Memorial Day weekend is when I wake up my garden on the roof. That’s where I channel my farming ancestors. I plant vegetable seedlings that germinated in my kitchen. I decorate my home with flowers fresh from the local farmer’s market. I meditate. I am at peace with memories of my military father, brother, family and friends long gone. But we are not at peace. The world is at war. The fallen is rarely remembered. We need love and peace. Maybe there’s a special tea for that. Maybe gingko memory tea can help. Memorial Day is a mixed bag of facts. What are the roots? Over 20 states claim they started it. Major credit has been given over to ‘fake news’ and whitewashed memories. I have written about Memorial Day several times over the years. This year I’m offering just my favorite Top 3 facts.
Top 3 Memorial Day Facts
- The earliest war memorial events have ancient roots. “Events weren’t held in the United States until the late 19th century, the practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans held annual days of remembrance for loved ones (including soldiers) each year, festooning their graves with flowers and holding public festivals and feasts in their honor.”
To read more amazing Memorial Day facts, click here.
- Formerly enslaved African Americans in South Carolina started it in America. I wrote about the holiday’s African American origins in a past blog post. Here is an excerpt.
“Thank you South Carolina Sisters and Brothers! Like most Civil War topics, this holiday has a lot to do with memories lost and whitewashed. Even on mainstream websites, false credit is given to women’s history—that Memorial Day was somehow an idea created by a military officer’s wife.”
To read more, click here.
- It began as ‘Decorations Day.’
“Officially, as a national holiday, Memorial Day emerged in 1868 when General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union veterans organization, called on all former northern soldiers and their communities to conduct ceremonies and decorate graves of their dead comrades.”
To read more, click here.
What are your top 3 Memorial Day facts?