The custom of honoring ancestors by cleaning cemeteries and
decorating graves is an ancient and worldwide tradition, but the specific
origin of Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was first known,
are unclear.
In early rural America, this duty was usually performed in
late summer and was an occasion for family reunions and picnics. After the
Civil War, America’s need for a secular, patriotic ceremony to honor its
military dead became prominent, as monuments to fallen soldiers were erected
and dedicated, and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers’ graves
were held in towns and cities throughout the nation.
After World War I, the day expanded to honor those who have
died in all American wars.
No less than 25 places have been named in connection with
the origin of Memorial Day, and states observed the holiday on different dates.
In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday by an act of Congress; it is
now celebrated on the last Monday in May The holiday was held on May 30
from 1868 to 1970 and still recognized by some as the true Holiday.
Since it all started with the Civil War, you might want to
brush up on your knowledge of this event by visiting the Library
of Congress Civil War collection, which includes more than a
thousand photographs.
THE POPPY, A SYMBOL OF MEMORIAL DAY
The wearing of poppies in honor of America’s war dead is
traditionally done on Memorial Day (not Veterans Day). The origin of the
red poppy as a modern-day symbol of this day was actually the idea of an
American woman, Miss Moina Michael. Read more about the inspiration
for the poppy.
In war-torn battlefields, the red field poppy (papaver
rhoeas) was one of the first plants to grow. Its seeds scattered in the
wind and sat dormant in the ground, only germinating when the
ground is disturbed—as it was by the very brutal fighting during World
War 1.
The practice of wearing of poppies was further
inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by Canadian
soldier John McCrae. He saw the poppies in burials around his
artillery position in Belgium.
Today, poppies are both the symbol of loss of life as a
symbol of recovery and new life, especially in support of those servicemen
who were damaged physically or emotionally.
