In the United States, we have two official government holidays related to the armed services. Memorial Day is supposed to mourn those who have lost their lives in the armed forces, whereas Veterans Day is a more comprehensive honoring of all who have served in the military.
Memorial Day is held on the last Monday of May, and is informally the beginning of the summer season. It is routinely celebrated with parades, backyard cook-outs, pool openings, and other activities related to the onset of warmer weather and the oncoming end of the school year. In my experience it tends to have a pretty festive air about it.
Veterans Day is observed on the 11th of November, typically with much less fan-fare than Memorial Day. When I was young it was mostly notable for getting me a day off school for my birthday (which happens to be 11/11).
In my opinion, the late-Autumn, often gloomy weather of November 11th is more suited to what should be the more somber tone of Memorial Day than is the often warm, sunny weather of May. The way most people celebrate Memorial Day seems at odds to me with the stated purpose of the observance.
So…who’s with me? Think we can create a ground-swell of support for swapping the dates of these two Federal holidays?
I agree 100% with this sentiment, however I think your suggestion focuses on the wrong problem. Changing the observances to accommodate the behavior isn’t fixing anyone’s behavior, which is the real problem. Memorial Day used to mean something far more somber when it was more common for Americans to have lost a loved one in a war. During my childhood (the 70s) I remember Memorial Day as a day of mourning. People wore black armbands in the parade and the VFW and American Legion had fundraisers selling poppies that everyone wore to the parade. We didn’t have cookouts and fireworks and big sales - that was all for the 4th of July. /old man rant over
(Also, you forgot Armed Forces Day on the 3rd Saturday in May to honor those currently serving.)
The US had Decoration Day before the Europeans had Remembrance Day on 11/11- it started in the wake of the Civil War. Why should we move ours just to align with theirs?
We put Veterans Day on 11/11 to more or less align with the various European Remembrance Days in the wake of WWI. And that wasn’t because it was somber weather, it’s because the Armistice ending WWI was signed on 11/11/1918 at 11 AM. Poppies are a Remembrance Day thing in the UK; it seems fitting to wear them on Memorial Day in the US instead of Veterans’ Day.
That’s good enough for me. Leave them where they are.
Beyond that, I think the issue is a combination of @Thumper668’s observation that it’s not so somber because we really haven’t lost that many people in recent wars, and because it’s always a three day weekend, while Veterans Day is always on 11/11, regardless of the weekday.
I suspect a “second Monday in November” holiday wouldn’t be too far off in terms of celebration, just because it’s a long weekend.
When I lived in North Caroline, they did not have Memorial Day off, but they did have Veteran’s Day off. The story that I heard was that in the South (aka Dixie), they believed that Memorial Day was started after the Civil War to remind the South that they lost the war.
Just another example that I lived though down there of the South wanting to bring back the Confederacy.
According to Wikipedia the tradition began in the South and was quickly adopted nationwide. Memorial Day - Wikipedia
It is in Commonwealth countries where 11/11 is called Remembrance Day. In America, they are traditionally associated with Memorial Day, but also used year-round by veterans’ organizations for fundraisers. Remembrance poppy - Wikipedia
Poppies are definitely for the day when we remember the fallen. The origin of the tradition is poppies growing on the graves in battlefield cemeteries. “In Flanders Field the poppies grow…”.
They’re mostly a European tradition, hence November, but to the extent that it’s adopted by Americans, it should be done in May for Memorial Day.
You put any holiday in late May, when the weather is starting to get nice and the kids are almost out of school, and it’s inevitable that it’s going to become festive. That’s a reason not to put a somber holiday in late May, because you can’t change the weather, and you’re not likely to change the school year.
According to some sources, May 30 was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a civil war battle, and also because flowers were in bloom. Congress changed it to the last Monday in 1968. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that people set aside a couple of hours for solemn remembrance amidst enjoying the weather.
