Celebrate Memorial Day - Plant a Tree in Memory

Memorial Day officially became a federally recognized holiday in 1971, and was originally known as Decoration Day. Memorial Day honors and recognizes any person who served in a war in which Americans participated, beginning with the Civil War and continuing through present day and the war in the Middle East.

Although it was officially recognized in 1971, Memorial Day has been celebrated independently by many citizens since the late 1800’s. Some give credit to Waterloo, N.Y. for starting the Memorial Day tradition, as residents of Waterloo began closing their places of business and flying American flags every May 30, starting in 1866.

While it is traditional to place flowers on a soldier’s grave, or fly an American flag, planting a tree this Memorial Day is also a great way to honor a loved one’s memory. Get a group together and plant a soldier’s legacy.

For more information on the history of Memorial Day, visit http://www.history.com/topics/memorial-day-history

[Photo Credit: http://memorialday2011.org/memorialday2011.jpg]