Memorial Day was named in 1882, but came about
as a combination of the ways the North and the South honored the lives
of the soldiers who died during the Civil War. Townspeople
decorated the graves of the fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and
crosses. Veterans marched to cemeteries and placed
flags on the graves. Rifles were shot into the air
in honor of the fallen, too.
In
1971, President Nixon, named Memorial Day a federal holiday to be
observed on the last Monday in May. It honors the
men and women who have lost their lives in service of their country in
any war.
People
celebrate Memorial Day by placing flags, flowers, wreaths, and crosses
on soldiers' graves; flying flags; enjoying the day off work; gathering
to start the summer with barbecues and picnics; and remembering &
thanking the men and women who died for our freedom. The
president or vice-president gives a speech and places a wreath on the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Some
symbols of Memorial Day are headstones decorated with flowers; military
men and women; the American flag; and anything decorated with red,
white, blue like the flag.
