memorial day

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Sun May 24, 2009 8:17 am

With it being memorial day weekend, I got to thinking. How would have Lizzie celebrated it. With a bar-b-que with friends, or alone, or what?

Any thoughts on this?

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Sun May 24, 2009 9:29 am

My understanding of the origin of Memorial Day was to honor Union soldiers who perished in the Civil War. The more modern incarnation of the "celebration" with barbecues and family get-togethers was not a part of the day back then.

Groups practiced the event by laying wreaths in cemeteries at the graves of the dead soldiers. It was a moment of reflection, I assume.

It used to be called "Decoration Day" and was officially called Memorial Day until after WWII.

FairhavenGuy · Post by **FairhavenGuy** » Sun May 24, 2009 6:10 pm

The first nationally celebrated "Memorial Day" was held on May 30, 1868, by order of General John Logan, Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. Early on it was called Decoration Day, as Stef says.

Just a short time before I spotted this thread I was wondering to myself when this idea of Memorial Day being the reason for a weekend of drinking and barbecues came into being.

I'm guessing that the backyard barbecue itself probably developed after Lizzie's time. It strikes me as being rooted in the post WWII era and the 1950s more specifically. Did folks grill burgers and hotdogs in the back yard in the 1920s or '30s?

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:38 am

I was thinking all about this too, and when I read that it was in 1968 that Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved Washington's Birthday, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day to MONDAYS to create three-day weekends.

It was probably around this time, when these holidays became long weekends, that the partying began. Funny how that worked out, huh? If they just left it on the 30th of May, no matter what day of the week it fell on, I bet we would be more contemplative about what the reason for the holiday is all about.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon May 25, 2009 1:09 am

in the interview with emma borden in 1913 she stated that she always brought flowers to her father's grave on memorial day- and that lizzie had her tribute sent by florist. my impression was that it memorialized, at that time, anyone who had died, as that was the way of the victorians.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon May 25, 2009 1:10 am

we also have the death of bertha manchester on memorial day, may 30th, 1893- a tuesday.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:04 am

On a culinary note, we always had a clambake in the backyard when I was growing up...the barbeque is recent development for Memorial Day (maybe 15-20 years, it seems).

The clambakes were fun...starting out with digging a big hole in the backyard. We'd go to the beach to collect seaweed and dig for clams. It was "an event" every year. Probably too much work for most schedules today.

snokkums · Post by **snokkums** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:53 am

I think I asked the question the way I did was because I thought that the idea of the partying and bar-b-queing was pretty much a modern thing. It seems they were more reflective back in Lizzies day.

For most of my co-workers, it's a three day weekend of drinking and partying with friends.

Yooper · Post by **Yooper** » Mon May 25, 2009 7:02 am

Charcoal briquettes were available as early as 1921. They were produced as a byproduct of Ford automobiles at the Ford plant in Kingsford, Michigan. Kingsford was Henry Ford's company town, located next to Iron Mountain. Ford used the locally abundant maple trees in the production of his automobiles beginning in 1915, and the scrap wood was used to produce charcoal.

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:00 am

Is a clam bake like a clam boil?

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:28 pm

Yes:

Come on Now

You must have had a clue that I would throw my two cents in on this one.

When Stefani first responded to this topic I was going to say something but thought I would let the posting make my point.

As goes Christmas and President's day so goes Memorial day.

When the time came, at work, the big talk was about what everyone was going to do on Memorial Day. There was almost no talk whatsoever about what the celebration, or for a more proper word, commemoration was about.

It was all hot dogs, burgers, cook outs beer and party.........a day off, a paid day off, the kick off to summer.

It has been commercialized like any other holiday.

This promotional view of Memorial day was made worst when the Government moved holidays such as this one and others to Monday so everyone could party hardy, shop till you drop or what have you.

It is a subversion and corruption which makes a joke out of the real purpose to celebrate, pay homage, honor or acknowledge a worthwhile occasion.

This is not to say there are not those who do not celebrate or at least start off their day with formal and solemn purpose. Most are very close to the day. Some have experience recent loss. Others have never forgotten.

All are few when compared to the general population who must be reminded by the news media or papers about what this day is really about.

But, don't fret about it. There is still a couple that are celebrated proper. One Holiday that is celebrated as it should be and before you know it July 4th will arrive and we can consume all the dogs and burgers we can with the biggest bang we can. The one holiday when anything goes.

Well, that's my sermon for the day. Must go. I am late to unlock the church doors.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:39 pm

In a clam boil, the clams are boiled.

In a clambake, you dig a hole, but hot coals and bricks in. added seaweed and put the clam, potatoes, veggies, etc. in cover with more seaweed and earth, and bake it all up in an earthern oven--think in terms of a true Hawaiian luau--works in the same way.

FairhavenGuy · Post by **FairhavenGuy** » Mon May 25, 2009 3:25 pm

For the record, I participated, as usual, in Fairhaven's Memorial Day Parade and ceremony at Riverside Cemetery this morning, (The ceremony was just a stone's throw from the grave of Eli Bence.) The Fairhaven Village Militia fired it's cannon at the high school flag raising and following taps at the cemetery.

The Riverside Cemetery ceremony has been held each year since May 30, 1868, as far as I can tell, and our Civil War monument was completed just in time for that first ceremony.

Traditionally, the ceremony includes an opening prayer, the reading of General Logan's orders, a reading of the Gettysburg Address by the president of the high school senior class (In 1976 I recited it from memory although I wasn't the class president. He didn't want to speak in public, so it fell to the Speech and Drama Class guy. . .), the reading of the roll call of Fairhaven veterans who have died in the last year, musical selections and the sounding of taps.

Then we went to my in-law's for a small cookout. (None of us drink beer. . .)

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:13 pm

thank you, from me, christopher. that was nice.

i did manage to visit a cemetery over the weekend, and concentrated my thoughts to those memorialized there.

==============
i did brag at work last week tho that i had a friend who was licensed to shoot a canon in massachusetts...
how many people can say that?