How to: Honoring Memorial Day

Posted by Caley on May 19th, 2010 at 07:42am

Memorial Day is much more than a break from a work and an excuse to barbecue.  While you may or not know the exact history of this May 31 holiday, many Americans will ask “Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?” As a nationally celebrated holiday since May 30, 1868, just after the end of the American Civil War, Memorial Day commemorates the U.S. men and women who have died in military service for our country. Honoring Memorial Day demonstrates a collection remembrance and appreciation for their sacrifice.

Memorial Day become the official name for the holiday only in 1967, and was previously known as Decoration Day. This name described the practice of honoring Memorial Day by decorating the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags, which is still a common practice today. Every Memorial Day in our nation’s capitol, volunteers place an American flag at each gravesite at the National Cemeteries. Many police and fire departments also honor those who have died in service on Memorial Day.

Honoring Memorial Day may mean decorating graves or attending a memorial service for fallen soldiers at a local church or community center. More simply, honoring Memorial Day may mean observing the National Moment of Remembrance at 3pm. Many Memorial Day celebrations will feature flags and other patriotic decorations as a way of honoring Memorial Day. If you are planning a barbecue for Memorial Day, create some patriotic decorations and take a moment to celebrate this great nation.

5 Memorial Day Crafts

1. Flags- Flags are the most common way of honoring Memorial Day. Craft your own American flags with simple sewing, crochet or knitting. You can paint rectangular plates as American flags for your Memorial Day celebrations. You can also decoupage paper strips to a flat surface to create a flag.
2. Red, White and Blue- Create coordinating red, white and blue accents with paint, fabric and/or yarn for honoring Memorial Day. Use fabric dye to make your own shirts. Kids will love this craft. Make your own jewelry with red, white and blue beads.
3. Stars- Pick up some wood stars or cut out stars from foam sheets. Paint in patriotic colors and designs. Arrange the stars in a wreath or glue to skewers and arrange in clay pots or vases as a kind of bouquet. You might make paper pinwheels in patriotic colors for honoring Memorial Day in your garden or outdoor space.
4. U.S.A.- Paint U.S.A. on 3 small garden pots and arrange on a table for your Memorial Day celebrations. Paint wall letters and hang or arrange on a table as a centerpiece. Honoring Memorial Day is easy with a touch of paint.
5. Uncle Sam- The national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam is also a popular recruitment image for the U.S. Army. Thus, featuring Uncle Sam images in your crafting is appropriate  for honoring Memorial Day.  Add Uncle Sam images to painted signs or make an Uncle Sam top hat with a recycled oatmeal container.

Honoring Memorial Day through crafting is a great, low-cost activity for the whole family, whether or not you are hosting Memorial Day celebrations. For more Memorial Day ideas, see 8 Memorial Day Crafts and a Short History of Memorial Day. Find over 50 patriotic crafts here.

Tags: Holiday, MemorialDay

Under Holiday Tags: Holiday, MemorialDay