Memorial day by Hoang Pham

The history of Memorial day

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.

In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday and that day isn't for only soldiers who have died in Civil war but for the previous wars.

How does Memorial day celebration ?

To celebrated Memorial day, The schools, banks and official are closed. There are military parades and memorial programs. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries. Many individual communities hold memorial observance for fallen soldiers who were from that town by having a ceremony in a church or town memorial park. Many people think of Memorial Day as the official start of the summer season.