Many people often visit cemeteries and memorials to honor those military members who died in combat.
National Moment of Remembrance
Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act in 2000 which asks people to take a moment to recognize the sacrifices of our Fallen at 3 pm local time. Local communities may also have dedicated Memorial Day observances and sometimes parades.
National Cemeteries
Typically, volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
Displaying the US Flag
Other customs also exist such as flying the flag at half-staff until noon, and then from noon until sunset, the flag is raised to the top of the staff.
Poppies
Another popular custom stems from The World War I poem “In Flanders Fields,” by John McCrea, which inspired the Memorial Day tradition of wearing artificial, red, poppies. The sale of red paper poppies typically benefits the VFW.
What Else?
Every state, community, and family is different and many people have special traditions they like to honor.
Over the years Memorial Day has become the unofficial kick-off to summer, and a lot of people schedule family and class reunions, graduation parties, weddings, and other events during the “long weekend.”
Having fun and enjoying life is completely acceptable, but the important thing is to remember to take a moment to remember those warriors who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.