Monday is Labor Day in Canada and the US. It’s a federal holiday that celebrates the contributions of workers, whether or not union, to the country’s development. The three-day weekend it falls on is called Labor Day Weekend.

Alternative accounts of the event’s origin exist. Descendants of two men with similar last names claim their great-grandfather was the true father of the holiday. One early history of Labor Day suggests it started in 1882 during a Knights of Labor meeting in New York City. Another theory suggests that Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, came up with the idea for Labor Day after visiting Toronto in May 1882 and seeing labor celebrations. According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City to set a day aside for a “general holiday for the laboring classes”. His recommendation was to begin the event with a street parade showcasing labor’s solidarity, followed by a fundraising picnic for participating local unions.

The first Monday in September was an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date’s place on the calendar, sitting midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving public holidays.

For me personally, the day held little significance. Most my working life I spent as a self-employed contractor, so public holidays came and went, but they didn’t affect me. Other than Thanksgiving and Christmas, I worked. It wasn’t until I went to work for an international home improvement chain that I observed the holiday, either with a day off, or overtime for working. I preferred the extra wages I received for showing up, but getting paid for sitting at home was almost as good.

Our two countries are not the only ones who celebrate workers. Over 80 other countries celebrate their version of an International Workers’ Day on May 1, the European holiday of May Day. In North America, not including Mexico, the day has been a national holiday since 1894.

All of us at A Glimmer of Gold want to wish you and yours a relaxing Labor Day holiday. Take some time to recharge yourself for the upcoming insanity of Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I remember as a trial of patience, at least for retail employees.