Celebrating those who gave the Greatest Sacrifice
The unofficial start of summer wasn’t always called Memorial Day. Long before it was an official holiday, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day. According to Town and Country Magazine, the day was originally “celebrated by “decorating” the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, flags, and more.”
Memorial Day was declared a national holiday in 1971. It is now celebrated on the last Monday in May, but it was originally called to be celebrated on May 30. The original Memorial Day celebration remains in question, but Congress declared Waterloo, New York as the birthplace. According to a timeline of the holiday provided by CNN, on May 5, 1866 the first known observation of Memorial Day occurred in Waterloo when the city closed businesses and decorated soldiers’ graves to honor those who died during the Civil War.
While originally celebrated to honor soldiers who had fallen during the civil war, Americans now celebrate all soldiers who died while fighting for our country. As noted by Mental Floss, it was Major General John A. Logan that made Decoration Day official. General Order No. 11 stated that on May 30, 1868 would be set aside for remembrance of fallen soldiers.
No matter how you plan to spend Memorial Day, make sure you make it safe. Over the years, Memorial Day has become one of the biggest drinking days of the year. It is crucial to make smart decisions and never drink and drive.