Memorial Day this year is Monday, May 31st. What can you do to celebrate this important holiday?
The best “list of events” which I’ve been able to find is on the San Francisco Examiner’s website. It includes not just happenings in the South Bay and San Jose areas, but also Felton, Santa Cruz, Gilroy, Santa Clara and all over the Bay Area. Some of the events listed aren’t related to Memorial Day, but rather are scheduled to coincide with the long weekend. (That’s the down side of this day being attached to a Monday – it is too often connected with sales, picnics or parties more than actually remembering what our service people have done and are doing for us.)
Another good Memorial Day resource is a comprehensive website devoted to the subject of Memorial Day: http://USMemorialDay.org. This thorough site includes the history of the observance of this holiday and also online activities for kids and adults. Additonally, you can learn about the history of “Taps” and even hear it played online.
For the last decade or so, Americans have been encouraged to stop what they’re doing at 3pm on Memorial Day and observe a moment of silence or remberance. Taking a minute to participate in the “National Moment of Remembrance” is a great way to focus on the meaning of the day and remove some of the rampant commercialism which has coated the holiday such that too often the original meaning is entirely lost.
Wishing all my readers a very happy Memorial Day.
