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Moving Day was a tradition in New York City dating back to colonial times and lasting until after World War II. On February 1, sometimes known as "Rent Day", landlords would give notice to their tenants what the new rent would be after the end of the quarter,〔("Facetious Landlords" ) ''New York Times'' (February 13, 1854)〕 the tenants would spend good-weather days in the early spring searching for new houses and the best deals〔("May Day: A History of Moving Day" ) ''New York Times'' (April 30, 1873)〕 and on the first of May〔''Oxford English Dictionary'' quoted at ( "Big Apple: Moving Day (May 1st)'' )〕 all leases in the city expired simultaneously at 9:00 am, causing thousands of people to change their residences, all at the same time.〔(''Straight Dope'' )〕〔("Moving Day in Brooklyn" ) ''New York Times'' (May 2, 1873)〕 Local legend has it that the tradition began because the first of May was the day the first Dutch settlers set out for Manhattan,〔Gelfand, et al. ("Origins of Moving Day" ) p.2〕 but ''The Encyclopedia of New York City'' links it instead to the English celebration of May Day.〔 *Erickson, Alana J. "Moving Day" in Jackson, Kenneth T. ed. ''The Encyclopedia of New York City''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991 ISBN 0-300-05536-6〕 While it may have originated as a custom, the tradition took force of law by an 1820 act of the New York State legislature, which mandated that if no other date was specified, all housing contracts were valid to the first of May〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://books.google.im/books?id=s0IwAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA178&lpg=RA1-PA178&dq=%22shall+be+deemed+and+held+valid+until+the+first+day+of+May+next%22&source=bl&ots=5XlOffNq_E&sig=bt7nVEPQBMfL5vVml3k7xdnfY8M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMI2-LIurOXxwIVSHQ-Ch3WaQs6#v=onepage&q=%22shall%20be%20deemed%20and%20held%20valid%20until%20the%20first%20day%20of%20May%20next%22&f=false );the law was repealed in 1828〕〔("Moving-Day" ) ''New York Times'' (May 2, 1856)〕 – unless the day fell on a Sunday, in which case the deadline was May 2.〔("Many Families Moving" ) ''New York Times'' (May 1, 1881)〕 ==History== In 1799, an observer commented that New Yorkers "are seized on the first of May, by a sort of madness, that will not let them rest till they have changed their dwelling."〔Burrows and Wallace p.392〕 Because there were not enough cartmen to handle all the traffic, farmers would come from Long Island and New Jersey to rent out their wagons at high prices.〔(Anonymous letter dated May 19, 1759 ) ''New York Times'' (May 2, 1856)〕 By 1820, because of the large increase in the number of propertyless renters, Moving Day had become "pandemonium", with the streets gridlocked with wagons carting household goods.〔Burrows and Wallace p.476〕 The tradition was still in force in 1848, when the Tenant League denounced it as a way for landlords to raise rents every year.〔Burrows and Wallace p.767〕 The cost of moving was another concern, as cartmen sometimes charged more than the official rates set by city ordinances – people were known to pay up to a week's wages to be moved〔Gelfand et al. ("Movers of Moving Day" ) p.3〕 – and the truckman might, if the customer refused to pay on delivery, take their belongings to Police Headquarters, charging for the additional transportation.〔("What It Costs to Move" ) ''New York Times'' (April 29, 1890)〕 By 1856, some erosion of the strict adherence to the custom of Moving Day was noted, as some people moved a few days before or after the traditional day, creating, in effect, a "moving week".〔 Once the economic depression of 1873 was over, more housing was constructed, dropping the price of housing down, and subsequently people had less need to move as often.〔 Near the end of the 19th century, many people began leaving the city for the cooler suburbs in the heat of summertime, and as a result October 1 became a second Moving Day, as people returning to the city would take their belongings out of storage and move into their newly rented homes.〔 The October date may be related to the English custom of paying land rents on Michaelmas, which falls on September 29.〔 Eventually, the October date began to supplant the traditional May date, so that by 1922 the Van Owners Association reported only a "moderate flurry" of activity on the Spring day.〔("May 1 Moving Rush a Thing of the Past" ) ''New York Times''〕 The movers also attempted to get legislation passed to spread out the Fall rush to three dates: the firsts of September, October and November.〔("Want 3 Moving Days to Relieve October 1" ) ''New York Times'' (November 19, 1922)〕 Over time, the tradition of a specific Moving Day began to fade, with the remnant evident in commercial leases, which still generally run out on May 1 or October 1.〔 At the height of Moving Day in the early 20th century, it was estimated that a million people in the city all changed their residences at the same time. Resistance to Moving Day was strong in the 1920s and 1930s, but it took the start of World War II to end the general practice, as the moving industry found it difficult to find able-bodied men to do the work. The post-war housing shortage and the advent of rent control finally put an end to the custom for good.〔Gelfand, et al. ("Moving Day" ) p.1〕 By 1945, a newspaper headline announced "Housing Shortage Erases Moving Day."〔Gelfand, et al. ("Moving Day" ) p.8〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Moving Day (New York City)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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