The Origin of May Day Poll

First, read up on it, then take the test, er, poll.

Thanks!

Regardless of the origins, it was co-opted by the communists and the leftist labor movement. If we investigate the origins of Christmas Day, we find it is a pagan observance of the winter solstice. Yet the day is, in our time, undeniably the celebration of the birth of Christ.

What matters is not any original association of the date. What is important is the association that folks will make today.

(BTW, you'd be amazed at what people already know on the subject.)

eye95 said:

Regardless of the origins, it was co-opted by the communists and the leftist labor movement. If we investigate the origins of Christmas Day, we find it is a pagan observance of the winter solstice. Yet the day is, in our time, undeniably the celebration of the birth of Christ.

What matters is not any original association of the date. What is important is the association that folks will make today.

(BTW, you'd be amazed at what people already know on the subject.)

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Actually, you're terribly wrong as usual. First off a pre-christian holiday, a holiday that predates organized government could not have been "co-opted" by any modern form of government. Secondly there were countries all over Europe who made it a national holiday long before Communism was ever an issue. Many countries that never were and never will be communist celebrate it to this day. America has a labor day as well, is this communist?

Also the idea that the modern popular opinion on something is what is important?! So if the liberal outnumber us gun toting moderates and conservatives, by your logic, society should hold their "guns are bad" association as more important than the "liberty loving Americans" association we're pushing for?

I'm German-Irish, what if I was feeling more Irish today and decided to wear a celtic cross? The origin of this is purely pre-christian to modern Celt tradition. However, in modern years it has been associated with neo-nazi movements. So, should I forsake generations of my ethnic and cultural heritage because of the association some biased sheeperson might make?

Enough examples, let me just say

What is important is the association that folks will make today.

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is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen you say on this forum.

AND ANOTHERRR THING. Many many many people celebrate Christmas as a national holiday rather than the birth of Christ. Atheists, Pagans, Buddhists, Hindus, and some Muslims to name a few will celebrate Christmas as a cultural observance for their children (and the presents ) without ever acknowledging the story of Christ.

The Marxists claim May Day as their own.

Americans celebrating May Day.

Modern American Communists call for action on May Day.

Communist statement on May Day 2010.

Communists march in London on May Day 2010.

Communists using facebook to organize march on May Day 2011.

May Day is an official legal holiday in The People's Republik of China.

Russia still recognizes May Day as a holiday, although they have dropped the moniker "International Day of Solidarity of the Working People"

Whatever May Day was a thousand years ago, currently, throughout most of the 20th Century and into the 21st, it was and is a communist holiday, the most important holiday celebrated by communists worldwide and here in the United States.

eye95 said:

Regardless of the origins, it was co-opted by the communists and the leftist labor movement. If we investigate the origins of Christmas Day, we find it is a pagan observance of the winter solstice. Yet the day is, in our time, undeniably the celebration of the birth of Christ.

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Which, BTW, probably happened in September, according to most scholars who understand the Jewish calendar, and have correlated the Biblical accounts with calendar dating...

You're not going to find a whole lot of shepherds sleeping out in the fields under the stars in Bethlehem in December, unless they have Polarfleece robes, and down-filled sandals...

eye95 said:

What matters is not any original association of the date. What is important is the association that folks will make today.

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So the fact that there are estimated to be about 1,000,000 Neo-Pagans of various types in the US, (and perhaps another million or so in the rest of the world) means that, in fact, the celebration of Yule (which actually DOES occur on or near December 25 most years) should be just as acceptable as any other "religious" holiday.

Actually more-so, at least in the case of Christmas, which is ACTUALLY in September according to most scholars, and was only moved to Dec.25 by the early Catholic Church as a way to help assimilate new converts from indigenous paganism in Europe, and was commercialized and secularized later (in the 1800s) as a way to boost year-end sales figures for retailers...

The fact is, that celebrating Christmas in December is about as UN-CHRISTIAN as you can get, because it's a lie, it's based on greed and "power over others", and it has absolutely no basis in the Scriptural record, documented Roman history, or the facts of the Jewish Calendar...

eye95 said:

(BTW, you'd be amazed at what people already know on the subject.)

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Not nearly as amazed as I am about the utter BS that people believe that is easily provable as false, fabricated, or outright lies...


As for the OP, I can't really participate in the poll with clear conscience, because Beltaine, Walpurgis Nacht, and The Roman Festival of Flora are all equally ancient, and probably cross-influential. Without the ability to choose MULTIPLE answers, this poll is fundamentally flawed, and will not return accurate results.

Frankly, Beltaine is one of my favorite holidays, but I'll admit, OC of a defensive firearm is generally NOT high on my priorities list of things to do on that particular holiday...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRhPeJ3uzOc

People have recognized the First of May as a cultural holiday (as opposed to a spiritual holiday) for centuries (if not millenia), with Spring Festivals, May Poles, Morris Dancing (oops, all of those things ARE just modernized secular versions of ancient Pagan fertility rites...) But anyway, the whole "Commie Connection" to Mayday is less than 70 years old. You're going on and on about how you would never do anything associated with a GOOD cause (like OC) on May Day because of the whole Communist Celebration of May Day, while COMPLETELY ignoring the fact that for as long as man has been keeping track of the solar and lunar seasonal cycles, May Day has been a MAJOR festival of birth, renewal, fertility, and community.

Well, "eye95", I'm not surprised to hear that you have been completely blinded by your Cold War paranoia, but I'm sort of shocked that you would essentially admit to being intentionally ignorant of several thousand years of human history, and are essentially a religious bigot to boot...

Part of CHANGING the world is RECLAIMING the things that have been sullied, tarnished, and perverted by bad people.

Personally, I think co-opting May Day for a big nation-wide PRO-LIBERTY event is a BRILLIANT piece of PR. This is the sort of idea that PR firms get paid BIG BUCKS for, and its the sort of thing that certain "gun rights" organizations in certain states in the Mid-Atlantic region that I won't name would ABSOLUTELY HATE because it's out in the open, it's attached to a date with a LOT of history, and it's being planned out far in advance, with some VERY creative people, so it's BOUND to be successful...

Get over it, "eye95"...

Reclaiming the history, liberty, freedom, and humanity of Mankind is the BIGGEST battle we're fighting right now. We've been force-fed buckets of lies, slander, and completely fabricated BS for the last 100 years with regards to most of human history. And for nearly 2000 years, the prevailing concept of "history" has been essentially an organized socio/politico/academic smear campaign against any culture that wasn't the one in power.

Perhaps it's time we, as freedom-loving individuals, start coming to terms that there is a LOT of history that we might not agree with but is significant, important, and culturally influential to us ALL. Perhaps we need to stop trying to bury, defame, and slander any historical facts that contradict the "doctrine du jour" and instead treat the discipline of history more like chemistry or engineering--there are some things that just ARE, and no matter how much you don't like that, it remains TRUE, and you just have to deal with it...

Take Back May Day.

Love Liberty.

eye95 said:

Whatever May Day was a thousand years ago, currently, throughout most of the 20th Century and into the 21st, it was and is a communist holiday, the most important holiday celebrated by communists worldwide and here in the United States.

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To this I must refer back to my original post and point. (see previous)

When I think of mayday, I think of the music video Safety Dance.

Dreamer said:

Part of CHANGING the world is RECLAIMING the things that have been sullied, tarnished, and perverted by bad people.

Take Back May Day.

Love Liberty.

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As a non-Communist and Christian who spent more than a few cold winter's nights freezing my butt off in the lower deck of a B-52 cocked on alert for God, Country, and the free world, I say, "Amen, Dreamer!"

The point is not how WE would view it. The point is how the media and the public will view it:

CNN anchor: And in other news, Megan, May Day protests and celebrations were held around the world today. Here we see the Chinese people, that's Mainland China...you know, what we used to call Red China...celebrating the national holiday put into place by the party.....While in Greece today, the local communist party demonstrated against the cutbacks in social spending brought on by the financial crisis that the Greek government is experiencing....Oh, and there is the annual parade of socialists and communists through the streets of London.....Meanwhile here in the US, so-called "Open Carriers" marked the holiday by getting together in small groups across the nation for communal meals....

Herb: Hey, Mabel, them dang un-American open carriers are at it again. Why don't those freakin' pinkos just get permits and learn to conceal like good little Americans.

Mabel: Freakin' radicals. If they want to be commies, why don't they go to China or Greece or London.

CNN anchor: ...and protests were launched in Phoenix, LA, and other southwestern cities, protesting for amnesty for all undocumented aliens. So Megan, why again don't they have these protests on Cinco de Mayo instead of May Day?

Megan: I don't know, Chuck. *gives Chuck a "shut up" look*

PR 101: You don't do the work for those who would give you bad publicity. It would be foolish.

Dreamer said:

Which, BTW, probably happened in September, according to most scholars who understand the Jewish calendar, and have correlated the Biblical accounts with calendar dating...

You're not going to find a whole lot of shepherds sleeping out in the fields under the stars in Bethlehem in December, unless they have Polarfleece robes, and down-filled sandals...

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What!?!?! Are you saying God couldn't even arrange for Jesus to be born on Christmas? Oh, for Pete's sake. Even with an immaculate conception, where you'd think a god could control the timing?

Oh! Wait a minute! I just realized. Are you saying Jesus was a preemie?




(sorry, I couldn't resist)

Good post Dreamer!!!

It amazes me how many "christians" don't even know their own faith.

As someone else pointed out about the celtic cross, the one most christians carry around is an ancient pagan symbol, christ probably didn't even die on a t shaped cross, more than likely a simple stake, or crux simplex. Besides christianity, forbids idolatry.

Citizen said:

(sorry, I couldn't resist)

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Two self-contained confessions in one sentence?
That's a record for you isn't it? :lol:

You compounded it too.

Grapeshot said:

Two self-contained confessions in one sentence?
That's a record for you isn't it? :lol:

You compounded it too.

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Damn those commas.

So what I gather from this thread is we need to move Labor Day from September to May 1st and Christmas from December to September. How is that going to affect Black Friday? I vote that we leave them as they are.

PT111 said:

So what I gather from this thread is we need to move Labor Day from September to May 1st and Christmas from December to September. How is that going to affect Black Friday? I vote that we leave them as they are.

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Why not? After all, it's not like they're not already jam-packed between many other such days of celebration.