Memorial Day

Monday was Memorial Day in the USA.

 Every year on the last Monday in May the country honour the military dead, and those that have died in the service of the country.
Memorial day or as it was once called Decoration day is cloudy in origin. It is likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, giving his official proclamation on May 5th 1868 that Memorial day was to be observed on  30 May. 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. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971)

It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
But really we all know that Memorial day is the perfect time to get out the grill, drink beer and have a big ol parade.

 Below is the highlight of the New Britain parade. The men with the fezz driving the liddle cars are called the Shriners and they just make me smile and laugh. Soooo cool.

A.MUse