Memorial Day Sale at The Bead Bugs

The Bead Bugs is having a Red, White and Blue sale from May 21 - 28th 2013. All of our lanyards that are red, white and blue themed will be 10% off for the entire week to celebrate Memorial Day. Don't forget to stop in at The Bead Bugs to see what great patriotic lanyards we have waiting for you!

Red White and Blue Lanyard Sale :: The Bead Bugs

Also, read on to see what information we found on the Farmers' Almanac website about WHY we celebrate Memorial Day. Click HERE to see the full article on the Farmers' Almanac site.

Memorial Day is more than just a great excuse for a cookout and a day off from work. The holiday was created to honor the many American men and women who died in military service. This focus on those who made the ultimate sacrifice sets it apart from Veterans’ Day, which honors all military veterans, living and dead.

The day was originally set aside to remember Union soldiers who died during the Civil War, but following World War I, its scope expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. At the end of the Civil War, many U.S. cities held their own memorial observations for their hometown heroes. The idea for a specific holiday came in 1868 from Illinois Senator John Alexander Logan, a former Union general and keynote speaker at one early observation. Logan used his position as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union soldiers, to issue a proclamation for a national “Decoration Day” to be observed on May 30 of that year by decorating the tombs of Union soldiers.

Beginning about 15 years later, an alternate name, “Memorial Day,” started cropping up from to time to time. The new name became more common after World War II, and in 1967 was declared the official name by Federal law. Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30 until 1968, when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, moving four holidays – Columbus Day, Presidents’ Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day – to designated Mondays in order to create the ever-popular three-day weekends.