Why we celebrate the Memorial Day?

On a day like this, which is celebrated on the last Monday of May of each year, we pay tribute to all the American soldiers who have given their lives to defend our country.

We do not know exactly on what date this tradition began to be celebrated, but in 1966 the government declared Waterloo the official birthplace of Memorial Day, where an annual event was held where establishments would close and people would decorate. the tombs of the soldiers with flags and flowers. It was taken that place since there was held this date for the first time on May 5, 1866. In 1971, Congress made the decision that Memorial Day will be celebrated on the last Monday of May, with a weekend with 3 days of mourning, in this way, people had enough time to celebrate this day as a family, they also often visit cemeteries, memorials and even participate in parades.
 

One of the symbols of this celebration, are the red poppies, inspired by a poem about the First World War by the humanist Michael Moina, called "Poppy Fields" where it says "we also celebrate, the red poppies that grow in the fields where the value was the flag, which seems to remind the heavens that the blood of heroes never dies. " It was she who had the idea to bring red poppies to honor the soldiers on the Day of the Fallen giving rise to the tradition.

Due to the evolution of the wars in the USA, it led to the creation of this type of cemeteries, and at the end of the 60's, the first tributes of spring began to honor these soldiers, decorating their graves and praying for them.
 

On May 30, Decor Day was chosen, the purpose of which was to decorate the tombs with any decorative element. This date was chosen since it did not coincide with any other event.

On the first decorative day, more than 4,000 people decorated the tombs of 20,000 soldiers. From that moment, similar ceremonies were held and in 1890, Memorial Day had become an official holiday, although in the southern states they continued to commemorate this date on separate days until after the First World War.

In the beginning, only those who had fallen during the Civil War were remembered, Memorial Day continued to grow and after the First World War, the commemoration evolved to remember all the soldiers who died in all the wars in which the United States participated.
 

Some of the activities you can do in Houston is to visit the George Ranch Historical Park to learn about the origins of the holiday and also to participate in an award ceremony at the park's historic cemetery. Another good option would also be to visit the Houston National Cemetery to honor people who have fallen in combat. During the ceremony, a speech will be offered, followed by a parade and the placement of commemorative crowns.