The civil war resulted in lots of soldiers being buried where they fell. Graves went unvisited and no one put flowers on them since the families were sometimes hundreds of miles away. The widows of these soldiers decided that they would visit the graves of these soldiers and place flowers on them so no soldier went on forgotten even the ones of the enemy. This seemed to be important since the enemy was our neighbors and their sons. So once a year on Memorial day we visit graves of those fallen and place flowers or flags to remember their sacrifice. It is most certainly American and more of a somber occasion than a holiday. However it has become a time for us to celebrate the beginning of summer as well, usually with the first BBQ of the season.



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