We are looking forward to a long weekend due to the fact that this year May 1st is a Friday, and it is still a national holiday left over from Communist times, when this international day for workers was expropriated by the Stalinist regime. By now, it has become a hollow holiday like Bank Holiday in England since the original message is lost.

Nonetheless, for Hungarians over 40, the day still rings the bell, with all its associations with Long Live May 1 (Éljen május elseje) – this was the jolliest of all Communist holidays, the celebration of the principle of ”Proletarians of the world unite. – Világ proletárjai egyesüljetek!” Surprisingly, it survived the change of regime. The idea is wonderfully commemorated by the famous cubist artist, Bertalan Pór, in his Workers of the world, unite! poster dating back to 1919 and the short-lived Communist regime of Béla Kun.

My linguistic favourites were the Byzantine style slogans issued by the ruling Communist Party, the order of slogans reflected the ideological priorities of the Party. In the early fifties, one of the main slogans was: ”Glory to the great Stalin, the flame-souled leader of mankind fighting for peace, the flag-bearer of the friendship between peoples!” (‘Dicsőség a nagy Sztálinnak, a békéért harcoló emberiség lánglelkű vezérének, a népek közötti barátság zászlóvivőjének!’)

The most surprising thing, however, is that even in 1988, only one year before the collapse of Communism, two of the slogans were: “Forward for socialism under the leadership of the Party, on the road of reforms!”; “Long live the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party!” Most people were of course bored by all these slogans which became a source jokes, the best of them being Long Live the ”Long Live!”

For music lovers, here is the May 1st song with excellent documentary. The sound quality is not perfect but the iconic photos are great, reflecting the Zeitgeist (spirit of the time).