It is just a few Americans who think that Memorial Day means the start of summer – a long weekend that will be full of barbeques, beach trips, and shopping. In this line of thought, it turns out that the holidays’ actual importance is mostly forgotten. At first, Memorial Day was named ‘Decoration Day’ and was introduced to commemorate the men and women who died while helping the U.S. military. However, the results of some surveys and the general behavior of the public indicate that a significant percentage of the population fail to remember their real nature at all.
How Memorial Day Came About
The history of Memorial Day leads us back to the days of the Civil War, which was followed by the people of the winning communities paid their respects to the dead soldiers by putting flowers on their graves. The person, who led the Grand Army of the Republic and was the representative for the state of Illinois in the United States Congress, General John A. Logan announced the date of May 30 as a day of memory that should be kept and later it was declared a public holiday in 1971, with the last Monday of may being the day irrespective of the exact date.
The holiday has gradually turned into a much broader festival of summer and has lost its focus on soldiers’ sacrifice. Veterans Day, which is a celebration for the service of all people in the military, whereas Memorial Day’s purpose is more specific, i.,e. to remember those who died serving the nation.
The Reason for the Decline in the Significance
Various reasons lead the common people not to care about the holiday in the right way:
- Commercialization – Traders use various big ways to attract the public to their Memorial Day sale, making them forget about the actual day being just one of the consumerism celebrations.
- Three-Day Weekend Mentality – Westerners look at it as a partial break instead of a time to think about the graves they place the national flags on.
- Lack of Personal Connection – Since the number of people in the army has decreased, some individuals think they are no longer part of the tradition of serving others, so they feel that they are less important.
- Confusion with Veterans Day – A part of the public still thinks that Memorial Day is meant for paying homage to the dead of all the wars, and not only the soldiers who died in the War of Independence.
Ways to Honor Memorial Day the Right Way
If you want to celebrate the holiday in line with its purpose, here are some good ways to pay your respects:
- Take a Walk through a Cemetery or a Memorial – Go and put flowers or flags on the graves of the soldiers who have died.
- Join the National Moment of Remembrance – Take a long, deep breath in memory of your patriotic comrades who are not with us anymore, and have a one-minute silence at 3 p.m. your local time.
- Inform the Others – Create awareness by giving your family and friends the stories of Memorial Day celebrations that you know.
- Assist Military Families – Give money to institutions whose work is to help the families of deceased soldiers.
Summary
People can indeed have fun, but they should not forget that Memorial Day has its very own significance. Remembering the soldiers who fought for the country and reflecting on how they are living, people will be assured that their sacrifice will never be erased.
