Here are some facts I got from a website called TimeAndDate.com:
"Labor and Solidarity Day in Turkey is an occasion for some people to demand better conditions for skilled laborers and union workers..Labor and Solidarity Day, which falls on May 1 each year, is one of the most controversial holidays in Turkey.
Some people in Turkey participate in demonstrations on Labor and Solidarity Day. They may demand better conditions for skilled laborers and union workers, or protest the government's policies. If the demonstrators gather in unsanctioned places, the police may try to disperse the crowd.
People who do not participate in political demonstrations try to avoid public gatherings on May 1 because demonstrations sometimes end in violence. Many people use the day off to have a picnic and spend time with friends and relatives.
Labor and Solidarity Day, observed on May 1, is an official holiday in Turkey. Administration buildings, schools and post offices are usually closed on this day. However, many businesses remain open. Public transport routes may vary in the event of street protests. Visitors should consider avoiding the demonstrations, as they may end up in violence.
May 1 became an official holiday, called “Workers' Day” (İşçi Bayramı), in Turkey in 1923. The event was marked by mass protests and occasional violence. This led the Turkish authorities to ban the participation in the May 1 demonstrations in 1924. The protests continued and the government banned the holiday in 1925. May 1 returned as the “Spring and Flowers Day” (Bahar ve Çiçek Bayramı) in 1935. It was a peaceful day until 1976, when workers organized their first May 1 demonstration in many years. Even bigger demonstrations followed in 1977, and someone opened fire in the 500,000-strong crowd in the Taksim Square in Istanbul. Thirty-four people died in the resulting stampede and more than 100 people were injured.
The Turkish authorities have since banned the May 1 demonstrations at the Taksim Square. In 1981, the government banned the holiday for the second time. May 1 returned as an official holiday under the name of “Labor and Solidarity Day” in 2009
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8:15am Saturday morning Brittany and I left her apartment on Babil Sokak off and walked out of the alley onto the side walk to find a deserted Cumhurriyet Cd. in Taksim. We had been warned that today was a Bayram holiday and the metro might be closed, but still this was almost eerie. There was nothing. No buses. No delivery trucks. No cabs zipping and swerving around each other. There wasn't even anyone walking the random dog. The only people who were out were the people in business suits obviously on their way to the office, and police officers. Tons of Police officers.
We approached the first officers we encountered, and luckily between the 5 of them there was enough English to tell us what we wanted to know: There was no Metro in Taksim that day. So Brittany had a 25minute walk in one direction to catch a taksi to Sultanahmet, and I had a 4km stroll all the way to the bustop at Mecidiyekoy: aka along the entire parade route of the Labor and Solidarity Day demonstrations. (good thing that at the time I was only mildly aware of the torrid and violent past of the holiday) Luckily it was early enough in the day, that demonstrators were just beginning to collect and organize themselves into the various parties holding flags or wearing colors that represent the party or union for which they were advocating. Aside from the militaristic music being played everywhere, the empassioned chants through megaphones and the hundreds of police in riot gear it was a safe enough if crowded walk as I pushed and wove my way upstream to Mecidiyekoy. It took me just under an hour to walk the 4km, I got to my bus with very little trouble, and aside from a sore knee, arrived safely home in Beykoz 4 whole minutes before my 10am "curfew"
Bayramınız Kutlu Olsun Everyone!
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