Daily Herald opinion: Vague, but joyful: Whatever you celebrate on Labor Day, enjoy it and be refreshed

The purpose and source of most of America’s national holidays are pretty easy to identify and to identify with. Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day and beyond.

But Labor Day?

It is draped in a vagueness that puts it in a class all its own. Officially established in 1894 ostensibly to honor the accomplishments and contributions of American workers, it was clouded in irony from the start. The first national Labor Day in September 1894 came just months after federal troops had clashed with striking Pullman workers in Chicago and elsewhere. These days, union membership is in a period of decline, and there has long been no clear consensus as to whether we are celebrating on Labor Day the important contributions of organized labor to the quality of life we enjoy, the value of everyday workers whatever the context of their jobs or some ethereal notion of the pure value of work.

All of those are valid notions to celebrate, certainly, but when you invoke the name of the day, few people are quite sure what they are saluting or where they should gather to celebrate.

And so, the date has also taken on other meanings.

It is often called “the unofficial end of summer.” Likewise, “the official start of the fall election season.” The first a wistful nod to joyful weeks gone by. The second an uneasy sigh for contentious weeks ahead.

In our paean to the summer, we are probably more concerned about the price of gasoline, the traffic jams or the airport crowds than any high notion about the value of work as we join family and friends for cookouts and picnics — without, it is worth noting — any sense of guilt or need for solemnity that may accompany engaging in such activities on holidays with a more distinctive and sensitive meaning.

In our step into election season, we take on guilt and solemnity enough as we begin to take serious looks at the candidates appealing for our support in their bids for local, state and national offices. On this score, we in the news business feel a special responsibility and take on additional duties, studying candidates, interviewing them and often covering their appearances, describing pros and cons of various issues and striving to find ways to help you make the weighty decisions confronting you.

And that brings us to yet another irony of this holiday. While Labor Day has evolved into a generally apolitical three-day weekend of barbecues and relaxation, it also launches a period of intense political activity.

Considering all of the day’s unclear intentions and thematic loose ends, it is hard to know how to wish you a Happy Labor Day. But we can say, whatever meaning you put into or take from this end-of-summer tradition, we hope it brings you joy and steels you for the serious demands of the months ahead.