Not to be confused with Veteran’s Day, which celebrates those who served in the military. But Memorial Day is a day that remembers those men and women who died while serving their country.
It has been an unofficial holiday since 1866, after the Civil War. Memorial Day became an official national holiday in 1966, originally called Decorations day, since graves of fallen soldiers were decorated with flowers and wreaths. After World War I it came to be known as Memorial Day and since 1971 it has been observed on the last Monday in May.
Memorial Day is observed with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and by religious services, parades, and speeches nationwide. Flags, insignia, and flowers are placed on the graves of veterans in local cemeteries. The day has also come to signal the beginning of summer in the United States.
This is a somber holiday, though you wouldn’t know if by many of the ways we celebrate it.
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Standing for what you believe in sometimes means dying for what you know to be true. This is a truth is what I spend a little time on communicating to my kids on Memorial Day.
We often talk about those in our family who have served in the military, but I also love reading this post to my kids on Memorial Day by Brownyn Lea
It is a unique point of view type letter from a immigrant parent to their children about the importance of those we honor on Memorial Day.
You can also look at these 40 ideas of things to do with your kids post by Jessica Sager
It is such an important holiday to remind our kids that freedom isn’t free.
How do you Celebrate?