Plane flies Confederate flag over SC Capitol on Confederate Memorial Day

On Wednesday the majority of state agencies in South Carolina are closed in observance of Confederate Memorial Day, sparking outrage and leading some to ask: "Why is this a thing?"

In celebration of the controversial holiday, a plane with a Confederate flag attached circled the South Carolina statehouse in Columbia on Wednesday, nearly two years after the flag was taken down from the same grounds after a 54-year presence at the Capitol amid a surge of controversy in the wake of Dylann Roof's racially-motivated slayings.

The Palmetto State is one of six states that honors the Confederate dead with a holiday. According to The State "South Carolina observes Confederate Memorial Day on May 10, the day in 1863 that Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died from pneumonia after he was wounded by friendly fire."

Reactions to the news online have ranged from disbelief to downright outrage.

Click through images of the Confederate flag being taken down in SC:

"Today is Confederate Memorial Day in South Carolina," wrote one Twitter user. "I f****** hate this state."

Another user wrote, "Confederate Memorial Day today a state holiday. This holiday needs to go. No confederate states. Get rid of holiday."