Fly the Flag and Hug the Cat - Postcard Friendship Friday #13

NOTE to those who are new to PFF:  Postcard Friendship Friday was started by Marie, who because of her loss of sight, handed it over to me. Marie’s idea was for people to post their postcards, then visit each other’s blogs to view them. PFF is NOT a place for people to sell, or advertise ephemera. This is an event where FRIENDS who love postcards interact.  If you are selling or advertising, the link to your blog will be removed.

It is Memorial Day Weekend, a time when many people visit cemeteries and memorials to honor those who have died in the line of duty.  Memorial Day was first observed in Waterloo, New York in 1866.  In 1968 US Congress created a three-day holiday.  In 1971 the law moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May.

One tradition is to fly the United States flag at half-staff from dawn until noon.  Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries.  In our little town, American flags bravely bloom all along the sidewalks for the duration of the weekend.

Families often gather for fun, games and picnics.  Barbecued foods are VERY popular on this holiday.  One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, an auto race which has been held during the Memorial Day holiday since 1911.

Today is also Hug Your Cat Day!  There is plenty of documentation that this holiday is celebrated world wide--though some do so on May 28th, others on May 30th. 

No one knows how this holiday originated, but it is a splendid Idea.  It is a proven fact the Friendship of an animal, can actually lower a person's blood pressure.  The holiday is celebrated by spending time with one's cat, giving them extra special attention. Cats and humans have had a long history of Friendship.  In 2004, a grave was excavated in Cyprus which contained the skeletons of a cat and a human being laid close to one another.  The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old!