Even though it has been a wet one, this Labor Day Weekend has certainly been a welcome respite from the usual monotony of a five-day week. Not only has it been a respite, but it has offered a moment of reflection and respect for the hours of hard work that millions of Americans have completed that have made this country so great.

Labor Day has not always been a part of American culture. Indeed, it was first celebrated as a holiday on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882 in New York City according to the plans of the Central Labor Union. The tradition continued a year later, and in 1884 the “workingman’s holiday” was celebrated on the first Monday in September, and was honored in multiple industrial centers throughout the nation.
Various states since then formally adopted the holiday, and finally on June 28, 1894 Congress passed an act stating that the first Monday of September was a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Since its inception, the holiday has been celebrated in many ways, the most common of which being parades and speeches by public speakers. There are multiple ways that natives of St. Louis can enjoy the holiday. They can follow a more traditional route by going to the Downtown Labor Day Parade or the Veterans Festival, or enjoy different cultures in the festivals in St. Louis, including the Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens, the Midwest Wingfest, the St. Nicholas Greek Festival and the Big Muddy Blues Festival.

Whether your day is full of activity at festivals or parades, or is simply a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I hope that we can all take a moment to cherish the value that the citizens of our country put on hard work and realize its important role in helping this country achieve prosperity and greatness.