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Memorial Day

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by Aldeth the Foppish Idiot, May 29, 2012.

  1. Aldeth the Foppish Idiot

    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot Armed with My Mallet O' Thinking Veteran

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    While I'm fully aware that the purpose of Memorial Day is to remember soldiers who have died in service of their country, does anyone know why the date is set as the last Monday in May?

    For most holidays, there's some reason why they occur on a particular date. Like the current Veteran's Day was formerly known as Armistice Day, and it's November 11th because that was the date of the Armistice ending WWI. So there's a reason for it. I would like to think that the date chosen for Memorial Day wasn't arbitrary (did they just pick it because it was a good time for a cookout?), but at the same time I do not recall any major military event ending on May 30th. (It's observed the last Monday in May, but historically it's actual date was May 30th.) Memorial Day started after the Civil War, but the Civil War didn't end in May - it ended in April. So does anyone know why?

    Wiki tells me that observation of the holiday started in 1868, and it was originally known as Decoration Day, but since it was meant to honor all of those who died in service of their country that they didn't want to pick a date that was an anniversary of a major battle or the end of a major war. While such a criterion would explain why certain dates were NOT selected, it does not explain why May 30th was. Certainly in 1868 when the only major wars that had been fought in the US were the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, that there were other candidates for the date - in May alone - never mind that there seems to be no particular reason why May was chosen to begin with.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2012
    Aldeth the Foppish Idiot, May 29, 2012
    #1
  2. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Linked is the VA Memorial Day History page. You can also go to usmemorialday.org for additional info.

    Just a couple of quick comments from the page (and other pages as well) ... Memorial Day is officially on May 30th -- it is observed on the last Monday in May as part of the National Holiday Act. It is believed the end of May was chosen due to the availability of flowers to decorate the graves (as you mentioned the original holiday was called "Decoration Day").
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2012
    T2Bruno, May 29, 2012
    #2
  3. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Wiki says...

    "The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882.[27] It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967.[28] On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.[29] The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.[29] After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress's change of date within a few years.
    Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:
    Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.[30]
    ​
    Since 1987, Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has introduced a measure to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.[31]"
     
    Blades of Vanatar, May 29, 2012
    #3
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