I just wanted to take a moment out to extend my love, prayers and appreciation to the family and friends of those that lost their life fighting for our freedom. My heart goes out to all of you and may you be at peace knowing that your friend or family member was and still is appreciated for all that they did for our country.
I know that most people enjoy the long weekend and attend parties or barbecue’s. Others may do some type of ceremony or gathering to remember and honor their friends or family members. I wanted to share a little about what happens in Hawaii for Memorial Day to see if it differs from what other people do around the world. We have several military bases here and such a diverse population so I am sure we do things a little differently. Some events occur on Sunday but the rest occur on Monday.
Every year people enjoy the long weekend and have beach days, parties or barbecue’s. Friends and families of fallen service members will go to grave sites and place flowers, leis, gifts and other symbolic pieces there. Some may also have a small gathering or ceremony to honor those that they lost. These often lead to beautiful historical backgrounds of happier times with their loved one. The best stories come from older Retired Service Members that recall their past experiences and it brings a twinkle to their eye.
Flags are usually flown half-staff from sunrise to noon. A lot of people fly in and visit historical places, one of our several military bases or cemeteries like the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific or Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery and attend ceremonies in honor of their lost loved ones.
In the evening there is also the Lantern Floating Ceremony which is used as a way to honor and remember people that you have lost. I always want to make it to one, however, it gets super busy there and/or I am usually working during that time.. It is a beautiful ceremony from what I have seen (pictures and videos) and you can watch it live if you would like tonight at 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Hawai’i Standard Time.
When I was a Girl Scout I remember we used to put leis and flags on graves. It was really amazing how much love and appreciation that was in the air during this time.
I hope you got to learn a little bit about what it is like for Memorial Day in Hawaii.
May you have a beautifully blessed day.
Love & Aloha,
Rose
What do you and your family and/or friends do in remembrance of our fallen service members?
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to purchase something featured here. This commission will be invested back into hertaintedlips.com as well as help me buy a cheap bottle of wine or some Starbucks. For more information please read our disclosure page.
is her view on the history of Hawaiʻi and its overthrow. To this day it is still considered as an important part of Hawaiian History.