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MICHEL-NATAL - CELEBRATIONS - May Day
May 1st or May Day was a holiday like no other for miners
and their families in the Elk Valley. Proclaimed as
International Worker’s Day at the founding meeting of the
Socialist International in 1889, May Day was a day of
solidarity and celebration.
Never a statutory holiday, its celebration in
Michel-Natal recognized the dangerous working conditions
and iron-fisted control of the miners' lives by the coal
company and the belief that a secure future lay in
socialism.
Organized by the miners’ local unions, the day’s events
usually included a parade, speeches by working class leaders,
performances by the Michel-Natal Band, and activities for
children.
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