The true meaning of Memorial Day

The smell of burning charcoals fills the summer air as the burger patties slowly begin to sizzle on the grill. Friends and family are piled in the backyard, kids are laughing and running about, while the grown ups are clanking beer bottles and telling stories around the grill. It’s Memorial Day, the start of summer vacation season, and everyone at the party has been looking forward to this long holiday weekend. Today, too many people celebrate Memorial day without more than a casual thought to the purpose and meaning of the day.

Memorial Day originally started off as a day of remembrance. It was a special day when Americans went to cemeteries and placed flowers on the graves of American soldiers that died fighting for our freedoms. It was a day to remember and honor family members and loved ones who gave their life serving our country. However, we struggle with trying to figure out the best way to honor the millions of American soldiers that gave their life for their country since its birth in 1775.

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is for Americans to honor those who have died in the line of service for the United States. Memorial Day was started as a result of the civil war as a way to honor the dead. General John Logan who was the commander of the grand army of the republic in 1868, officially proclaimed May 5th the date of Memorial Day. He stated that the purpose of the day would be to bring flowers, or decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers.

On the first Memorial day, over 5,000 people met at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and participated in the decorating of over 20,000 graves that belong to the fallen confederate soldiers buried there.

In 1873, New York became the first state to recognize Memorial Day as a holiday. By the year 1890, all of the northern states officially recognized it as a holiday. The southern states did not consider Memorial Day a holiday until after the first world war, when it was changed from celebrating only those who died in the civil war to honoring all americans who died fighting in a war. Now since 1971, Memorial Day has been observed as a national holiday in every state on the last Monday in May.

Today, Memorial Day is commonly confused with Veterans day, however both holidays have entirely separate purposes. Veterans day, which is celebrated on November 11th, honors the living who served in the United States military, while Memorial Day honors only those who died in the line of service.

In the past, people have found different ways to honor their fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. Aside from decorating graves, people began to wear red poppies on memorial Day to honor the people who died in the line of service. The idea of wearing red poppies was inspired by Moina Michael in 1915, and it became a trend throughout the first half of the 20th century. Today people wearing red poppies on Memorial Day isn’t as common in the United States as it is in the United Kingdom. Instead, we have found a new way to remember our fallen soldiers called the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance calls for all Americans to take a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time to remember and honor the fallen.

As Americans observe Memorial Day as a day of remembrance, other countries around the world also celebrate a day of remembrance similar to that of our Memorial Day. England, France and Canada all observe their remembrance day on November 11th, these countries honor their fallen soldiers in a similar way with each holding a two minute moment of silence to honor the memory of those who perished in combat.

This Memorial Day as you’re enjoying the day off from either school or work, remember to take a minute and stop what you’re doing to honor those who died fighting for the freedoms that you have as an American.