1. maí. In Icelandic, it's pronounced almost like "FEE-stee MAH-ee", with an unvoiced rolled "r" thrown in after the EE. It's also the day that we all get a day off work in order to go downtown and find something to protest. ;) Yeah, that's a bit hyperbolic. But not as much as you might think.
Pics from International Workers Day from a country where almost everyone is in a union and words like socialism (sósíalismi) and welfare system (velferðarkerfi) are not dirty words.
Plus: Today I become a launþegi a full-time salaried employee instead of a contractor, and am now a member of the union FFR: Félag Flugmálastarfsmanna Ríkisins (National Association of Aviation Employees
)
(Above: "Ást" means "Love")
(Above: "Better Quality of Life, Better Life")
(Above: The unions show off their colors. Most of the banners and signs were from unions.)
(Above: "Out of NATO. No Military.")
(Above: "Free Palestine". Iceland is the first western nation to recognize Palestine as an independent state.)
(Above: Part-time teachers demand their own union.)
(Above: The speeches and choirs concluded with the singing of L'Internacionale (Alþjóðasöngur Verkalýðsins, or "The international song of the proletariat"))
(Above: This woman was really into Alþjóðasöngur Verkalýðsins ;) )
(Above: I headed over to Iðnó, in a building that was an old opera house, where a meeting of Samfylkingin (the largest party in the current governing coalition) was being held. And hmm, now who is that, sitting two tables over from me?)
(Above: Why, it's Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the prime minister of Iceland. :) )
(Above: Sorry the bad pic, Jóhanna!)