Written by Mark Reinstein
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2022 will occur on Monday, May 30. Recognised as a day federal holiday, it calls on all Americans to remember the civil war dead as well as the brave individuals who perished in later conflicts. In essence, this day is part of the greater memorial day history, marking the sacrifices that shaped our country from the era of the American Civil War onward. Many consider it a national holiday because it not only celebrates the memory of fallen soldiers but also connects to broader traditions of strewing flowers, decorating graves, and paying respects to heroes. The Department Veterans Affairs acknowledges the significance of this day observed across the nation, while the National Cemetery Administration oversees many of the resting places for these fallen service members.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans see it as fundamental to history memorial day traditions. The earliest practices involved decorating graves with flags and flowers, a ritual also known as memorial day decoration. Although some states hold their own Confederate Memorial Day ceremonies, often in recognition of Confederate soldiers, the unifying theme remains honouring the war dead. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season, with many connecting the holiday to barbecues and travel.
The Birthplace of Memorial Day and Early Observances
The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. This meant that countless Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers needed to be laid to rest, prompting efforts to create a nationwide memorial association dedicated to remembering their sacrifice. Also, it led to more structured commemoration efforts by groups like the Ladies Memorial Association, who often took responsibility for decorating graves, including those of the civil war dead.
By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. Some of these earliest memorial day traditions included strewing flowers over the tombs in a solemn but unifying practice. Multiple towns claimed they were the birthplace memorial day location, where memorial events officially began.
Did you know? Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3
p.m. local time.
It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. And some records show that one of the earliest commemorations was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. Charleston, South Carolina was significant in shaping these early practices, which some consider an early example of confederate memorial day observances. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.
Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. This practice laid a foundation for today’s broader memorial day ceremony traditions.
Decoration Day
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. John Logan played a significant role in formalising early memorial day history by urging people all over the country to remember union veterans who lost their lives. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.
The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. This helped unify different communities around a single day observed each year to commemorate the war dead. Over time, the concept of the grand army or Grand Army Republic among the Northern states fostered organised events celebrating the memory of those who served.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there. Arlington National Cemetery remains one of the most significant places for memorial day ceremony events, with many families decorating graves each year and placing American flags at each headstone.
Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honour the dead on separate days until after World War I. Some of these southern traditions remain tied to confederate memorial day practices or other local memorial associations.
History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The memorial day holiday thereby expanded its scope to all war veterans who died for the nation.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date General Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May, ensuring it would be observed Monday annually. This move aimed to create a convenient three-day weekend for federal employees. The change went into effect in 1971, firmly establishing Memorial Day as a national holiday. By doing so, the federal government standardised the tradition and strengthened the memorial day history that dates back to the time of the American Civil War. The acts of decorating graves or participating in a memorial day parade remain important parts of this national tradition, in which union soldiers are now remembered alongside later generations of fallen troops.
Memorial Day Traditions and Rituals
Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. This tradition, which remains a fundamental memorial day ceremony, brings communities together to reflect on the sacrifices of those who died in service. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Decorating graves with flowers and American flags is part of the rich memorial association that has evolved since the 1860s. Some people wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war—a tradition that began with a World War I poem. On a less somber note, many people take weekend trips or throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because Memorial Day weekend—the long weekend comprising the Saturday and Sunday before Memorial Day and Memorial Day itself—unofficially marks the beginning of summer. Yet, the essence of this practice—often coordinated by local memorial associations, veterans’ organisations, and communities—continues to honour all war dead in a solemn, dignified manner.
