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Every year people celebrate Memorial Day and it often brings up the question of why? Celebrations happen everywhere, but to truly celebrate the weekend, we must know what we are celebrating or remembering. Some think of it as the unofficial start of summer, but here is what the holiday is really about.
- The origins of Memorial Day remain unclear, but some reports show a celebration held by formerly enslaved people of Charleston, South Carolina on May 1st, 1865. Black residents exhumed and properly buried 250 union soldiers who were hastily buried by Confederates. Then a crowd of 10,000 people gathered to celebrate their freedom with singing and a parade.
- The tradition of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers and flags is what led to the creation of Memorial Day. Civil War soldiers graves were especially popular to decorate.
- Memorial Day was officially a national public holiday in 1868 by General John A. Logan, the head of a group of Union veterans. Originally Memorial Day was Decoration Day - but the name changed in 1967 officially.
- Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act in 2000 to encourage people to stop and remember fallen service man and women. Every Memorial Day this happens at 3 p.m.
- Veteran's Day is a different holiday celebration, this particular holiday celebrates all service men and women throughout history, while Memorial Day technically only celebrates those who died while serving. There is also Armed Forces Day and honors those who are currently serving.
- On Memorial Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines say the flag is supposed to be raised to the top of the pole quickly, and then slowly lowered to half-staff where it should remain until noon. Then at noon, the flag should be raised to full staff to honor those who are still serving.