Following up - I got a nice tip on the strange convergence of Loyalty Day and May Day and a reminder of what May Day meant/s in communist countries - state mandated loyalty celebrations. A very brief history on Loyalty Day here and here (worth noting that I found these web sites while googling for " 'may day' communist loyalty ").
May 1st has other meanings, too, with labor connotations. Its even older pagan origins were stamped out in the US by those damned puritains. So did anyone have a Maypole yesterday? (pop-up ads warning)
Whatever the roots, I find the notion of a "Loyalty Day" pretty damn repulsive. Was I supposed to celebrate by attacking anti-war demonstraters with buckets of water?