Memorial Day history timeline

Memorial Day is an official federal holiday in America, observed in the last Monday of May, which, together with the previous Saturday and Sunday, makes it into a three-day weekend. Its purpose is to commemorate soldiers who have died serving in the U.S. military.

The American people use the occasion to organize visits to cemeteries or memorials, parades, and family meetings. It also marks the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States.

Initially called “Decoration Day”, this holiday draws its origins in the 19th century, honoring those who lost their lives fighting in the American Civil War, which ended in 1865. The World Wars that shook the 20th century transformed this holiday into a day of remembrance for all fallen soldiers, and in the 1970s, with the start of the Vietnam War, it was expanded and recognized nationally.

There are disputes on when and where the first event was celebrated. But after the Civil War ended, in late springtime, there were ceremonies dedicated to the soldiers who had died, like a commemoration organized in 1865 by a group of former enslaved people in the city of Charleston, South Carolina.

Later, in 1868, War veteran Gen. John A. Logan called for a “Decoration Day”, which was celebrated on the 30th of May, and it became a tradition in the following years. In 1967, its name was officially changed to “Memorial Day”.

Memorial Day didn’t become a federal holiday until 1971, when the US Congress modified the original date of May 30th and established its observance on the last Monday of the month of May, therefore creating a three-day weekend for federal employees.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which made this change, was actually passed in 1968 but it took a while before it went into effect.

Many American cities hold parades and ceremonies on Memorial Day, with the largest ones taking place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Other rituals include visits to cemeteries and placing US flags on soldiers’ graves or wearing a red poppy. Starting in 2000, all Americans are supposed to hold a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 pm.

On a lighter note, many Americans use the long weekend to take holidays, throw parties or organize family barbecues.