Why celebrate LABOR DAY?

Because I have children, I find myself getting more and more questions on a daily basis that I sometimes don't know the answer to! The question I got last night was "what is Labor day" and I honestly and shamefully, couldn't give them a "good" answer other than it's a day that we get out of school and work to have picnics, etc. So today, trying to be the resourceful mom that I want to be, I looked up why it is we celebrate Labor Day. This is from Wikipedia:

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens". Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.^[1] All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement. Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

So there you have it...to explain this to a 4 and 5 yr old might be a little too much but now I know the specifics.

We as a family have no "labor day plans" as of yet but are thinking about having a picnic and going hiking on Monday since Kevin will have the day off, which is a treat in itself!