May 30, 2007

• xhappymemorialdayx

  today is may 30, which is the official date for the memorial day holiday. the holiday was set aside after the civil war to honor troops that had given their lives in battle; the specific date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a specific historical battle.

  first celebrated in 1868 as “decoration day,” it was one of four holidays designated by the uniform holidays bill a hundred years later to be observed on a specified monday to create a convenient three-day weekend. the change was widely opposed, and although all states eventually accepted it, many states and organizations are pushing to have the holiday observed on its traditional date. 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 greatly to the general public’s nonchalant observance of memorial day.” some calendar makers still show both “memorial day” and “memorial day (observed),” but most simply show the last monday in may as memorial day. what is easy or popular, however, is not always correct.

  

  incidentally, the holiday was called “decoration day” until relatively recently. may 30, 1982 was the first “memorial day,” a date that will long be remembered as introducing one of the greatest gifts God has ever bestowed upon mankind.

  end::also, it’s the day i was born

  • 11:49 pm
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