Labour Day or International Workers’ Day is celebrated to pay tribute to the contribution of workers across the world. In India, the first May Day was celebrated in Madras (Chennai) by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. The Red Flag which symbolises Labour Day was used in India for the first time.

The day is linked to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties.

May 1 is also Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day, as on this day in 1960, Bombay was divided into two states on linguistic lines.