Celebrate – Honor – Remember
I hope everyone is enjoying their 3-day holiday. (Mum and Kate I hope you are enjoying your Monday!)
We know that Memorial Day means a 3 day weekend, but it’s important to remember the reason behind this American holiday. It’s to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
It unofficially marks the beginning of the summer (although I will need some warm dry weather first before I believe summer is here).
Early Observances of Memorial Day
The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.
By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.
No one is certain where this tradition originated. In 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.
Waterloo had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866, and was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
7 Comments
Amy D
Thanks for a great post on Memorial Day! It was a great weekend for us, as we also celebrated my daughters 4th birthday!
Connie Gruning
Amy, Happy birthday to your doctor!
Kate Sarsfield
Lest We Forget.
Crystal K
Oh I didn’t know about the 3 PM thing, interesting. We didn’t really end up doing anything…what with the snow and all, we just had a quiet day at home.
Tamra Phelps
I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day, whether they’re bbqing or decorating graves.
Rosie
Good summary. There are some local places recognizing the Memorial at 3:00 today. Hope you are having a nice holiday weekend.
Michele Soyer
I remember my mum calling it Decoration Day….people do forget the meaning of some holidays.. thank you for the post… always important to know the meaning….