Although there is much dispute over the exact location of the first Memorial Day celebration, it is commonly said that Memorial Day (formerly called Decoration Day) was first celebrated on May 30, 1868. In a fitting tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War, a large group of people gathered in Arlington National Cemetery. They listened to speeches, they prayed and sang hymns, and they walked through the cemetery decorating the graves with flowers.
Many years have passed since that first Memorial Day, and while we still decorate graves and sing and pray, we have found other ways to express our gratitude to those that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Today, people post messages of gratitude on Facebook and Twitter. We write blog posts that are related to Memorial Day. Lines of motorcycles roar down the highways in unison, a powerful tribute to those who fought for freedom. Parades move down the main streets of many American towns, and from coast to coast and everywhere in between, we display our flag with pride.
Although many people do pay tribute on Memorial Day to the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country, there is some sentiment that Memorial Day has gradually lost its meaning and is now much less of a powerful tribute than it once was. The gradual loss of meaning is thought to have begun when the date of Memorial Day was changed. Originally Memorial Day was a one-day holiday. In 1968, Congress passed legislation called the Uniform Holidays Bill that took effect in 1971. Memorial Day was one of three holidays that was affected by the legislation, which moved three holidays from their previous dates to specific Mondays in order to create convenient three-day weekends. Memorial Day happened to be on May 30th this year, but it is officially scheduled for the last Monday in May, whatever the date of that Monday happens to be.
Fortunately I am able to say that I have seen plenty of evidence this weekend that Memorial Day is alive and well, at least near where I live. I saw at least a hundred motorcycles driving down the highway together yesterday with POW and American flags throughout the pack. There were some local parades as well as a remembrance at a local site where a military plane went down during World War II. It is my hope that the meaning of Memorial Day is never lost because the freedom that the war dead gave their lives for is something that we still have because of their sacrifice.
Photo by hotblack on morguefile.com.