Memorial Day: Honoring Our Fallen and Switching Seasons (Plus a Sweet Summer Recipe!)
Happy Memorial Day from Blendtec! For many, Memorial Day means sun, fun, BBQ, and family. But the true meaning of Memorial Day is to honor fallen heroes who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.
Understanding Memorial Day
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the country felt deep sorrow over the loss of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and civilians. Grieving family and friends would gather in the late spring to commemorate and honor their family members’ sacrifice, often decorating their graves with flowers and offering prayers.
This remembrance process became known as Decoration Day and was officially named in 1869, with the observed day schedule for May 30 every year.
A Recognized Holiday
As our nation experienced new global conflicts, Decoration Day morphed into Memorial Day, honoring those service members lost in all wars. Congress passed the Uniform Holiday Act in 1968, which officially marked Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. Assigning Memorial Day to a Monday allowed people to have a three-day weekend to remember and honor their lost loved ones.
Memorial Day — A Summer Kickoff
Since Memorial Day falls on the last weekend of May and most schools are finished for the year, the three-day weekend has become the unofficial kickoff to summer. Between swimming, BBQs, and family fun, it’s important to take time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Whether you have family members who served or just want to remember those who fought to protect our nation, here are some small, simple ways to honor the meaning of Memorial Day while still enjoying your summer fun.
Attend a Parade
See if any cities in your area host a Memorial Day parade. They’re lively celebrations that include marching bands, dance teams, and floats with active and retired military members prominently featured throughout the parade.
When service members pass by your area, stand and cheer for them to show your appreciation for their service.
Moment of Silence
On Memorial Day, there is a National Moment of Remembrance for our fallen heroes. At 3pm local time, observe one minute of silence and think of those currently serving or lost in armed forces.
Pay Your Respects
Most areas have a veteran’s cemetery for those who have served. Take some time to put flowers on graves or place small American flags in the grass in these cemeteries to observe the day. Additionally, veteran cemeteries often hold small memorial services that you can attend to allow you to pay your respects to our nation’s heroes.
Discover more observation ideas from The Memorial Day Foundation.
Memorial Day BBQ Sauce From Chef Marco
In addition to your Memorial Day observances, there is still time to celebrate the start of summer, so fire up that grill! Since we couldn’t celebrate together in 2020, make Memorial Day 2021 a day to remember with this delicious BBQ sauce, made using your Blendtec.
To make this sweet sauce even sweeter, enjoy 30% off the Designer 675 during our Memorial Day sale.
BBQ Sauce in Your Blendtec
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup apple juice
- 5 cups ketchup
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 bottle dark beer
- 5 Tbsp brown sugar
- 5 Tbsp local honey
- ½ Tbsp granulated garlic
- ½ Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
Directions
- Add all ingredients to your Blendtec and secure the lid.
- Run blender on "Soup" or "Hot" or "90" cycle twice or blend on a High speed for 180 seconds until warm.
-
When all the ingredients are fully pureed, warm, and smooth, store in a mason jar. Refrigerate for two hours before using. Enjoy!
Pro Tip From Chef Carlos: I love being able to do as many things as possible ahead of time. This is the perfect recipe to do in advance, and — bonus — it also tastes better as it sits.
Enjoy your Memorial Day celebrations!
Leave a comment