Your Cart is Empty
Memorial Day gives us the chance to pay our respects to the fallen, those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It honors the loss of the thousands upon thousands of soldiers and other members of the armed forces and encourages us to reflect on what they died for. There are lots of options when deciding how to celebrate Memorial Day and pay your respects to the fallen.
Memorial Day is a Federal holiday set aside for remembrance of the fallen. It was originally marked in the years following the destruction of the Civil War, when people would visit the graves of fallen soldiers and lay flowers. It was first known as “Decoration Day”.
What do people do on Memorial day? There are many ways of honoring the memory of the fallen. Visiting memorials or cemeteries or attending a dedicated ceremony of remembrance are all popular choices. You could also opt to simply take a moment to pause and reflect.
Some people may even give a gift to the family of soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have given their lives or seek out a physical reminder of their own lost loved ones. There are dozens of gift guides out there, ranging from simple gift baskets to more personal items like customized jewelry or paintings of the fallen.
Decoration Day was originally declared by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan to be the 30th of May. His reasoning is said to have been that by the start of Summer, flowers would be in bloom across the whole of the US. In 1968 (though it didn’t come into effect until 1971), the date for Memorial Day, as it had come to be known, was fixed by the Uniform Holidays Act as the final Monday in May.
There are lots of ways to honor the fallen and Memorial Day activities are held all around the nation. Some people visit memorials, others may wish to lay flowers on the graves of lost loved ones. Other Memorial Day suggestions are attending parades, religious services, or public ceremonies. Others may want to take part in charitable events, give bereavement gifts to the families of the fallen, or simply enjoy their day off. There are lots of answers to the question “how can you celebrate Memorial Day?”.
For those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one in military service, Memorial Day can be particularly emotional and difficult time. The public celebrations take on an altogether more personal aspect when the loss is closer to home.
Many bereaved people find that commissioning a memorial painting stands as a fitting tribute to their fallen. These paintings are lovingly created from reference photos, digitally submitted, and aim to capture something of the spirit of those who passed in service.
Paintings can offer comfort and serve as a powerful symbol of remembrance, not just on Memorial Day but year-round. They’re a great way of expressing the grief that family members feel when they think of their fallen heroes. On Memorial Day, they ground the national celebration with a deeply personal reminder that sacrifice is not some abstract concept.
Visiting the graves of fallen servicemen, whether to lay floral tributes or simply stand and reflect, was the original Memorial Day activity. It’s still a popular way to mark the day and show our respect to the fallen today. There are ceremonies at many military cemeteries each year, most notably at Arlington, attended by politicians, veterans, and members of the public.
Another of the many ways to celebrate Memorial Day is to attend a parade. Many cities across the nation mark their remembrance with grand public parades of serving personnel and veterans. There are often accompanying events like concerts and public performances, which always draw the crowds.
Americans love nothing more than getting together to fire up the grill and Memorial Day Weekend, as the official first day of summer in the US, is the perfect excuse. These parties give us the chance to celebrate the freedoms that were won by the fallen. There are almost infinite menu choices for your cookout but the old classics of burgers and hotdogs are never going to go down badly.
Spending the day volunteering with veterans’ charities is a particularly practical way of showing your gratitude to those who fell. These range from organizations that help with the basics like medical care and housing to social clubs where veterans can stay in contact with old comrades. Helping out on Memorial Day, or any other day, will always be appreciated.
With origins as a solemn act of remembrance for the fallen following the Civil War, Memorial Day has changed and evolved over the years.
The first celebrations, known as ‘Decoration Day’ were informal and consisted of people attending Union Military Cemeteries to lay wreaths and floral tributes. Within 3 years, the Grand Army of the Republic formalised the event as the 30th of May.
As wars continued to be fought and servicemen continued to lay down their lives, the celebration morphed from honoring the dead of the Civil War in particular to acknowledging the sacrifice of soldiers, sailors, and airmen in all wars.
Today, there are lots of suggestions out there on how to celebrate Memorial Day, ranging from quiet moments of reflection to grand public displays. For those who want to show their respect in a practical way, the various veteran organisations are always pleased to see civilians volunteer and show their support.
For those who have experienced the loss of a serviceman personally, hanging a portrait often gives them the perfect outlet for their feelings of loss and gratitude. They serve as a powerful reminder of the sacrifice, the loss and the reasons behind it.
