Why Do We Celebrate Memorial Day

Memorial day is a great National holiday. It is usually full of friends, family and food. People love it because it is almost like the start to summer celebration! Most People attend barbeques or pool parties to celebrate. Its seems as though many people no longer know why Memorial Day is a holiday. Today, we will talk about why Memorial Day is a holiday, what its origin is, and ways that you can help people celebrate it.

This holiday is a federal holiday in the United States. Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May each year. It was created to honor and remember those who were in The U.S. Military and lost their lives serving their country. Between 1868 and 1970 it was always on May 30 but then they switched it to the last Monday in May.

Although it has been a custom through the ages to decorate a fallen soldiers grave sites it became more popular during the civil war. It is said that the first civil war soldier’s grave being decorated on June, 3 1861 was the beginnings of the Memorial Day tradition. This action started annual decoration days at cemeteries for soldiers. Because of the 1863 cemetery dedication in Gettysburg many people claim that president Abe Lincoln was the founder of Memorial Day.  

Although, on May 1st, of 1865,  ten-thousand newly Freed African-American people held a parade. This parade was to honor the Union Soldiers that had died fighting for their freedom in the Civil War. Many believe that this may have been a significant push towards Memorial Day. Some places have held annual Memorial Day Parades since 1868. So the way it began is somewhat debatable, but it was probably a combination of events.

It may sound amazing to just have a party and celebrate Memorial Day by doing fun stuff (which we also highly encourage). But you can also help out by honoring fallen soldiers. How you may ask? You could organize a cemetery clean up, and decorate grave sites. You could organize a community get together for families of those who have lost loved ones in wars. You could organize a fundraiser for The Fallen Heroes Project  or something of a similar nature. There are really so many things that you can do to honor those whose lives have been lost and help support the families that they left behind. Unfortunately, there are many families left behind by loved ones that are active military service people still every year.

Every year now, people gather to see speeches, clean cemeteries, and honor those who have lost their lives. We believe, at Odd Moe’s Pizza, that all veterans should be honored and celebrated. We think that having a nice get together is a really great way to celebrate Memorial Day and remember what it is really about!


If you are in need of Odd Moe’s Pizza or any of our wonderful sides or even beer give us a call. If it is a large order make sure to give us a call early! We even offer catering. We hope that you have a safe and fun Memorial Day!

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