Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer vacation season. For many, it will be a three-day weekend filled with boats, barbeques, family, and friends. But how did this summer kick-off start?
Memorial Day is similar to, but not the same as, Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is a day to thank military personnel for their service, and Memorial Day is to remember the fallen. While many know what Memorial Day is about, very few know about its history.
Memorial Day started out as Decoration Day, an occasion for southern families to gather at graveyards to honor their Civil War dead. These Decoration days would bring together family from far away, and would often include a picnic or religious service. Eventually this idea of honoring military dead would be adapted by the North as well as the South, and would come to be called Memorial Day.
In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which mandated that the last Monday of May each year would be side aside as an official Memorial Day. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated by volunteers placing flags on graves at national cemeteries, fireworks, and other events.
However, you are celebrating this Memorial weekend, ABR Print wishes you and yours a safe and happy weekend.
