Purpose of Memorial Day

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. ~ Lee Greenwood

Memorial Day, originally known as the Decoration Day, is a sad and solemn day for the whole of United States. It is the day when the whole nation gets together and mourns the death of all those brave soldiers who died fighting for their country. This day is a United States federal holiday and it is observed on the last Monday of the month of May. The history of this day goes more than hundreds of years back. This is the true meaning of Memorial Day. Want to know what is the purpose of Memorial Day? Want to learn more about the history of Memorial Day? Then given below is some information about this day that will surely help you to know more about this day.

History of Memorial Day

The history of Memorial Day goes back a long time during the 19th century. It started for the first time in the North, in Waterloo, when the practice of decorating the graves of all those soldiers who had given up their lives in the wars, became popular among many. This day was celebrated for the first time in Waterloo on the 5th day of May, 1866 and since then, people have been celebrating this day. It was the friendship between General John Murray and General John A. Logan, which made this celebration more popular. May 30th was chosen as 'Decoration Day' because that was the only day that was not the anniversary of any battle.

The original reason was to honor those who had lost their lives in the American Civil War. Later though, all those soldiers who had lost their lives in World War I and World War II, were also remembered on this day. Slowly, the whole of United States started following this day and marked it as a holiday. Most of the ceremonies were sponsored by the Women's Relief Corps. On this day, people from various religious backgrounds, came together to mourn the death of these brave soldiers, Americans or Germans or Irish. It was said that due to 'baptism of blood' these soldiers too had become true Americans.

By the 1950s, the main purpose of this day was to uphold liberty and freedom in the country as well as in the world. However, today, Ohio is the only state that still runs the oldest Memorial Day parade. It's interesting to know that the first parade was held in the year 1868, on 5th May.

Present Situation

Although Memorial Day was celebrated with great pomp, but now the traditional observance has diminished over the years. Many people think it's a day to honor all those who have died and not just the fallen heroes of wars. But, still, there are some people who observe this day keeping in mind its real purpose. Some people still know the reason and that it is not just a three-day weekend of fun and holiday, but a day to be spent solemnly. There are various activities for Memorial Day. The American flag is displayed at half-staff, mainly during the time when everyone is mourning. This takes place during the morning hours. After that, by noon, the flag is raised back to full staff. All those who come to mark this special day, wear a red colored poppy. This poppy was inspired by the poem of Canadian Lt. Colonel, John McCrae, and the name of the poem was, 'In Flanders Field'. He had read out this poem while his fellow officer was being buried. The disabled veterans groups are responsible for making the artificial silk poppies for people to wear.

Although very few people remember the true purpose, all those who know the real reason behind it, should help them in understanding it. I believe if these people knew what was the real reason behind this day, then once again this would be a popular event in the whole of America. Teach your children, teach your grandchildren and teach the whole nation. Join hands and pray for all those brave sons and daughters who have lost their lives for the country. Before ending, here's a part of the poem which McCrae had written.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.