I don’t mind asking stupid questions. I know some people are self conscious of this. Asking questions that they “should” know the answers to. Well, here’s one. What is Memorial Day?
I wondered about its origins, customs, intentions. So, of course, I start with Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day#:~:text=Memorial%20Day%20(originally%20known%20as,the%20last%20Monday%20of%20May.
It was started as Decoration Day in 1868 to honor and mourn Union soldiers that died in the Civil War. It was expanded to honor and mourn soldiers that died in service to our country in other wars as they have occurred. It became Memorial Day officially in 1971.
One of the things I’ve always wondered is how do we greet people regarding this holiday. You say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Thanksgiving” or “Joyous Easter”. What do you say for Memorial Day? It is a day of remembrance and mourning and honoring. It is definitely not “Happy Memorial Day” as those who have lost soldiers note the solemnity of the holiday. When it was moved to the last Monday of May, it became synonymous with a 3 day weekend. So this is easy to trivialize for those of us without fallen soldiers. So what should we say? Here are a few alternatives according to the website Code of Support Foundation:
- I wish you a meaningful Memorial Day.
- I hope you enjoy your weekend, and pause to remember its purpose.
- Help remember those who have served on this Memorial Day.
I like these. They are not overtly sad but definitely acknowledge that Memorial Day is not a celebration, per se. It is ok to celebrate the freedoms we have and that were paid for by so many. But in celebrating those freedoms, especially on Memorial Day, we have to acknowledge the sacrifices. THAT is the point. Be grateful, honor the sacrifices and exercise your freedom.
