In the U.S., Memorial Day is always observed on the last Monday in May. It used to be called Decoration Day. The holiday honors members of the military who died in service to their country. To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence. The holiday has been extended to remember all of our loved ones who have died.
I remember Memorial Day as a day we would go around to my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who had died and put flowers on their graves. I remember my mother saving plastic milk jugs or tall tin cans to put the flowers in. These containers would be wrapped with tin foil. They never bought flowers but used snowballs, peonies, roses, lilacs and other flowers from their yards. My mother told me never to buy flowers for her grave, that if flowers weren’t out then to wait until some were blooming. (She was a Scot). But I do what I want and if I need to buy flowers for her grave I am happy to do it. But I never put Iris on her grave as she did not like that flower.
I hope you and your family will have a peaceful and beautiful Memorial Day.