Holiday

[hayseed00]

My husband and I visit our parents gravesites, and my grandparents,  I purchase or make assorted flower pots to set near the gravestones.  We really get great joy and peace in our hearts to do this for our beloved family members that are now angels of Heaven.

[RedTop]

My only Memorial Day ritual is to ensure the caretaker gets our family cemetery mowed and trimmed before the weekend visitors arrive.   

I do not place flowers on any graves; my family asked for their flowers when they were alive to enjoy them.   I come from a long line of people who didn’t decorate graves.   

The majority of my family are buried in rural cemeteries that are maintained solely thru donations.  My husband and I donate $1000 yearly to 3 cemeteries to help maintain the graves.   Sending these 3 checks is a priority for us every spring.   

[candys mine]

Not Memorial day.  But We're close enough to the immidiate family that we can change out flowers seasonally and on birthdays or anniversarys.  Maybe this summer we'll make a pilgramige to visit the graves of the great grand parents and grand parents.  I never met the greats  but my parents were  good about telling stories and keeping a few photos so not complete strangers to us.   A road trip is always a thing to remember anyway.

[Spurt]

@Mominohio

Many of my parent's relatives lived in the northeast where it could snow at the end of October, so instead of putting flowers on graves on All Soul's Day, they put flowers on Memorial Day. at the end of May. So if we went on vacation around that time, we would help my great aunts clean up around the graves at the cemetary and plant flowers...........They have all passed away now, except for a few cousins that sill live there, and they that aren't really interested in going to the cemetary.  I live in Texas so I can't do it.... And have no desire to travel to the town where they lived, the small town is rundown and so depressing....

But I do help a friend here in Texas whose relatives are buried in a historic cemetary in the countryside (some of the graves are from the 1800's) and she goes 4 times a year (spring, summer, fall, and near Christmas) she uses silk flowers due to weather conditions here.....  For my mom and other relatives here in Texas we go to cemetary on All Souls Day in October 

[blackhole99]

Although the men in my family on both sides served in various wars they all came home. As far as remembering the dead in general on Memorial Day, I remember my Grandma, mother and aunts visiting the graves of family members who passed and placing flowers on the graves. I think they just did that back then, although my younger sister and brother still visit and decorate the graves. I personally have not been back home to visit any ones grave since the day they were buried.

[Allegheny]

My husband and his 4 siblings have planted flowers on their parents and grandparents graves for as long as I have known them (26 years).  They take turns yearly right before Mother's Day.   Unfortunately, DH lost a sibling; his two older sisters physically can't do it any longer.  That leaves him and his younger brother.  My husband's hips and knees are so poor, I do it for him.  We live about an hour from the cemetery.  We plant geraniums.  Their church cemetery has recently been taken over by the Catholic association.  I just have a feeling they will soon put an end plantings due to mowing and maintenance.  

We have concluded that the practice will end with his generation.  The grown grand children (40s thru 60s) and great grand children haven't stepped forward to assist.  Its a little disappointing, but it is OK.

My parents were cremated and my brother and I spread their ashes in the places where were the happiest.