Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of every September in the United States, with the holiday having a long history. The holiday honors the labor movement and working people, and originated in the 19th century.

The first Labor Day celebration occurred in September 1882 in New York City, and was organized by the city’s Central Labor Union. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a public holiday in 1887, with the event becoming a federal holiday in 1894.

Although the U.S. celebrates the holiday in September, Labor Day takes place on May 1 in more than 80 countries. May 1 is often called International Workers’ Day in many nations and is sometimes affiliated with left-wing politics.

President Grover Cleveland decided to not choose May 1 for Labor Day because of a politically charged event called the Haymarket affair. In May 1886, a worker demonstration in Chicago’s Haymarket Square killed seven police officers and at least four civilians after a bomb exploded, resulting in anti-labor sentiment in the United States.

Labor Day is typically celebrated with parades and barbeques, but this year’s celebrations are affected by the socially distancing constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top member of the White House coronavirus task force, has warned Americans against taking part in risky behavior that could spread COVID-19 during the holiday.

“We know from prior experience as you get into the holiday weekend, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, there’s a tendency of people to be careless somewhat with regard to the public health measures,” Fauci told MSNBC on Wednesday. “I want to use this opportunity to almost have a plea to the people in this country to realize that we really still need to get our arms around this and to suppress these types of surges we’ve seen.”

Fauci said he wanted Americans to have an “enjoyable” Labor Day weekend, but asked citizens to remember to avoid large crowds, wear face masks and wash their hands frequently.

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