1 Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a Federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday of May. Although it can occur as early in the calendar as May 25, this year the holiday falls on May 31. It was formerly known as Decoration Day, which is what I always remember it being called as I was a child growing up in eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho.

The holiday officially commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service, but the day has become generalized to honor all loved ones who have died. It has also become the unofficial start of the summer vacation season, which extends from Memorial Day on the last Monday of May until Labor Day on the first Monday in September.

First enacted to honor Union soldiers who served during the Civil War (1861-1865), the holiday expanded after the two World Wars (1917-18 and 1941-45) during the last century. Many of the states in the South refused to celebrate Decoration Day because of lingering hostility toward the Union Army and because there were relatively few veterans of the Union Army buried in the South.

Although the alternative name "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882, the name did not become common until after World War II and was not declared official by Federal law until 1967. In 1971 the holiday moved from May 30, its traditional date, to the last Monday of May.

A tradition associated with Memorial Day is flying the flag at half-staff from dawn until noon. To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December 2000 asking that at 3:00 p.m. in each time zone on Memorial Day all Americans "voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps."

A tradition I remember from childhood that is no longer observed, as far as I can tell, is that cars would drive with lights on during the morning hours until noon.

The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol where music is performed and respect paid to the men and women who gave their lives for their country. The concert is broadcast on both PBS and NPR.

In addition to remembrance, the day is also widely used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings and outings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, an auto race that has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.

We wish all of you in our family an enjoyable and safe Memorial Day weekend, whatever your plans or wherever your comings and goings. One way we are celebrating is not publishing the Cleverly Newsletter next week, so see you again in two weeks (on Tuesday, June 8).