Memorial Day is a US Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It was called Decoration Day, after the American Civil War, to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Southern womens organizations and southern schoolchildren decorated Confederate graves during the Civil War, but each region had its date mostly in May.

For those iKC members who do not live in the US, this day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. It is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

It also evolved into more general expressions of memory, as people visit the graves of their deceased relatives in church cemeteries, whether they had served in the military or not. It also is a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

No matter where you are in the world, we pause this weekend to also recognize the organizations that protect our knife rights. Those that stand for our right to collect and enjoy a long standing hobby. Wherever you are in the world (and our knife community lives everywhere on the globe,) we sincerely hope that you too have the ability to collect and enjoy knives.