However you're spending your Labor Day week-end, take a moment to think about why we celebrate it in the first place. Acknowledge the power of labor, for, as Sophocles said, "Without labor, nothing prospers." The first Labor Day was held in 1882. Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations. Just a bit of FYI