Which countries have a public or national holiday in May?

May is the Month of choice for official holidays in many countries with Mayday or the first of May as the most popular date. In most cases the celebration is in behalf of labor and is called Labor Day, some countries use the Mayday terminology which is really an ancient pagan holiday marking the start of the summer season. In an effort to wipe out the celebration, the early church created a variety of other events to use as substitutes and some countries like Indonesia which doesn't have a Labor Day celebrates the first of May as Ascension Day.

Because Labor Day took on a socialist or communist taint, with major military parades in Communist Capitals, the US chose to avoid being a part of the International celebration of workers and chose September as its Labor Day. A very small number of Nations call the first of May Worker's Day instead such as Malaysia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe,

The following countries celebrate labor day on the first of May: Albania, Austria, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Mexico (and Cinco de Mayo), Myanmar, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Phillipenes, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovokia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Ukraine which takes both the first and second off.

The following countries take the first of May off, but call the Holiday Mayday: Gibralter, Luxembourg, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Finland celebrates both Mayday and Walpurgis Night. Malta takes the day off, but they are celebrating the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Japan takes a three day holiday on the first, second and third of May in what they now call the Golden Week. The Bahamas celebrate Whit Monday, and Bermuda celebrates Bermuda Day.

Fiji and Georgia have no Labor Day, but each has two May holiday. Trinidad and Tobago have their Labor Day in June, but they do have an Arrival Day on the 30th of May. Turkey has no celebration of labor but they get the 19th of May off for the Commeration of Ataturk.

New Zealand, which has some of this planet's most liberal holiday schedules with the day after most holidays off, does Labor Day in October, but they haven't come up with a May holiday yet,

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