Celebrating Memorial Day
Memorial Day has long been touted as the first official holiday of the summer. Many Americans choose to celebrate in part by visiting the graves of their loved ones. Personally, I always think of our veterans and the sacrifices made for our great country. But did you know that Memorial Day is rich with historical significance? Barbara Maranzani wrote a very interesting article published on history.com entitled, “8 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day.” Here are a few highlights.
The practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back thousands of years, credited to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held annual days of remembrance for their loved ones.
One of the earliest observances in America was organized on May 1, 1865. Recently freed slaves, regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops, and a few white Charlestonians gathered to “consecrate a new, proper burial site for the Union dead.”
General John A. Logan is considered by some historians to be the “founder” of Memorial Day. General Logan was the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1868, he issued a decree that May 30 should be known as a nationwide day of commemoration for soldiers killed in the Civil War. Logan announced that “Decoration Day” would be a day for Americans to lay flowers and decorate the graves of fallen soldiers “whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”
Memorial Day was originally used to commemorate those killed in the Civil War. Later, the tradition was expanded to include those killed in all wars, and Memorial Day was officially recognized nationwide in 1971, “with America deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War.”
Happy Memorial Day from all of us at The Cremation Center of Southern Utah. We’re the cremation experts. Please contact us with your cremation questions at (435) 986-9100. We are located just off Riverside Dr. at 1316 S. 400 E., Ste. A5, St. George, UT. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @CremationCenterSU.
Submitted by Larry L. Hansen, Owner/Funeral Director
