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Try these out. More: Memorial Day vs. civil religion. Content Collapse #135
So. If you’re reading this in the United States, there’s a very good chance you’re reading this on your first day back at work after the three day Memorial Day weekend.
The USA is weird with Memorial Day. The holiday’s origins as a day of memorial for deceased soldiers are unclear (in fact, historian David W. Blight has a compelling argument that Memorial Day originated with memorial services by newly freed slaves at Union gravesites). By the 21st century, outside of the very large exception of military families, Memorial Day became a combination of kickoff-of-summer-barbecues-and-beach-visits and retail store sales.
Very, very American but a far cry from the way, say, Remembrance Day is observed in the Commonwealth or Yom HaZikaron in Israel. In Canada, one of the easiest ways for foreign companies to generate some negative PR is to offer Remembrance Day sales.
While the United States has a robust, ever-changing civil religion based around patriotic symbols that’s played a crucial role …
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