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Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States public holiday that takes place on the
last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday
commemorates US service men and women who died in military service to their
country.
Memorial Day
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It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil
War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or
military action. Today, many Americans use Memorial Day weekend to also honor
family members who have passed away. Church services on the Sunday prior to
Memorial Day may include a reading of the names of members who have died
during the previous 12 months.
Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A
National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3 PM. Another tradition is to
fly the US Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.
History of Memorial Day
Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to
mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the
early cities creating a memorial day include Charleston, South Carolina,
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Virginia, and some two dozen other cities
and towns. These observances eventually coalesced around Decoration Day
honoring the Union dead and the several Confederate Memorial Days.
"Decoration Day" was proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan of the
Grand Army of the Republic, and was observed for the first time on May 30 of
the same year. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in
remembrance of this day.
Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day due
to lingering hostility towards the Union Army, who it was commemorating. Many
of the Southern States did not recognize Memorial Day until after World War
I, and even after continued to have a separate Confederate Memorial Day, with
the date varying from state to state.
The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in the 1882, but did
not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the
official name by Federal law until 1967.
The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a national holiday to
be held on the last Monday in May.
Unsurprisingly given its origin in the American Civil War, Memorial Day is
not a holiday outside the US (although it coincides with holidays of
different origin in some other countries). In the countries of the
Commonwealth, and also in France and Belgium, similar observances are held on
or around Remembrance Day, on November 11. This date is marked as
Veterans Day (formerly Armistice Day) in the
US. The distinction is that Memorial Day honors the U.S. soldiers who died in
the wars, while Veterans Day honors those who survived.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from
Wikipedia
and from ShiningRise.com
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