Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Memorial Day is a holiday that is observed every year in the USA on the last Monday of May. This is a major federal holiday, which means that all government workers as well as most other people have the day off from work, leading to all banks, post offices, government buildings, and many other businesses being closed today. This holiday originated after the American Civil War (fought between 1861-1865) to commemorate* the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Now Memorial Day is a day to honor all Americans who have died in all the wars Americans have fought in. Memorial Day is considered to be a day of remembrance for the men and women who have died while serving their country. This day is also considered the unofficial start of summer by most Americans and thus it is often celebrated with family barbecues and picnics.
Along with getting together with family and having a barbecue or picnic many people observe Memorial Day by carrying or hanging flags, visiting cemeteries to put flags by the graves of soldiers, and visiting nation memorials. There are also usually Memorial Day parades in towns both big and small. These parades include current and former soldiers marching along with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, military vehicles, and marching bands.
Although almost every city in the United States has some sort of Memorial Day parade and concert, the parades and concerts in the nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C., are very prominent and usually broadcasted on TV. Along with fireworks, patriotic songs are a key component of these Memorial Day celebrations. Some famous patriotic American songs that are usually played at Memorial Day concerts include: America the Beautiful, I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Star Spangled Banner, and You’re a Grand Old Flag. You can see the lyrics to any of these songs if you click on the song title.
Does your country have a similar holiday to the American Memorial Day? How are soldiers and service members in your country remembered and honored? Please feel free to leave a comment on this post to share with us about your country’s holiday similar to America’s Memorial Day and to practice your English.
