Politically-Correct-Poppy let me know that my comment about those who gave up their lives for our three day weekend was in very poor taste.
So, I honestly didn't mean to belittle those who gave their lives for our freedom. I had actually pulled up the definition of Memorial Day so I could see the origin, but I couldn't think of how to put it into words and I was in a rush so that's what I came up with. So...
From Wikipedia:
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 30 in 2011). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates men and women who died while in military service to the United States.[1] First enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War,[2] it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.
Memorial Day often marks the start of the summer vacation season, and Labor Day its end.
Began as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the civil war, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 (since 1911) and the Coca-Cola 600 (since 1960) auto races.
So there you go.
Later Alligator...
No comments:
Post a Comment