Although we have a wide base of fans around the world, since we’re based in the USA, we celebrate Memorial Day. For those of you who do not know, Memorial Day is a federal holiday here where we remember the people who died serving in our armed forces. My father served the US by flying in the Vietnam war and had many colleagues who tragically passed due to the war. It’s always an emotional time for him to remember his fallen fellow airmen.
Memorial Day originated with the carnage that was the Civil War. With over 600,000 lives lost in the brutal battles, memorialization and commemorating soldiers’ lives became an important way of life in the mid-late 1800s. Women would lay flowers on fallen soldiers’ graves after some of the battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg. Eventually a Memorial Day was established and practiced in the Southern states since 1866. The day itself transformed over time, but the principle remains the same: that we remember those who died during battle.
There is no question that Memorial Day is a day for emotional remembrance, but don’t feel too bad about celebrating something over the weekend. Memorial Day is another reason to remember that we are living in nation of freedom, and that we can exercise our freedom how we choose.
Congress enacted a National Moment of Remembrance in 2000, where it asks any American, wherever they are, at 3PM Local time to “pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute. The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday.”
We hope that this helps shed some light on what Memorial Day is and what the spirit of the holiday should be - perhaps some extra mindfulness will be in store for you this upcoming three-day weekend… and if you are spending time with your family or have had relatives who have served for our country, I sincerely thank you and your loved ones for defending freedom for Americans.
Best,
Humphrey and the Craft & Oak team