When the month of June is already just around the corner, many South Koreans look forward to Memorial Day. Numerous people crowd the streets, amusement parks are packed with crowds,and the freeways are jammed with long queues of cars off to a holiday trip. Of course, people don’t necessarily have to spend Memorial Day reverently, but a lot of people think of Memorial Day simply as a holiday, a day when they are off from work. Many South Koreans these days do not pay much attention to the solemn meaning of Memorial Day, which has much to do with Korean history.
The meaning of Memorial Day
Memorial Day recognizes those who have sacrificed their lives for our country. On this day, the South Koreans,led by the president and the other government officials, visit the National Cemetery, and when the siren goes off at 10 o’clock, a one-minute moment of silence is observed officially nationwide.
Why is Memorial Day observed on June 6?
Memorial Day falls on Mangiong, one of the 24 divisions of the year in the lunar calendar, June 6 in the solar calendar. In an agricultural society, Mangiong is a good day for holding ancestor worship ceremonies. This is why our government made Memorial Day coincide with Mangiong.
How to raise the national flag
Many people these days don’t raise the national flag on national holidays, including Memorial Day. Moreover, many people don’t know how to raise the flag. On this day, the flag has to be raised in a different way: at half-mast, to offer condolences to our patriots. Check out the picture of a flag at half-mast.
Cyberworship
Many South Koreans go to the National Cemetery on June 6, but some people don’t do so, for various reasons. Some of them opt to go to the cyberworship program of National Cemetery’s online site. People can use the program by clicking the buttons for flower offering, incense burning, and silent tribute. In addition, people can post memorial comments and raise a cyber-national-flag through the computer.
Every country has heroes or patriots who gave up their lives for the sake of the country’s freedom and peace. We thus owe it to these patriots to pay tribute to them, but Memorial Day has been all but forgotten in our society today. This year, we are celebrating the 57thMemorial Day. If you don’t want go to the National Cemetery, it’s okay. You can do cyberworship and post memorial comments and do other things through the computer. Also, it’s not difficult to observe a one-minute moment of silence when you hear the siren at 10 o’clock. Revive the meaning of this Memorial Day while enjoying the holiday.
