Monday is Labor Day and it got me thinking about what the heck Labor Day really is. Here's what I know....
(1) I get the day off
(2) it the end of summer (well not in Texas)
(3) you aren't supposed to wear white after it passes, and
(4) it clearly must have something to do with the American work force.
But the truth is I really don't know the nuts and bolts of this national holiday...so I sicked my research department on it and here's what we came up with...
Labor Day is basically is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. But how did it come about? Why do we celebrate it? Who started it? Etc, etc, etc?
The US has celebrated Labor Day as a national holiday since 1894....but did you know that Canada (a) also celebrates Labor Day and (b) has been doing so for as long as the US
So, who started it? Well, you gotta assume it had something to do with labor unions, but most historians credit one Peter McGuire (no, not the one who graduated from HP in the early 90s), but the Peter McGuire who was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (try and fit that on a business card...whew). McGuire was also a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor.
Labor Day actually first started with a parade in 1882 in honor of the working class. The parade, held in New York City, was held on the first Monday in September and the Knights of Labor (the parade throwers) passed a resolution to hold all future parades on that same day....designating them as Labor Day.
Parades are still held in cities throughout Canada and the US in celebration of Labor Day, but we've also become accustomed to other traditional Labor Day activities like the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon.
Let's talk about the white after Labor Day thing too. Here's what Wikipedia says about it..
"Popular fashion etiquette dictates that white should not be worn after Labor Day. Originally it was white shoes that were taboo— white or "winter white" clothing was acceptable. The custom is fading: "Fashion magazines are jumping on this growing trend, calling people who 'dare' to wear white after Labor Day innovative, creative, and bold. Slowly but surely, white is beginning to break free from its box, and is becoming acceptable to wear whenever one pleases. In the world of western attire, it is similarly tradition to wear a straw cowboy hat until Labor Day. After Labor Day, the felt hat is worn until Memorial Day."
Ok, so clearly no one from Texas wrote this or came up with this rule. (1) I say you can wear white year round. I mean, I'd be naked more often than not if I couldn't wear a white shirt. I get the shoe thing, but I don't think youhave to ditch those until it gets much cooler - - - but I don't think we should worry to much with this...I mean are there really that many cute white shoes anyway?!?!? White jeans/pants is a new one though and I say wear em. Again, especially here in Texas. I think you can wear those puppies on into early October. I don't even know where to start on the comment about the straw cowboy hat. Seriously, your head would sweat to death if you started wearing felt next Tuesday. Yikes. As I learned back in my country radio working days at Young Country (that's a whole other blog), the rule in Texas is that your felt hat is your "dress" hat and can really be worn year round at night, but a straw hat is typically a day hat. Of course, you can don a straw hat here in Texas as long as its not winter and since winter doesn't start until, oh let's say November, we've got a few months to go.
This Labor Day also happens to mark the opening day of Dove season. So I'm sure many of you are dusting off the shotguns and ready to go blast some birds. Happy hunting!
So that's Labor Day in a nutshell. Bottom line is...I get the day off and that's all that matters to me....and after all...isn't it always about me!
(1) I get the day off
(2) it the end of summer (well not in Texas)
(3) you aren't supposed to wear white after it passes, and
(4) it clearly must have something to do with the American work force.
But the truth is I really don't know the nuts and bolts of this national holiday...so I sicked my research department on it and here's what we came up with...
Labor Day is basically is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. But how did it come about? Why do we celebrate it? Who started it? Etc, etc, etc?
The US has celebrated Labor Day as a national holiday since 1894....but did you know that Canada (a) also celebrates Labor Day and (b) has been doing so for as long as the US
So, who started it? Well, you gotta assume it had something to do with labor unions, but most historians credit one Peter McGuire (no, not the one who graduated from HP in the early 90s), but the Peter McGuire who was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (try and fit that on a business card...whew). McGuire was also a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor.
Labor Day actually first started with a parade in 1882 in honor of the working class. The parade, held in New York City, was held on the first Monday in September and the Knights of Labor (the parade throwers) passed a resolution to hold all future parades on that same day....designating them as Labor Day.
Parades are still held in cities throughout Canada and the US in celebration of Labor Day, but we've also become accustomed to other traditional Labor Day activities like the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon.
Let's talk about the white after Labor Day thing too. Here's what Wikipedia says about it..
"Popular fashion etiquette dictates that white should not be worn after Labor Day. Originally it was white shoes that were taboo— white or "winter white" clothing was acceptable. The custom is fading: "Fashion magazines are jumping on this growing trend, calling people who 'dare' to wear white after Labor Day innovative, creative, and bold. Slowly but surely, white is beginning to break free from its box, and is becoming acceptable to wear whenever one pleases. In the world of western attire, it is similarly tradition to wear a straw cowboy hat until Labor Day. After Labor Day, the felt hat is worn until Memorial Day."
Ok, so clearly no one from Texas wrote this or came up with this rule. (1) I say you can wear white year round. I mean, I'd be naked more often than not if I couldn't wear a white shirt. I get the shoe thing, but I don't think youhave to ditch those until it gets much cooler - - - but I don't think we should worry to much with this...I mean are there really that many cute white shoes anyway?!?!? White jeans/pants is a new one though and I say wear em. Again, especially here in Texas. I think you can wear those puppies on into early October. I don't even know where to start on the comment about the straw cowboy hat. Seriously, your head would sweat to death if you started wearing felt next Tuesday. Yikes. As I learned back in my country radio working days at Young Country (that's a whole other blog), the rule in Texas is that your felt hat is your "dress" hat and can really be worn year round at night, but a straw hat is typically a day hat. Of course, you can don a straw hat here in Texas as long as its not winter and since winter doesn't start until, oh let's say November, we've got a few months to go.
This Labor Day also happens to mark the opening day of Dove season. So I'm sure many of you are dusting off the shotguns and ready to go blast some birds. Happy hunting!
So that's Labor Day in a nutshell. Bottom line is...I get the day off and that's all that matters to me....and after all...isn't it always about me!
2 comments:
Oh how I miss Young Country
I cannot wait to hear about Young Country!!! :)
Post a Comment