Memorial Day Meaning, Facts, Quotes, Celebration Ideas: Every single year on the final Monday in the month of May, the United States celebrates the federal holiday called “Memorial Day”. In the beginning, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day, which was meant to honor the Union and the Confederate soldiers who died in the period of the American Civil War. By the 1900s it then turns out to be a day to celebrate all American soldiers who died while serving in the military. Lately after in the year 1967, the day was legally named Memorial Day and it then turns into a federal holiday in 1971.
Date of Memorial Day
Every year Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May here are few Dates Of Memorial Day:
- 2018: May 28
- 2019: May 27
- 2020: May 25
- 2021: May 31
What is the meaning of Memorial Day?
Well, usually in recent times, Memorial Day is a three-day weekend for family and friend get-togethers or picnics. Well, it’s right because that is how most Americans view the holiday but that’s not the true meaning of this day.
The actual intended purpose of the day is to honor the fallen soldiers. Well if you were born in the mid-1800s and would have asked the same question to the people at that time then the answer would be totally different from nowadays. As people at that time wanted to honor their fallen soldiers after the close of the American Civil War.
There were a lot of men who died for the duration of the Civil War, the brutal war in the middle of the North and South. After the battle was concluded, people were seeing for various ways in order to honor the men who had died fighting. In the year 1864, a group of women in Pennsylvania started visiting the graves of the deceased soldiers and placed flowers on them in memory of their service. In the year 1866, after the word spread about visiting and decorating the graves, women in Mississippi initiated doing the same thing. This is how the day turns out to be known first as “Decoration Day.”
What is the Proper way to Observe Memorial Day?
Here are some of the proper ways by which the day is observed along with attending your yearly family or friend gatherings:
- Visit cemeteries and decorate the graves or just place flowers and flags on the graves of fallen heroes.
- Visit the memorials devoted to veterans.
- Fly the flag at half-staff up till noon.
- Silence and Pause at 3 p.m. for the National Moment of Remembrance
- Visit the disabled as well as wounded veterans and thank them for their service.
Memorial Day Tribute 2021 – “I Will Remember” Song-
Memorial Day Celebrations Nowadays
Here are the certain ways through which the day is celebrated nowadays and those are Picnic, Parade, Visit a memorial, Help decorate at a cemetery or else Relax at home.
Memorial Day Picnic Menu
At every yearly held Memorial Day, families and friends love to go out for a picnic. This year if you have any problem in choosing the Memorial Day picnic Menu then here’s the list of so many great foods from which you can choose your favorites:
Salads:
Fruit Salad
Broccoli Salad
Macaroni Salad
Pasta Salad
Grilled Items:
Hamburgers
Hotdogs
BBQ Chicken
Snacks:
Taco Dip
Fresh Fruit
Veggies and Dip
Potato Chips
Desserts:
Red, white, and blue trifle
Red, white, and blue frosted cookies
Interesting Memorial Day Facts:
- Roughly 620,000 soldiers on both sides have died for the duration of the Civil War.
- On Memorial Day, the flag is supposed to be flown at half-mast until noon, and then it is raised to full mast until sunset.
- Till date, the true origin of who held the first Memorial Day celebration is a debated subject.
- Congress passed a law in the year 2000 and President Clinton signed this action at that year that obliges all Americans to stop what they are doing at 3 pm on Memorial Day in order to remember and to honor those who have died serving the United States.
- The tradition of wearing red poppies on Memorial Day instigated from1915 poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. In Canada, they wear red poppies in order to honor their soldiers on Remembrance Day in the month of November each year.
- Memorial Day also marks the commencement of the summer vacation season while Labor Day marks the end.
- Sometimes, Memorial Day is confused with Veterans Day which is totally different. Veterans Day honors all United States military veterans; while on the other hand, Memorial Day honors the soldiers who sacrificed their lives while serving.
Memorial Day Quotes & Sayings: Decoration Day–
- “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You — Ask What You Can Do For Your Country.” » John F. Kennedy
- “My Fellow Americans, Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Country.” » John F. Kennedy
- “Courage Is Contagious. When A Brave Man Takes A Stand, The Spines Of Others Are Stiffened.” » Billy Graham
- “If We Love Our Country, We Should Also Love Our Countrymen.” » Ronald Reagan – Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- “I Love America More Than Any Other Country In This World, And, Exactly, For This Reason, I Insist On The Right To Criticize Her Perpetually.” » James A. Baldwin
- “The Willingness of America’s Veterans To Sacrifice For Our Country Has Earned Them Our Lasting Gratitude.” » Jeff Miller
- “I Have Long Believed That Sacrifice Is The Pinnacle Of Patriotism.” » Bob Riley
- “My own heroes are the dreamers, those men, and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results… but it is the effort that’s heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.“ » George R.R. Martin
- “Tonight, when you go to bed, say a prayer that God watch over those who watch over us and thank them for their sacrifices, on and off the battlefield. Pray that they have a peaceful night, and will be home soon with their families who also share their burden. Without them, we would not have this moment.“ » Neil Leckman
Final Verdict
Memorial Day is Celebrated on the Last Monday of May every year. It was known as Decoration Day or Remembrance Day which commemorates all Men and Women who have died in the military service For the USA. Many peoples visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and It is Traditionally Seen as the Start of the Summer Season. Memorial Day is the Public Holiday. It is the day off for the General Population, and Schools and Most Businesses are Closed. It is traditional to Fly Flags of America at half staff from dawn until noon. Many volunteers place the American Flag on each grave in national cemeteries. Many Peoples choose to hold picnics, sports events, and family gatherings this weekend. For the Fashion conscious it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes From Memorial Day until Labor Day.
