What Are the Origins of May Day?

五一节的起源是什么？(1894)

The happy idea of using a proletarian holiday celebration as a means to attain the eight-hour day was first born in Australia. The workers there decided in 1856 to organize a day of complete stoppage together with meetings and entertainment as a demonstration in favor of the eight-hour day. The day of this celebration was to be April 21. At first, the Australian workers intended this only for the year 1856. But this first celebration had such a strong effect on the proletarian masses of Australia, enlivening them and leading to new agitation, that it was decided to repeat the celebration every year.

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利用无产阶级的节日庆祝活动作为实现每天八小时工作制的一种方式，这种快乐的想法最早出现在澳大利亚。1856年，那里的工人决定组织一天的全面罢工，同时举行会议和娱乐活动，以示对八小时工作制的支持。这个庆祝活动的日期是4月21日。起初，澳大利亚工人只打算在1856年这样做。但是，这第一次庆祝活动对澳大利亚的无产阶级群众产生了如此强烈的影响，使他们活跃起来，并引起新的骚动，因此决定每年重复举行庆祝活动。

In fact, what could give the workers greater courage and faith in their own strength than a mass work stoppage which they had decided themselves? What could give more courage to the eternal slaves of the factories and the workshops than the mustering of their own troops? Thus, the idea of a proletarian celebration was quickly accepted and, from Australia, began to spread to other countries until finally it had conquered the whole proletarian world.

事实上，还有什么能比他们自己决定的大规模停工更能给予工人们勇气和信心呢？还有什么能比集结自己的军队更能给予工厂和车间长期工作的奴隶们勇气呢？因此，无产阶级庆祝的想法很快就被接受了，并且，从澳大利亚，开始传播到其他国家，直到最后它征服了整个无产阶级世界。

The first to follow the example of the Australian workers were the Americans. In 1886 they decided that May 1 should be the day of universal work stoppage. On this day 200,000 of them left their work and demanded the eight-hour day. Later, police and legal harassment prevented the workers for many years from repeating this [size] demonstration. However in 1888 they renewed their decision and decided that the next celebration would be May 1, 1890.

最早效仿澳大利亚工人的是美国人。1886年，他们决定5月1日为全球停工日。在这一天，他们中的20万人离开了工作岗位，要求每天工作8小时。后来，警察和法律的骚扰阻止了工人们多年来重复这种[规模]示威。然而在1888年，他们重申了他们的决定，并决定下一次庆祝活动将在1890年5月1日举行。

In the meanwhile, the workers’ movement in Europe had grown strong and animated. The most powerful expression of this movement occurred at the International Workers’ Congress in 1889. At this Congress, attended by four hundred delegates, it was decided that the eight-hour day must be the first demand. Whereupon the delegate of the French unions, the worker Lavigne from Bordeaux, moved that this demand be expressed in all countries through a universal work stoppage. The delegate of the American workers called attention to the decision of his comrades to strike on May 1, 1890, and the Congress decided on this date for the universal proletarian celebration.

与此同时，欧洲的工人运动变得强大而活跃。这场运动最有力的表达发生在1889年的国际工人大会上。在这次有四百名代表参加的大会上，决定一天工作八小时必须是第一要求。于是，法国工会的代表，来自波尔多的工人拉维涅，提议在所有国家通过全面停工来表达这一要求。美国工人代表提请注意他的同志们决定在1890年5月1日罢工，国会决定在这一天举行普世无产阶级的庆祝活动。

In this case, as thirty years before in Australia, the workers really thought only of a one-time demonstration. The Congress decided that the workers of all lands would demonstrate together for the eight-hour day on May 1, 1890. No one spoke of a repetition of the holiday for the next years. Naturally no one could predict the lightning-like way in which this idea would succeed and how quickly it would be adopted by the working classes. However, it was enough to celebrate the May Day simply one time in order that everyone understand and feel that May Day must be a yearly and continuing institution [...].

在这种情况下，正如三十年前在澳大利亚，工人们真的只想到一次示威游行。国会决定，在1890年5月1日，所有土地上的工人将一起为每天八小时的工作示威游行。没有人提到在接下来的几年里会重复这个节日。当然，没有人能够预料到这种想法会以闪电般的方式获得成功，也没有人能够预料到工人阶级会以多快的速度接受这种想法。然而，仅仅庆祝五一节一次就足够了，这样每个人都能理解并感受到五一节必须是一年一度的、持续的机构[ ... ]。

The first of May demanded the introduction of the eight-hour day. But even after this goal was reached, May Day was not given up. As long as the struggle of the workers against the bourgeoisie and the ruling class continues, as long as all demands are not met, May Day will be the yearly expression of these demands. And, when better days dawn, when the working class of the world has won its deliverance then too humanity will probably celebrate May Day in honor of the bitter struggles and the many sufferings of the past.

五月一日要求实行八小时工作制。但即使这个目标实现了，劳动节也没有放弃。只要工人反对资产阶级和统治阶级的斗争继续下去，只要一切要求得不到满足，五一劳动节就是这些要求的年度表达。而且，当美好的日子来临，当世界工人阶级赢得了解放，那么人类也可能会庆祝五一劳动节，以纪念过去的艰苦斗争和许多苦难。

写于1894年，首次在 Sprawa Robotnicza 以波兰语出版。

出版: 《罗莎 · 卢森堡政治著作选》 ，1971年，第315-16页。

在线版本: marxists.org 2002年4月。