1st of May

Every Greek with respect for him/herself makes a flower garland on the 1st May.
It is not been easy to say why we do this.
Most will tell you it’s a tradition, something they do on this day without quite knowing why. A few have more concrete explanations.
1st May is also Labor Day. When the workers started to mark this day with parades, it became usual to carry flowers in the procession. This has developed into the tradition whereby everyone makes a flower garland to hang over their front doors.

Another explanation that can been given is that the 1st May marks the end of winter. Winter clothes are put away and summer clothes brought out, so to mark the day, these flower garlands are made. Which of these 2 explanations is more correct is difficult to say. Maybe a combination of the two has caused the development of the tradition. But whatever the reason, there are many beautiful flower garlands made this day. Couple of years ago those beautiful garlands we could see only hanged on the top of the house's entrance door. Today "New-Greeks" decorate the front part of them car as well, but fortunaly - not yet - them motorcycles.

"May Day" for the left Political parties and organizations refers only to various socialist and labor movement celebrations conducted on May 1, unrelated to the traditional celebrations to commemorate the Haymarket Riot of 1886 (U.S.A. Chicago) and the international socialist movement generally.
Greece is not an exception so in the main towns, Labor corporations and syndicates they organize meettings and mostly continue with demonstrations.