We are entering the Memorial Day weekend. For many people, this marks the unofficial beginning of summer. The weekend has traditionally been full of backyard cooking, family get-togethers, outside events and community gatherings. However, Memorial Day was originally set aside to remember veterans who had died serving their country. It is observed by several countries, although not all of them set aside the same day. In Canada, Memorial Day is July 1 (a.k.a. Commemoration Day). In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Day is the second Sunday of November. In Australia and New Zealand, Anzac Day is April 25. In the U.S., the last Monday of May has been set aside for Memorial Day ever since 1971.

Here are a few facts about Memorial Day. It was originally called Decoration Day and it has its roots in the American Civil War. After the war, there was a great effort to give the soldiers who fell in battle a proper burial.That was not an easy task. There were 620,000 soldiers killed. Their bodies were often buried where they fell or in mass graves. With great effort, an attempt to find and identify these remains, and then re-inter them in a military cemetery was undertaken by government contractors, military personnel and common citizens living in the regions where battles took place. Large veterans’ cemeteries, like Arlington National Cemetery, began to be formed. Major battlefield cemeteries were established. Many community cemeteries across the nation began to set aside special military sites. During late spring, people would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.This became so widespread that in1868, General John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic (a Union veterans’ fraternal group) declared that Decoration Day would be held on May 30 of each year to honor fallen Civil War veterans.This commemoration was originally strictly for those who died during the Civil War. It was later expanded to include any U.S. military personnel who had been killed in action.

In 1967, by an act of Congress, the name was officially changed to Memorial Day. Most people had called it by this name for decades. In 1971, the May 30th date was changed to be the last Monday of May.

There are several acts you can do to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day.

•Fly your flag at half-mast until noon. At that point, you should raise it to full mast.

• If your flag is not on a movable stand, you can honor fallen veterans by adding a black ribbon to the top of your flagpole.

• Wear a red poppy in your lapel.This is an international symbol of remembrance that goes back to World War I. It is based on a poem, On Flanders Fields written by John McCrae, a Canadian doctor serving on the front lines of the war. He later died during the conflict and his poem was published, which talks about red poppies growing along the battlefield cemeteries.

• Observe a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. This was officially instituted by Congress in 2000.

•Take a walk in a cemetery and stop by the markers that mention fallen veterans.

Whatever you do, take time to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.