Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer vacation. When I think of Memorial Day I have images of backyard barbecues, opening up beach houses, and taking out my summer clothes. When I was a child, you could only wear white after Memorial Day. This “rule” began in the 1930’s with the ultra-rich wearing only white in the summer. Light clothing gave the impression of leisure, while dark clothing was mostly for working people – luckily that custom has changed!
However, I never really knew the origin of Memorial Day so I did some research. I found this article I wrote last year and wanted to share it with you.
The Origin of Memorial Day
Originally Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day and was created to honor the soldiers who had died after the Civil War. In 1868 Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30 and flowers were to be placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country and it did not commemorate any special battle. However the South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).
The origins of ceremonies to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago and now almost every country around the world honors their fallen heroes.
People gather on the designated day and put flowers on graves and connect with relatives and friends. Often there was a religious service and a potluck meal in which people used to spread the dishes out on sheets or tablecloths on the grass.
The idea of offering or sharing food at a grave-site is not a new concept.
In Mexico during The Day of the Dead families gather with food to celebrate the deceased and in Asia, paying respect to ancestors dates back thousands of years. In ancient Rome, families gathered at cemeteries during a 9 day festival called Parentalia to offer meals to the ancestors, and then shared wine and cakes among themselves.
Why wear red poppies on Memorial Day?
The long-cherished Memorial Day tradition of wearing red poppies (http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1900454,00.html) got its start in 1915. While reading Ladies’ Home Journal, an overseas war secretary named Moina Michael came across the famous World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, which begins, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row.” Moved, she vowed always to wear a silk poppy in honor of the American soldiers who gave up their lives for their country. She started selling them to friends and co-workers and campaigned for the red flowers to become an official memorial emblem. The American Legion embraced the symbol in 1921, and the tradition has spread to more than 50 other countries, including England, France and Australia.
National Moment of Remembrance
In 2000 President Bill Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act.
Memorial Day Ritual: This year on Memorial Day, let us all observe a moment of remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella La Spada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
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