Memorial Day 2024: When is Memorial Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Memorial Day 2024 and Memorial Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day, which is formerly Decoration Day, is a holiday of the United States celebrated last Monday in May and honoring those who have died in the nation’s wars. It is originated during the American Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle.

Memorial Day is a national holiday and it may also be the unofficial start of the summer season, but all Americans must take a moment to commemorate and thank the sacrifice of our military service members, first responders and their families. Memorial Day is a day for both celebration and grief, accounting for the honor of the military service members and reflecting on their tragic loss.  Memorial Day, which is observed last Monday of May each year, will be observed on Monday,  and thousands of people will again commemorate the men and women who died while in the military service, with full of respect and appreciation.

 

Memorial Day Background

Memorial Day is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our country. This special day is originally called as Decoration Day, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags.

It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers. During that first national commemoration, former Union Gen. and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there. This event was inspired by the local observations of the day that occurred in many American towns within three years of the Civil War. In 1873, New York was the first state to appoint Memorial Day as a public holiday. In the late 1800s, many cities and communities were observed on Memorial Day, and several states declared a legal holiday. After the World War I, it was an opportunity to honor those who died in all wars of America and later established as a national holiday in the United States.

In 1971, once the congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, then established that Memorial Day was to be commemorated on the last Monday of May. Several southern states, however, officially commemorate an additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead, sometimes referred to as a Confederate Memorial Day: January 19 in Texas; third Monday in Jan. in Arkansas; fourth Monday in Apr. in Alabama and Mississippi; April 26 in Florida and Georgia; May 10 in North and South Carolina; last Monday in May in Virginia; and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.

 

Memorial Day Celebrations

There are many things to do for observing Memorial Day and some of which are as follows:

• Visit cemeteries and memorials.
• Attend Memorial Day ceremonies.
• Volunteer to place an American Flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
• Observe a minute of silence at 3:00 PM, local time.
• Attend a Memorial Day parade, festival, fair or concert such as the National Memorial Day Concert.
• Run for charity on Memorial Day weekend.
• Volunteer to support events such as the National Memorial Day Parade.
• Donate to veterans and military support groups.

 

Memorial Day Customs and Traditions

National Moment of Remembrance: Did you know that every Memorial Day, exactly 3:00 local time, whether alone or in a group, all Americans are asked to wait a minute to honor those who die in service? If you're in a public event, there's a good chance it's announced. However, if you are alone or in a private meeting, you can consider setting the alarm on your phone as a reminder.

 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. It is sometimes called the Tomb of the Unknowns, a monument dedicated to US service members whose bodies died during the war and whose bodies were unidentifiable. This is a popular tourist attraction on Memorial Day for people who want to pay their respects to our dead heroes.

 

National Memorial Day Parade: Many men and women in uniform attend the annual parade in Washington, DC. More than a quarter million viewers go to the National Mall to support veterans, active military personnel, historical revitalizers, marching bands, music artists and celebrity supporters of our troops. This is America's biggest Memorial Day event.

The National Memorial Day Parade always takes place on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. It is traditionally preceded by musical performances and ceremonies at the reviewing stand located at the National Archives on the corner of Seventh Street NW and Constitution Avenue NW. It is also broadcasted live on local TV stations across the country as well as on the American Forces Network for members of the military serving around the world. The parade is also streamed live on YouTube.

 

Memorial Day Facts

• Memorial Day is celebrated each year at the Arlington National Cemetery, with a small American flag in each grave. Traditionally, the President or Vice-President places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Approximately 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.
• If there is an American flag in the house, be sure to halve it by noon, then raise it to the full post for the rest of the day. The practice of lowering and then raising the flag has been shown to symbolize America's persistence in the face of loss for more than 100 years.
• Memorial Day is an important remembrance day for all those who have served in the US armed forces. The holiday, originally known as Decoration Day, began after the Civil War to honor the Union and kill the Confederation of the Dead.
• According to the Library of Congress, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the "Birthplace of Remembrance Day", referring to a celebration of the city in 1866. the place where the first celebration takes place is controversial.
• The holiday was celebrated by “decorating” the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, flags, and more, hence the name “Decoration Day.” Over time, it became known as Memorial Day.
• Although people were already decorating graves of fallen Civil War soldiers in an unofficial way, General Logan codified the holiday. “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 famously said.
• When General Logan officially launched the holiday, he called for it to be observed on May 30. After the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect in 1971, however, it was moved to the final Monday in May.
• Date was chosen because, according to legend, it wasn't particularly the anniversary of any war.
• It is traditional for the US president or vice president to give a speech on Memorial Day. This speech is given at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd US Infantry placed American flags in front of Arlington's 260,000 graves and niches.
• Initially, only soldiers who died in civil war were honored. After the World War I, the holiday began to encircle members of the American armed forces who had fallen into any conflict.
• In the years following the Civil War, the Memorial Day celebrations broke down and perhaps surprisingly took root in the North and South. Strong follow-up and national identity of the holiday II. It was not after World War II and it was not officially called Memorial Day until 1967.
• Since Memorial Day is a federal holiday with a built-in three-day weekend, we have an extra day to catch up on quality time with family members. For those of us with relatives who died while serving in the military, Memorial Day is sacred.
• The Memorial Day, which is unofficially associated with the beginning of the summer, has official ceremonies. Cities in the United States host Memorial Day Parades every year. Some of the largest are New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• Some of the modern events during Memorial Day weekend include the Indianapolis 500, the Coca-Cola 600 stock car race and the National Memorial Day Concert on the grass of the US Capital.

 

Memorial Day Symbols

• This is the day of displaying American flags. Often people store American flags and raise them only during patriotic holidays. This is definitely one of those days.
• Decorate your walkway with mini flags: Nothing honors our deceased veterans like dozens (or even hundreds) of flags in your front yard and entryway.
• Red, white and blue layer cake. This is another decoration you can eat.
• Even if you haven’t lost a loved one who served in the military, you can still honor them with flowers at home. Red, Navy, and Blue Dahlias combined with white rose silk flowers can make an extremely impressive visual combination.

Check out the Memorial Day in the following years.

• 2024 Holidays
• 2025 Holidays
• 2026 Holidays
• 2027 Holidays