Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. For many Americans, that means getting time off work, enjoying picnics and putting away your white clothes until the spring.

But Labor Day’s origins are far more radical than backyard barbecues and big sales — the holiday originates with the violent trade-union movement of the late 19th century.

Here’s what you need to know about Labor Day, including its history, traditions and the dates for Labor Day for the rest of the decade. 

Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

There are competing theories about the origins of Labor Day: According to the US Department of Labor, Peter J. McGuire, creator of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and, with Samuel Gompers, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, proposed a holiday honoring the working man at a gathering of the New York Central Labor Union on May 12, 1882. 

Held in September, the celebration would include a street parade and…