Memorial Day in the USA (30/05)

Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May in memory of all American citizens who died. Initially, those killed in the Civil War were honored, but now it is — Day of Remembrance for all those killed in all wars and all those who died in general. On this day, special ceremonies are held in cemeteries, churches and other public places.

Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day. This is a day of remembrance for those who died in the service of the people. There are many stories about the beginning of the celebration, more than a dozen cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South of the country decorated graves before the end of the Civil War: in 1867 the hymn «Bend our knees where our beloved» sleeps, composed by Nella L. Sweet who carried the dedication: «Women from the south of the country who decorated the graves of fallen Confederates».

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, the national commander of the Old Army of the Republic, and was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, when flowers were laid on the grave of Allied and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York State in 1873.

Although Waterloo, New York, was officially proclaimed the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it is difficult to definitively prove the origin of the holiday. Every city and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor those killed in the war in the 1860s showed a universal need to honor the memory of their dead, all of which led to the growth of a movement that culminated when John Logan proclaimed it in 1868. No matter who was first, it is important that Memorial Day was founded.

During 1890, it was recognized by all northern states. The Southerners refused to recognize the date and honored their dead on other days. This continued until the First World War, when the veneration of those who died in the civil war was changed to the veneration of those who died in all wars. This holiday is now celebrated in all states on the last Monday in May (the law was passed by Congress in the National Weekend Act of 1971 to provide three days of federal holidays), although some southern states have an additional day of commemoration for Confederate deaths.



We remember the red poppies, In the fields that grow — valor signs, It's like they're shouting blood to heaven Heroes who will forever be alive.

Then she came up with the idea of wearing red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died in the service of the people during the wars. She also sold poppies to employees and friends, and the money went to charity for those in need. Later, Madame Guerin from France, when she was in the USA, began making artificial poppies and sold them for the benefit of orphans and widowed women. In 1921, the Franco-American League of Children sold poppies to help war orphans in France and Belgium. Before Memorial Day 1922, this league became the first organization of veterans to make and sell poppies on a national scale. This tradition has spread to other countries.

More and more recently there has been talk about introducing a Memorial Day celebration on a certain date, namely May 30, in order to restore and strengthen the traditions of this holiday, which becomes simply part of a three-day weekend, which confuses people, distracts them from the true spirit and meaning of the holiday.

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