A Day to Remember!
Top of the Memorial Day weekend my friends! Triple A says nearly 40 million of us will be on the road this weekend. Yay!!!!!!!
A far cry from last year when the memorial was not just for our war dead. The Covid 19 reality prevented us from even hugging and in some cases even visiting our loved ones. I never liked the new normal.
On a lighter note, it’s the first barbecue holiday of the year and the unofficial first weekend of summer!! Double yay!!!!!!!
Did you ever wonder how how Memorial Day began? This obituary lists two sunsets.
The first is in May 1865, free blacks in Charleston SC. reburied 257 dead from a confederate cemetery. These Union prisoners of war held a cemetery dedication ceremony in Charleston.
The day was called "Martyrs of the Race Course." Nearly ten thousand people, mostly freedmen, gathered on May 1 to commemorate the war dead. Which at that time was considered the first celebrated American Memorial day. Most brought flowers to be placed on the burial field. Years later, the celebration would come to be called the "First Decoration Day" in the North.
However in the second story, today’s modern Memorial Day celebration. Originated with an order issued in 1868 by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, designating May 30th as the annual decoration of war graves.
It wouldn’t officially become law until Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act on June 28, 1968 (I guess they couldn’t agree back then too).
Memorial Day is to remember those men and women who died while serving this country. While Veteran’s Day celebrates today’s active armed forces representatives!
As I mentioned earlier it’s the unofficial start of summer! Along with the first “barbecue holiday” of the year! You know why? History!
We are still a Judeo-Christian nation. Most of our popular behavioral responses have their roots in the bible. So patterns of celebration are tied to victories of events in the Old testament or Torah.
You’ve heard of the High Holy days of Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Chanukah. They are called a “feasts” but do you know why?
As my Hebrew brother like no other, Rabbi David would put it “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat”!
I realize sometimes the food (and drink) will overshadow the real purpose of the memorial but as a nation we have the tendency to always celebrate life while we mourn (a wake before and after a funeral is my best example).
Finally, I’ll close with a military fun fact about money. Back in the original Navy sailing days, rope cost a lot of money. So those seafaring men would save rope by splicing bits and pieces of left over rope together to save money. It is where we get the expression “to make ends meet”! Hopefully you will this year! By the way, if you see a member of the Armed services buy them a donut!