Most of the victims were immigrant women.

Labor Day activities

For the three-day Labor Day weekend, many Americans head to airports and highways for end-of-summer escapes. They visit beaches, mountains or lakes. Some prepare outdoor cookouts for family and friends.

The American Automobile³ Association (AAA) said, "Americans see the extended Labor Day weekend as an opportunity to say farewell to summer with one final trip." The group said Labor Day weekend travel in the U.S. went up nine percent compared to last year.

Robert F. Moss⁴ is a barbecue expert and historian⁵. He wrote the book Barbecue: The History of an American Institution. Moss said barbecue was already an American tradition when the labor movements developed in the late 19th century. He noted⁶ that it was a natural way to celebrate as large groups gathered.

"It still has a lot of that same communal⁷ sense, gathering⁸ around the grill⁹, eating together," he told the Associated Press.

Not wearing white after Labor Day

Americans also have a saying that one should not wear white after Labor Day.

That may sound strange, but it is true. Many Americans put away their white clothes on Labor Day and do not wear them again until the following May, after Memorial Day.

One reason for the clothing custom relates to the season. In the U.S., the months between June and September are summer. The weather is usually hot and people wear light-colored clothing to keep cool.

Clothing experts say it likely goes back to the Gilded¹⁰ Age - the same period in the late 1800s that started Labor Day. Wealthy New Yorkers in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, would put away their cool, white clothing at the end of the summer. And they returned to the city with darker, heavier clothes for dirt-packed streets.

After the pandemic, many businesses and people have turned to more relaxed clothing. So the saying, or rule, might not be true anymore.

But you may want to be careful about wearing white to an American-style Labor Day barbecue. The trouble is not fashion - it is ketchup¹¹. If it spills, the popular red tomato sauce can ruin that nice set of white clothes.

Words in This Story

opportunity - n. chance, occasion

farewell - n. goodbye

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

5 historian   

n.历史学家，编史家

参考例句：

• As a historian,he was most typical of the times in which he lived.作为历史学家，他是他所处时代最有代表性的人物。
• He calls himself a historian,but his books are a mere journalism.他自称为历史学家，但是他的书都是些肤浅的通俗作品。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

10 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

11 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？