Memorial Day
It is a federal holiday in the United States to honor and mourn members of the military who have died while serving in our armed forces. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day began in 1868 for President John Logan and his wife, Mary Ann Logan, to honor fallen soldiers from the Civil War.
Memorial Day Celebrated On:
2021 Monday May 31, 2021
2022 Monday May 30, 2022
2023 Monday May 29, 2023
2024 Monday May 27, 2024
2025 Monday May 26, 2025
2026 Monday May 25, 2026
2027 Monday May 31, 2027
2028 Monday May 29, 2028
2029 Monday May 28, 2029
The National Day Act of 1968, which entered into force in 1971, changed the date of the National Day of Mourning from May 30th, to the last Monday in May and made it a national holiday. Southern states tend to celebrate their own rites on a different date, but several Southern states currently recognize Confederate Memorial Day in addition to these national holidays. After the First World War, Remembrance Day was held to honor those who died during their military service and those who were lost during the Civil War.
Memorial Day’s roots go back to the Civil War, when Northerners and Southerners alike sought a way to mourn their fallen in public. Many of the first days of decoration recognized only Union soldiers, although Confederate soldiers were among them. Over time, the day grew to include soldiers lost in the conflict, and gradually it became known as Memorial Day. It now honors all U.S. military personnel who have died in military conflicts. Today, Remembrance Day is celebrated every year on the last Monday in May and is considered one of America’s most important national holidays.
The first celebration took place on May 30, 1868 in Washington, D.C., with a crowd of 5,000 people decorating the graves of 20,000 military personnel with flowers. Today’s commemoration, attended by more than 1.5 million people, or about one-third of all US citizens, is the largest commemoration in the history of the United States, with crowds attending commemorations at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and at the National Memorial Cemetery in Fort Hood, Texas.
In recent years, the custom of decorating the graves of deceased loved ones has developed in many families. Small American flags are hung on graves, a tradition that is now upheld in many national cemeteries as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Sources: 6
Remembrance Day has the significance of remembering and honoring soldiers who died during their military service. In antiquity there are special services in honor of those killed in the war, such as the burial of the dead at the graves of soldiers and their families, and commemorations for the wounded.
This holiday is also called Decoration Day, after Americans decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and the American flag.
Currently, nine states are still willing to honor those who lost their lives fighting the Confederacy. The American flag is half hoisted on the front of the Capitol in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day in honor of the departed souls. The flag will be raised in honor of a living nation and a country that will always honor the sacrifice of our soldiers in the fight for justice.
In the 1950’s, Congress passed a resolution calling on the president to issue a statement urging Americans to celebrate Memorial Day as a day of prayer for lasting peace.
Remembrance Day continued on May 30 until Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. This year, it is celebrated on the last Monday in May, and it is the first day of remembrance in the United States since the Civil War.
It is a day of remembrance for the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. National Day of Mourning is also the day on which the deceased family members are commemorated, and a solemn commemoration in their honor marks it. The U.S. military has been a source of pride and inspiration to many Americans, as well as an inspiration to our nation’s leaders.