Top of page

Category: Holidays

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb? Grave Insights into Customs and Cultures

Posted by: Cheryl Lederle

For aficionados of history, graveyards are not creepy settings for Halloween movies, but an opportunity to study human customs and cultural norms of the past and present. The way graves are adorned and the epitaphs they bear can give us information about one life, but can also encourage us to wonder about the people they commemorate and their cultures.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Remembering Our Honored Dead: Memorial Day Traditions

Posted by: Danna Bell

You may know that Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day, but did you know that originally it honored only those who died in the Civil War? Primary sources from the Library of Congress can help students explore some of the ways people have commemorated Memorial Day in the past.

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Gifts to the People of America

Posted by: Danna Bell

Gift giving, a centuries- old tradition, is an important part of human interaction. It is also an important part of government diplomacy. Consider using the Library’s primary sources to help students understand the historical significance of gift giving.