Some workers in Dambulla in Sri Lanka's Central Province were found to be totally ignorant of the meaning of the May Day, while many others also found it hard to explain.

Several workers believed it was an independence day, and others said it was a day to be celebrated with friends.

Some workers said that they were working on May Day as well.

Several people who responded said that it had become a day for the politicians to show their strength. One individual revealed that a local politician had instructed them to be at Galle (for the SLFP May Day rally).

The ignorance of these workers could be seen as a testament to the state of Sri Lanka's left movement, eighty years after the founding of the first Marxist party in Sri Lanka.