Over the years Memorial Day has developed into an American summer rite of passage filled with BBQ, pool parties, the end of school, and vacations. Unless you have military roots, you may not know why we celebrate Memorial Day or where it originated. “Decoration Day”, the unofficial original name of the holiday, began in the years after the civil war to honor and mourn the lives of soldiers lost by decorating their graves. It’s celebrated on the last Monday of every May and only became an official Federal holiday in 1971.
Despite the increasing celebration of the holiday as the beginning of summer, for the last 150 years the nation traditionally performs formal rituals to honor those fallen veterans. According to historians at The History Channel, “The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff. And since 2000, when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.” Interested in learning more fun facts about the upcoming national holiday? Check out this great article from History.com to discover 8 interesting things you may not already know about this holiday.
From all of us at Bradley Moreau Title, we hope you and your families have a very safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend.