Memorial Day

         Designed By: Amber Dowdy    

Origin & History: Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our country. It began during the Civil War when organized women's groups in several towns throughout the South decorated the graves of the Confederate war dead with flowers, wreaths and flags. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 1 and was first observed on May 30, 1868.

Date celebrated: Memorial Day was always celebrated on the last Monday in May. It marks the beginning of the season summer. It is celebrated all over the United States. Memorial Day was started in the beginning of the American Civil War. Most of the time Memorial Day was held on May 30

Reason for celebrating:  To honor the soldiers who have died in the wars of the past.  It also marks the beginning of summer.

Ways celebrated: Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The occasion is also marked in every State on the last Monday in May. Several southern states, however, have an additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead; January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Foods eaten during celebration: The Skirt Steak is probably the best of the three. The skirt has more fat and there for more flavor and grills up juicier. This steak is of course the original steak of Fajitas and because of that tends to disappear quickly as it gets bought up by restaurants. The Skirt however worth the search. Find a good butcher and he’ll set you up. With skirt steaks you want to remove any traces of the membrane that surrounds it. Once cooked this will be too tough to get through.

Fascinating Facts About Memorial Day:    We give thanks on Memorial Day hat we live in a free nation and honor those who gave their lives for that blessing. Memorial Day is also called Decoration Day. Since World War I, it has also been called Poppy Day. Volunteers Sell small, red artificial flowers as a fundraiser for disabled veterans.         
    The location of the first observance of Memorial Day is in dispute. Some claim the custom of honoring war dead began in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Others claim the custom was originated by some Southern women who placed flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers after the Civil War. According to one writer, the first Memorial Day service took place on May 30, 1866, on Belle Isle, a burial ground for Union soldiers in the St. James River, at Richmond, Virginia. The school superintendent and the mayor planned the program of hymns and speeches and had the burial ground decorated with flowers. In 1966, however, the U.S. government proclaimed that Waterloo, New York, was the birthplace of Memorial Day. In 1868, General John A. Logan, commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Republic, named May 30 as a special day to honor the graves of Union soldiers. The selection of May 30 is attributed to a Virginian of French descent, Cassandra Oliver Moncure, who may have selected this date because it was "The Day of Ashes" in France-- the day that Napoleon's remains were returned to France from St. Helena.