Memorial Day: The History, The Meaning, and The Celebration

Memorial Day: The History, The Meaning, and The Celebration

Memorial Day is one of America’s most important holidays on the calendar. Despite it not being as popularly celebrated as Thanksgiving or Christmas, it’s still celebrated by many U.S. Citizens, especially those with family members who served in the Military. While this holiday is widely recognized, not many people are aware of the history of Memorial Day, and how it came to be. We’ll look over how this holiday became what it is today, what it means to people, and how we celebrate this day of decoration to those who gave their lives in battle.

Decoration Day to Memorial Day

Everyone knows this holiday as Memorial Day, but it wasn’t always referred to as such. The holiday used to be referred to as Decoration Day back in the 1800s and was formalized in the “Memorial Day Order” by John A. Logan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic back in 1868. This proclamation called on Americans to “observe Memorial Day by praying, according to their individual religious faith, for permanent peace.” Around this time, Memorial Day was especially celebrated for those who served during the American Civil War, which included those in the North and the South. Memorial Day was originally celebrated on the 30th of May by order of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) so people could place the highest quality flowers of spring on the graves of servicemen. Many programs for celebrating included parades, music, and prayer, and were attended by service members, family members, and the general public.

Seven years later in 1873, the first state to officially recognize Memorial Day as a holiday was none other than the one you live in right now. After New York’s recognition, all of the other Union states recognized the holiday as well by 1890. Pretty cool, right? Nearly 100 years later in the year 1966, a congressional resolution officially recognized a century of Memorial Day events in Waterloo, NY, on the 30th of May.  This was officially proclaimed by the 36th U.S. president, Lyndon B. Johnson. Afterward, the federal government declared the town the “birthplace” of the holiday. Two years later, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act officially designated Memorial Day a National Holiday and moved it from the 30th to the final Monday of May. From the dividedness of the Civil War to the horror of WWII, Memorial Day has stood as a day to honor those who gave their life to their country and the citizens who housed it.

The Meaning of the Holiday

Many people in the U.S. celebrate this holiday for different reasons. Some for the honoring of a family member who fought in the trenches in WWI, others for remembering those who took part in the horror that was the Vietnam War, and others as another reason to throw a barbeque in their backyard. Whatever the case, a vast majority of those who celebrate view this day as one of honor and remembrance for those who gave their life for America. Many perceive this holiday as a reminder that these people died so we could live the life we do today. If it wasn’t for them, we may not have had the same rights and privileges as we do today. Nick Gerace, a sophomore here at Kenmore West has this to say about Memorial Day, “I think Memorial Day is a great holiday. I think it’s great that we honor the brave men and women who gave their lives for this country.” One thing to note with this response is the word brave. Those men and women didn’t have to serve as they did. They could’ve lived comfortably and not have had a care in the world. Instead, they lived a gritty, rigid, and harsh life that would eventually end in death, just so we could live that comfortable life. Like many others, Nick believes this holiday is certainly important in that of honoring those who put the people and our country before themselves.

Ways to Celebrate

There’s a wide variety of ways to celebrate Memorial Day, and they’re typically done on the same day. The most traditional ways people celebrate are attending Memorial Day parades, throwing barbeques, baking special desserts, and raising an American flag in honor of those who served. Many people will also place a flower on the grave of a veteran, typically a poppy flower. This is because the red poppy flower symbolizes respect and honor.  It became widespread as a way to show respect for those who fought in battle and war. In December of 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance Act also established a message to U.S. citizens to “give back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by participating in Memorial Day activities. This was to reiterate the fact that the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten. Along with this, the commission also endorsed a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 pm local time on every Memorial Day. This includes a minute of silence for those who have died in service to the United States of America.

Overall, this holiday has a lot of background, meaning, and ways of celebrating for different people. While others may view it more lightheartedly, others view it as an emotional day for them and their family for their family member’s work in the Military. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to highlight why we celebrate this glorious holiday and show how others can too. Whether it’s just another day to eat with family or a day to honor your relative’s service, Memorial Day will stand as one of the most important, sentimental, and honorable days on the calendar for the United States.