What is Decoration Day?

What is Decoration Day?

Decorating the graves of loved-ones, soldiers, along with the forgotten, has been observed for many hundreds of years all throughout the world. Inside of the U.S., Decoration Day refers to two points: the origins of our current Memorial Day, and also a present-day holiday that may be predominantly found in the South.

Decoration Day - Beginnings

Credit for the origins of Decoration Day partially lie with far more than a dozen families and communities, but it really is indisputable that the roots of our present-day Memorial Day came from the South's Decoration Day. Even ahead of the Civil War, the Southern U.S. held a grassroots custom, or tradition, every single spring as an event in quite a few public and private circles to honor their deceased loved ones at their final resting places. Wikipedia states that it may be believed that the Decoration Day tradition “began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the 'Memorial Day' idea.” It was considerably more widely observed with the South than related traditions with the Northern States. Then came the Civil War in which about 620,000 or 2% of our nation was killed.

Memorial Day Honored In May

Driven by the intense feelings that divided our nation, and promoted by a number of essential individuals, Decoration Day began to draw a substantially larger following. It evolved to focus largely on the graves of their Civil War dead. Sentiments in our country were undeniably profound, and in those several years, there began such a groundswell of support on a national level, that it was officially designated by General John A. Logan in May 1866 as an annual event that our nation really should observe. His widow, in her autobiography indicated that the inspiration for his pronouncement originated from his admiration with the South's tradition. She wrote that Gen. Logan stated, “it was not too late for the Union men of the nation to follow the example of the people of the South in perpetuating the memory of their friends who had died for the cause they thought just and right." The earliest national celebration of Decoration Day took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where both Confederate and Union soldiers were actually buried. Shortly thereafter, some Americans, including high officials with the U.S. Government, began to refer to it as Memorial Day. Its focus, however, continued to lingered on the Civil War. The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs states, “By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation.”

A Declared National Holiday

Soon after WWI, the federal government went further and declared the last Monday in May to become known as Memorial Day as a day to honor all Americans which have died in military service for the U.S.A. and to decorate their graves. The most current official acts came in 1968 and in 1971 when Congress declared Memorial Day a National Holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May. Some Southern States, determined to keep Decoration Day alive, have continued to honor it regarding fallen Confederate Soldiers on an additional day, normally between April and June. In some states, that day is designated as Confederate Memorial Day, Confederate Decoration Day, Confederate Heroes Day, or just simply Decoration Day. In quite a few of those states and localities, public employees have the day off, and in others they do not. Along with focusing mainly on Confederate war dead, a lot of, even so, also use that day to adorn the graves of any and all loved ones, or even entire graveyards. Moreover, in quite a few of those same communities, and some communities not even in the South, they set aside yet one more day for the decoration of any graves in general.

Remember to Never Forget

Decoration Day even now carries many levels of deep meaning to those who observe it distinctly from Memorial Day. For many Southerners, along with just paying tribute concerning the fallen from the Civil War, Decoration Day is often a reminder for future generations to never forget.

No matter if it's Memorial Day or Decoration Day, the tradition of decorating graves has now turned into a respected part of the fabric of America. We would also like to express our love and appreciation to those who came ahead of us, which allows us to live the fruits of their sacrifices.