Memorial Day is a nationwide day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. While the practice of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers is an old custom, a more formalized Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor the more than 600,000 who died during that conflict. It was officially proclaimed in 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, by saying, “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”
The predecessor to the current Memorial Day is believed to be the annual “decoration days” for particular cemeteries in some rural areas of the American South, notably in the mountain areas. Decoration days were often held on a Sunday in late spring or early summer and would take on the character of an extended family reunion, where far-flung family members gathered to decorate the graves of remote and recently deceased ancestors and reconnect over picnics and religious services.
We can imagine the sharing of stories and handing down of family lore that must have occurred at these Decoration Day gatherings. The desire to be in relationship with others and to connect our past with our present and future is strong in every human being. In some ways, our society is more connected than ever; but in others, we are the most isolated generation of Americans yet. Connecting with the people and events of our past and remembering with gratitude the selfless sacrifices that have been made to ensure our identity as Americans, seem to be extraordinarily fitting ways to observe Memorial Day this year.