Talk:Decoration Day (disambiguation)

inaccuracy

The implication here in Wikipedia that Decoration Day was only celebrated in "Southern Appalachia" is laughable, and wrong. It was widespread throughout the U. S. South among whites. I can't say for sure when the custom started, as I never heard anyone talk about that.

I grew up in rural West TN in the 1950's and 1960's, and Decoration Day always occurred on the 3rd Sunday in May--and NOT on the last Monday in May like Memorial Day does. Hundreds of people would congregate at my family's main cemetery on the third Sunday in May. The advent of Memorial Day as a federal holiday never did anything to curtail this practice. The third Sunday in May is when the majority of cultivated flowers in people's yards were in bloom, in particular both roses and peonies, and families would make (at home) large vases of these and decorate the graves of all the relatives buried there whom they remembered. Graves of veterans also got small American flags planted on them. Then, a huge pot-luck social was held at the cemetery for the rest of the day.

Memorial Day was also celebrated in honor of all veterans, but more by flying the flag and gathering with family--and not necessarily with a trip to the cemetery.

Often, someone in the family would visit the cemetery a few days before the third Sunday in May to clean up any graves, removing old flower containers and faded flags.

What finally happened with Decoration Day is that the generations of people who celebrated it started dying off. Now, it is much dwindled. But if you go to that cemetery in May, you will still see the recent efforts.Harborsparrow (talk) 13:27, 20 June 2021 (UTC)