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Many people view Memorial Day simply as a day off from work or the unofficial start to summer. But few Americans actually know the history behind the day so here’s a quick lesson.

The holiday began in 1868 as Decoration Day, a celebration to honor the Civil War soldiers who died. About 5,000 people attended the inaugural event at Arlington National Cemetery to decorate the graves of 20,000 soldiers and pay their respects.

Over the following century, people continued to honor the wartime heroes, especially in the years after World Wars I and II. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day an official federal holiday and set the date as the last Monday in May.

Although the holiday weekend is more often filled with backyard barbeques and road trips these days, some communities manage to keep the true spirit of the holiday alive with parades and other celebrations. Arlington National Cemetery continues to honor the fallen soldiers with a ceremony including a speech from the president and the placement of an American flag on each soldier’s grave.

SJ Creations hopes that you have a happy and safe holiday weekend. We want to help you kick off the celebration by offering a 15% discount on all orders from May 27-May 30. As an added bonus, the first 10 customers who redeem the code MDBUTTER this weekend will receive one FREE body butter with a $10 minimum purchase! Body butter will be automatically added to your cart. Please include a comment or send us an email at info@sjcreationsinc.com to select a specific scent! Offer ends May 30.