The celebration of Memorial Day or Decoration Day has been the custom since the late 1800s. It isn't the celebration of a particular battle, it is a day set aside by our nation to honor the warriors who gave their lives for our country and our freedom.
"We cherish too, the Poppy redThat grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies."
~ Moina Michael
(inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields)
The red paper poppies are distributed on Memorial Day to memorialize the sacrifices made during war, in addition to acting as a symbol of keeping the faith.
According to Snopes.com, there is a rumor that Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. The slaves dug up the bodies and worked for two weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 black children where they marched, sang, and celebrated.
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