| Hello and welcome to my new page. I have been asked
what does "Decoration Days" mean, so I decided I would do a web page explaining
what "Decoration Days" in Oklahoma are. Decoration Day is on different
Sundays in the month of May that we in Oklahoma have observed for
as long as I can remember. Back in the old days people would go in wagons,
cars, horseback and walking for miles around to meet relatives at the cemetery
to clean and cut the grass from the graves or what ever they could do make
it look better. For days and sometimes weeks
before, the people would make crepe paper flowers to decorate the graves
with. I can remember when I was little girl, helping make flowers out of
crepe paper to decorate with. We would cut out the petal and then use our
thumbs to make an indention for the petal then use part of the scissors
to "curl" the edges of the petal to make it pretty. My
aunt would even cut leaves from green crepe paper and attach them along
the wire stem which she would cover with the green crepe paper also.
I have heard that people used to dip the flowers in wax too, but I don't
remember us ever doing that. I remember the good food; pies, cakes, ham,
chicken and etc that my aunts and relatives would bring for the "dinner
on the ground" which was laid out on quilts, sheets or tablecloths. That
was fun and a time I hope I never forget. I got to see cousins to play
with that I didn't see that often. Now in the month of May in Oklahoma
there are people coming all day to the cemeteries and some
even bring food and have dinner on the ground yet. I saw a church
group come out there Sunday the 21st of May 2000. They brought a lot of
people and food. After they decorated the graves they had dinner on the
grounds. Now it was set up on a table of course. They even brought a recliner
and put a handicapped person in it who wanted to go. It is so neat to visit
with the people out at the Greenleaf cemetery. I just love going to decorate
the old graves and visiting with people because a lot of them knew my dad
and my grandparents and relatives. I went to a different cemetery the 1st
Sunday of May then the next two I have been to the one where most of my
relatives are buried. Greenleaf cemetery, the one where so many of the
old cemeteries were moved in 42 for the development of Camp Gruber.
I have made a Greenleaf cemetery book which many of the people enjoy buying
so they can read not only the names of the ones buried there but also the
writings which I write about some of them. The last Sunday in May
I go to another old cemetery East of Braggs, OK, where more of my relatives
are buried. We will take a picnic lunch as many others do. We will visit,
decorate graves and eat our lunch under the beautiful
old trees in front of the cemetery. I just love it! The month of May is
special to me now that I have moved back to my homeland in Oklahoma after
living so far away in CA for so long. I have been back here since
90 and have been going to Decoration Days at the cemeteries since May of
91. I went with my dad, who was alive then, that first May in 91 and
found out what a joy it is. He introduced me to people that he knew, as
his daughter and now all I have to do is say who my dad is and they
are anxious to talk to me. I take my cemetery book and show them pictures
of my dad under the trees on that Decoration day in 91. There are
pictures of his friends and relatives with him in some of them. I had a
time visiting with them again this year 2001. It was great! Note, I had a great time this year 2003 and last year too. I gathered more family history as I visited with so many kin and friends. Also I have Greenleaf cemetery online now if you want to take a look. Just go to the link below. |
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