Memorial Day 2024: Memorial Day, commonly known as Decoration Day, is a federal holiday celebrated annually in the United States. The day is dedicated to honoring and mourning the sacrifices of fallen American military personnel. It is typically celebrated on the last Monday in May, which this year falls on May 29.
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Memorial Day 2024: History
During the war, women took the lead in developing increasingly formal grave-decorating traditions. On May 5, 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a group of Union veterans, established Decoration Day as a national day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. Major General John A. Logan chose May 30 as Decoration Day.
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According to the History Channel, “May 30, 1868, is the day to lay flowers or otherwise decorate the graves of comrades who died defending their country during the last rebellion. Their remains now lie in cemeteries in nearly every city, village and hamlet across the country.”
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In 1873, states began to officially recognize Memorial Day as a holiday, with New York being the first. By 1890, every state in the union had adopted the holiday. However, Congress moved the holiday to the last Monday in May in 1971, unifying it as “Memorial Day.”
Memorial Day 2024: What it means
Memorial Day is a day when many people visit cemeteries and monuments to honor and remember those who have died while serving in the U.S. military. At national cemeteries, many volunteers place American flags on the graves of service members. Memorial Day is also seen as the unofficial start of summer.
Memorial Day Traditions
Memorial Day parades are held in cities and towns across the country, with members of the military and veterans groups participating. Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., host some of the largest parades.
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In addition to the specific events leading up to the national declaration, some general customs include laying flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. In the United States, both before and during the American Civil War, soldiers’ graves were decorated. At national cemeteries, many volunteers place American flags on the graves of servicemen.
Visiting cemeteries and monuments is another way Americans mark Memorial Day. One tradition, which originated from a poem about World War I, is to wear a crimson poppy to honor those who died in the war.
Fun Facts About Memorial Day 2024
- General John Logan decided to hold the celebration in May because May is the season when flowers are in bloom.
- Arlington National Cemetery is a military cemetery that covers an area approximately the size of 472 football fields or 624 acres and is home to nearly 400,000 military personnel!
- The first Memorial Day ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. President James Garfield gave a two-hour speech before more than 5,000 attendees, explaining the significance of Memorial Day.
- The custom of wearing silk poppies to commemorate fallen soldiers was inspired by the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields”.
- On Memorial Day, the flag is flown at half-staff from dawn to noon to honor the fallen soldiers. At night, the flag is raised to its highest point to symbolize hope over death.
- At its peak, 38 million people reportedly crossed the border to mourn the fallen soldiers.
Memorial Day is considered one of those civic events that communities engage in. Placing the flag on the graves of soldiers means a lot to the members of military families in our community. This day values the sentiments and passion of sacrificing lives for our country.
Important days and dates in May 2024
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
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