Memorial Day is a special holiday that commemorates those who have died serving the United States of America. Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971, but has been celebrated as early as the late 1860s as “Decoration Day”.
Over the years, Memorial Day traditions have evolved and emblems like the red poppy have become a part of the iconography of this day. The origin of the red poppy’s symbolism is the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae which was published in 1915; reciting the poem has become a tradition in many Memorial Day services.*
This year, Memorial Day coincides with the reopening of a lot of states and the end of the school year. With the real estate market in full swing and the busyness
By John McCrae
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
In Flanders fields.