The People’s Unity Day in Kazakhstan

English teacher  Skidan Nataliya Mikhailovna

 On the 1st May  Kazakhstan celebrates the People’s Unity  Day. The national holiday symbolizes friendship and mutual understanding between all the ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan. This day is a great opportunity to get to know your friends better and learn their history, culture and customs. It is also a great date to commemorate one’s own traditions and culture.

October 18th 1995, President  signed a document that announced May 1st as the People’s Unity  Day. The same day was celebrated as the Labor Day in the USSR. Soviet people went to see military parades and demonstrations on the squares in their cities and towns. People were eager to showcase the fruits of their hard work and labor.

The whole tradition of Labor Day celebration started in July of 1889 in Paris to commemorate public demonstrations of Chicago working class. On May 1st, 1886 working class people in the USA demanded instituting an 8-hour workday. In Kazakhstan the Labor Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of September now .

But for many people  May 1st is the day of spring celebration and life renewal. For example, ancient Celts celebrated Beltaine. It marked the beginning of summer and was the time when cattle was driven out to the summer pastures

Nur-Sultan and Almaty are the main cities for celebrations of the People’s Unity  Day. The main idea behind the celebration is to create awareness of the great number of ethnic groups and nations living in Kazakhstan.

https://en.tengrinews.kz/show_and_style/history-of-may-1-celebration-in-kazakhstan-253295/