Memorial Day

For other uses, see .See also:

Memorial DayThe gravestones at are decorated by U.S. flags on Memorial Day weekend in 2008.Official nameMemorial DayObserved by AmericansTypeNationalObservancesU.S. military personnel that died in serviceDateLast Monday in May2019 dateMay 27 2020 dateMay 25 2021 dateMay 31 2022 dateMay 30 FrequencyAnnual The located in Memorial Day (previously, but now seldom, called Decoration Day) is a for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the . The holiday is now on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day to honor and mourn those who died while serving in the U.S. Military. Many volunteers place an American flag on graves of military personnel in .

Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial start of in the United States, while , the first Monday of September, marks the unofficial start of .

Two other days celebrate those who have served or are serving in the U.S. military: , which honors those who have served in the , and , an unofficial U.S. holiday (earlier in May) for honoring those currently serving in the armed forces.

Contents Claimed origins[] The history of Memorial Day in the United States is complex. The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs recognizes that approximately 25 places claim to have originated the holiday. At there is a , and the incorporates a Center for Civil War Research that has also led research into Memorial Day's origins. The practice of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers is an ancient custom. Soldiers' graves were decorated in the U.S. before and during the . Many of the origination claims are myths, unsupported by evidence, while others are one-time cemetery dedications or funeral tributes. In 2014, one scholarly effort attempted to separate the myths and one-time events from the activities that actually led to the establishment of the federal holiday.

1870 Decoration Day parade in Precedents in the South[] According to the website, "Southern women decorated the graves of soldiers even before the Civil War’s end. Records show that by 1865, Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina all had precedents for Memorial Day." The earliest Southern Memorial Day celebrations were simple, somber occasions for veterans and their families to honor the dead and tend to local cemeteries. In following years, the and other groups increasingly focused rituals on preserving Confederate Culture and the narrative.

Warrenton, Virginia[] On June 3, 1861, , was the location of the first Civil War soldier's grave ever to be decorated, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper article in 1906, This decoration was for the funeral of the first soldier killed in action during the Civil War, , who died on June 1, 1861 during a skirmish at in Virginia.

Savannah, Georgia[] In July 1862, women in decorated the graves at Laurel Grove Cemetery of Colonel, and his comrades who died at Battle of Manassas () the year before.

Jackson, Mississippi[] On April 26, 1865, in , supposedly decorated the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers. However, the earliest recorded reference to this event did not appear until many years after. Regardless, mention of the observance is inscribed on southeast panel of the in Jackson, erected in 1891.

Charleston, South Carolina[] On May 1, 1865, in , recently freed African-Americans held a parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers, whose remains they had reburied from a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. Historian cites contemporary news reports of this incident in the Charleston Daily Courier and the . Although Blight claimed that "African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina", in 2012, he stated that he "has no evidence" that the event in Charleston inspired the establishment of Memorial Day across the country. Accordingly, investigators for , , and have called this conclusion into question.

Columbus, Georgia[] The and numerous scholars attribute the beginning of a Memorial Day practice in the South to a group of women of Columbus, Georgia. The women were the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus. They were represented by (Mrs. Charles J. Williams) who, as Secretary, wrote a letter to press in March 1866 asking their assistance in establishing annual holiday to decorate the graves of soldiers throughout the south. The letter was reprinted in several southern states and the plans were noted in newspapers in the north. The date of April 26 was chosen. The holiday was observed in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Columbus and elsewhere in Georgia as well as Montgomery, AL; Memphis, TN; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; Jackson, MS and across the south. In some cities, mostly in Virginia, other dates in May and June were observed. General John A. Logan commented on the observances in a speech to veterans on July 4, 1866 in Salem, IL. After General Logan's General Order No. 11 to the Grand Army of the Republic to observe May 30, 1868, the earlier version of the holiday began to be referred to as .

Columbus, Mississippi[] A year after the war's end, in April 1866, four women of Columbus gathered together to decorate the graves of the Confederate soldiers. They also felt moved to honor the Union soldiers buried there, and to note the grief of their families, by decorating their graves as well. The story of their gesture of humanity and reconciliation is held by some writers as the inspiration of the original Memorial Day despite its occurring last among the claimed inspirations.

Precedents in the North[] Gettysburg, Pennsylvania[] The 1863 cemetery dedication at included a ceremony of commemoration at the graves of dead soldiers. Some have therefore claimed that President was the founder of Memorial Day. However, Chicago journalist Lloyd Lewis tried to make the case that it was Lincoln's funeral that spurred the soldiers' grave decorating that followed.

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania[] On July 4, 1864, ladies decorated soldiers' graves according to local historians in . Boalsburg promotes itself as the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, no reference to this event existed until the printing of the History of the 148th Pennsylvania Volunteers in 1904. In a footnote to a story about her brother, Mrs. Sophie (Keller) Hall described how she and Emma Hunter decorated the grave of Emma's father, Reuben Hunter. The original story did not account for Reuben Hunter's death occurring two months later on September 19, 1864. It also did not mention Mrs. Elizabeth Myers as one of the original participants. However, a bronze statue of all three women gazing upon Reuben Hunter's grave now stands near the entrance to the Boalsburg Cemetery. Although July 4, 1864 was a Monday, the town now claims that the original decoration was on one of the Sundays in October 1864.

National Decoration Day[] General , who in 1868 issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day"On May 5, 1868, General issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day" to be observed annually and nationwide; he was commander-in-chief of the (GAR), an organization of and for Union Civil War veterans founded in . With his proclamation, Logan adopted the Memorial Day practice that had begun in the Southern states three years earlier. The northern states quickly adopted the holiday. In 1868, memorial events were held in 183 cemeteries in 27 states, and 336 in 1869. One author claims that the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle. According to a White House address in 2010, the date was chosen as the optimal date for flowers to be in bloom in the North.

Michigan state holiday[] Memorial Day, Boston by In 1871, Michigan made "Decoration Day" an official state holiday and by 1890, every northern state had followed suit. There was no standard program for the ceremonies, but they were typically sponsored by the , the women's auxiliary of the , which had 100,000 members. By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been reinterred in 73 national cemeteries, located near major battlefields and thus mainly in the South. The most famous are in Pennsylvania and , near Washington, D.C

Waterloo, New York proclamation[] On May 26, 1966, President designated an "official" birthplace of the holiday by signing the presidential proclamation naming , as the holder of the title. This action followed House Concurrent Resolution 587, in which the 89th Congress had officially recognized that the patriotic tradition of observing Memorial Day had begun one hundred years prior in Waterloo, New York. The village credits druggist and county clerk as the founders of the holiday. Scholars have determined that the Waterloo account is a myth. Snopes and also discredit the Waterloo account.

Early national history[] In April 1865, following , commemorations were widespread. The more than 600,000 soldiers of both sides who died in the Civil War meant that burial and memorialization took on new cultural significance. Under the leadership of women during the war, an increasingly formal practice of decorating graves had taken shape. In 1865, the federal government also began creating the for the Union war dead.

By the 1880s, ceremonies were becoming more consistent across geography as the GAR provided handbooks that presented specific procedures, poems, and Bible verses for local post commanders to utilize in planning the local event. Historian Stuart McConnell reports:

> on the day itself, the post assembled and marched to the local cemetery to decorate the graves of the fallen, an enterprise meticulously organized months in advance to assure that none were missed. Finally came a simple and subdued graveyard service involving prayers, short patriotic speeches, and music ... and at the end perhaps a rifle salute.

Relationship to Confederate Memorial Day[] Main article: in Montgomery, AlabamaIn 1868, some Southern public figures began adding the label "Confederate" to their commemorations and claimed that Northerners had appropriated the holiday. The first official celebration of Confederate Memorial Day as a public holiday occurred in 1874, following a proclamation by the Georgia legislature. By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President . Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture.

The played a key role in using Memorial Day rituals to preserve Confederate culture. Various dates ranging from April 25 to mid-June were adopted in different Southern states. Across the South, associations were founded, many by women, to establish and care for permanent cemeteries for the Confederate dead, organize commemorative ceremonies, and sponsor appropriate monuments as a permanent way of remembering the Confederate dead. The most important of these was the , which grew from 17,000 members in 1900 to nearly 100,000 women by . They were "strikingly successful at raising money to build Confederate monuments, lobbying legislatures and Congress for the reburial of Confederate dead, and working to shape the content of history textbooks."

By 1890, there was a shift from the emphasis on honoring specific soldiers to a public commemoration of the Confederate South. Changes in the ceremony's hymns and speeches reflect an evolution of the ritual into a symbol of cultural renewal and conservatism in the South. By 1913, David Blight argues, the theme of American nationalism shared equal time with the Confederate.

Decoration Day to Memorial Day[] By the 20th century, various Union memorial traditions, celebrated on different days, merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the U.S. military service. Indiana from the 1860s to the 1920s saw numerous debates on how to expand the celebration. It was a favorite lobbying activity of the (GAR). An 1884 GAR handbook explained that Memorial Day was "the day of all days in the G.A.R. Calendar" in terms of mobilizing public support for pensions. It advised family members to "exercise great care" in keeping the veterans sober.

"On Decoration Day" Political cartoon c. 1900 by . Caption: "You bet I'm goin' to be a soldier, too, like my Uncle David, when I grow up."Memorial Day speeches became an occasion for veterans, politicians, and ministers to commemorate the Civil War and, at first, to rehash the "atrocities" of the enemy. They mixed religion and celebratory nationalism for the people to make sense of their history in terms of sacrifice for a better nation. People of all religious beliefs joined together and the point was often made that German and Irish soldiers – ethnic minorities which faced discrimination in the United States – had become true Americans in the "baptism of blood" on the battlefield.

See also: , and In the national capital in 1913 the four-day "Blue-Gray Reunion" featured parades, re-enactments, and speeches from a host of dignitaries, including President , the first Southerner elected to the since the War. of gave the main address. Heflin was a noted orator; his choice as Memorial Day speaker was criticized, as he was opposed for his support of segregation; however, his speech was moderate in tone and stressed national unity and goodwill, gaining him praise from newspapers.

The name "Memorial Day", which was first attested in 1882, gradually became more common than "Decoration Day" after but was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the , which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress's change of date within a few years.

By the early 20th century, the GAR complained more and more about the younger generation. In 1913, one Indiana veteran complained that younger people born since the war had a "tendency ... to forget the purpose of Memorial Day and make it a day for games, races and revelry, instead of a day of memory and tears". Indeed, in 1911 the scheduling of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway car race (later named the ) was vehemently opposed by the increasingly elderly GAR. The state legislature in 1923 rejected holding the race on the holiday. But the new and local officials wanted the big race to continue, so Governor Warren McCray vetoed the bill and the race went on.

Civil religious holiday[] The on Memorial DayMemorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. The (VFW) and (SUVCW) advocated returning to the original date. The VFW stated in 2002:

> Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.

In 2000, Congress passed the Act, asking people to stop and remember at 3:00 pm.

On Memorial Day, the is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

Memorial Day observances in small towns are often marked by dedications and remarks by veterans and politicians.The takes place on the west lawn of the . The concert is broadcast on and . Music is performed, and respect is paid to the people who gave their lives for their country.

Across the United States, the central event is attending one of the thousands of parades held on Memorial Day in large and small cities. Most of these feature marching bands and an overall military theme with the Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard and Veteran service members participating along with military vehicles from various wars.

Scholars, following the lead of sociologist , often make the argument that the United States has a secular "" – one with no association with any religious denomination or viewpoint – that has incorporated Memorial Day as a sacred event. With the Civil War, a new theme of death, sacrifice and rebirth enters the civil religion. Memorial Day gave ritual expression to these themes, integrating the local community into a sense of nationalism. The American civil religion, in contrast to that of France, was never anticlerical or militantly secular; in contrast to Britain, it was not tied to a specific denomination, such as the . The Americans borrowed from different religious traditions so that the average American saw no conflict between the two, and deep levels of personal motivation were aligned with attaining national goals.

Longest observance[] Since 1868 , has held annual Memorial Day parades which it claims to be the nation's oldest continuously running. has also had an ongoing parade since 1868. However, the Memorial Day parade in , predates Doylestown's by one year.

Memorial Day poppies[] Main article: In 1915, following the , Lieutenant Colonel , a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem, "". Its opening lines refer to the fields of poppies that grew among the soldiers' graves in Flanders.

In 1918, inspired by the poem, worker attended a YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference wearing a silk poppy pinned to her coat and distributed over two dozen more to others present. In 1920, the National American Legion adopted it as their official symbol of remembrance.

Observance dates (1971–present)[] YearMemorial Day19711976198219931999200420102021May 3119771983198819942005201120162022May 3019721978198919952000200620172023May 29 19731979198419902001200720122018May 2819741985199119962002201320192024May 2719751980198619972003200820142025May 261981198719921998 2009201520202026May 25Related traditions[] Decoration Day (Appalachia and Liberia)[] Main article: Decoration Days in Southern and are an unbroken tradition which arose by the 19th century. Decoration practices are localized and unique to individual families, cemeteries, and communities, but common elements that unify the various Decoration Day practices are thought to represent of predominantly Christian cultures in 19th century Southern Appalachia with pre-Christian influences from Scotland, Ireland, and African cultures. Appalachian and Liberian cemetery decoration traditions are thought to have more in common with one another than with United States Memorial Day traditions which are focused on honoring the military dead. Appalachian and Liberian cemetery decoration traditions pre-date the United States Memorial Day holiday.

In the United States, cemetery decoration practices have been recorded in the Appalachian regions of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, northern South Carolina, northern Georgia, northern and central Alabama, and northern Mississippi. Appalachian cemetery decoration has also been observed in areas outside Appalachia along routes of westward migration from that region: northern Louisiana, northeastern Texas, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and southern Missouri.

According to scholars Alan and Karen Jabbour, "the geographic spread ... from the Smokies to northeastern Texas and Liberia, offer strong evidence that the southern Decoration Day originated well back in the nineteenth century. The presence of the same cultural tradition throughout the Upland South argues for the age of the tradition, which was carried westward (and eastward to Africa) by nineteenth-century migration and has survived in essentially the same form till the present."

While these customs may have inspired in part rituals to honor military dead like Memorial Day, numerous differences exist between Decoration Day customs and Memorial Day, including that the date is set differently by each family or church for each cemetery to coordinate the maintenance, social, and spiritual aspects of decoration.

In film, literature, and music[] Films[] Music[] Poetry[] Poems commemorating Memorial Day include:

See also[] United States[] Other countries[] References[] Further reading[] External links[] Wikimedia Commons has media related to .Wikiquote has quotations related to: Look up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. has the text of the article . CurrentProposed Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United StatesJanuaryJanuary–FebruaryFebruary

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Contents 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 2020 occurs on Monday, May 25.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. 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.

Early Observances of Memorial Day The , 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.

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.

Did you know? Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 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 Memorial Day commemoration by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the surrendered in 1865. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, , the official .

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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.

Concord/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

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. “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 , as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General made a speech at , and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

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 honor their dead on separate days until after .

Confederate Memorial Day is still celebrated in several states and will be on Sunday, April 26, 2020 in Florida; on Monday, April 27, 2020 in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and on May 11, 2020, in parts of South Carolina. The practice of commemorating the Confederacy became even more controversial after in Charleston in 2015

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 , , and the wars in .

For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date 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 in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

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Memorial Day Traditions Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in , and

Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war—a tradition that . 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.

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Veterans Day is a U.S. legal holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars, and Veterans Day 2020 occurs on Wednesday, November 11. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to

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According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 25 cities and towns—including two named Columbus: one in Mississippi, one in Georgia—claim to have originated Memorial Day in the years immediately before Grand Army of the Republic leader John A. Logan

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History Flashback takes a look at historical “found footage” of all kinds—newsreels, instructional films, even cartoons—to give us a glimpse into how much things have changed, and how much has remained the same. Most Americans eagerly look forward to Memorial Day as the official

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Memorial Day weekend events in the Rochester area | WHEC.com

Memorial Day Facts, Traditions, Meaning, and More By May 19, 2020 Share: Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, 2020. Learn all about Memorial Day, including the true meaning of this day, how it differs from Veterans Day, and why the red poppy is a traditional symbol—with unexpected origins.

When Is Memorial Day 2020? This U.S. federal holiday is observed on the last Monday of May to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military. In 2020, Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 25.

YearMemorial Day2020Monday, May 252021Monday, May 312022Monday, May 30What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day? On both Memorial Day and Veterans Day, it’s customary to spend time remembering and honoring the countless veterans who have served the United States throughout the country’s history. However, there is a distinction between the two holidays:

Remember: Raise the flag with honor and respect! .

Memorial Day Facts and History Traditionally, on Memorial Day (U.S.), people visit cemeteries and memorials, and volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.

The custom of honoring ancestors by cleaning cemeteries and decorating graves is an ancient and worldwide tradition, but the specific origin of Memorial Day—or Decoration Day, as it was first known—is unclear.

In early rural America, this duty was usually performed in late summer and was an occasion for family reunions and picnics. After the Civil War, America’s need for a secular, patriotic ceremony to honor its military dead became prominent, as monuments to fallen soldiers were erected and dedicated, and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers’ graves were held in towns and cities throughout the nation.

After World War I, the day expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.

A Lasting Legacy

No less than 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, and states observed the holiday on different dates. In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday by an act of Congress; it is now celebrated annually on the last Monday in May.

Since it all started with the Civil War, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of this event by visiting the , which includes more than a thousand photographs from the time.

Why Is The Poppy A Symbol of Memorial Day? In the war-torn battlefields of Europe, the common red field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was one of the first plants to reappear. Its seeds scattered in the wind and sat dormant in the ground, only germinating when the ground was disturbed—as it was by the very brutal fighting of World War 1.

John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and physician, witnessed the war first hand and was inspired to write the now-famous poem “In Flanders Fields” in 1915. (See below for the poem.) He saw the poppies scattered throughout the battlefield surrounding his artillery position in Belgium.

The Poppy Lady

In November 1918, days before the official end of the war, an American professor named Moina Michael wrote her own poem, “We Shall Keep the Faith,” which was inspired by McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields.” In her poem (also shown below), she mentioned wearing the “poppy red” to honor the dead, and with that, the tradition of adorning one’s clothing with a single red poppy in remembrance of those killed in the Great War was born. Moina herself came to be known—and honored—as “The Poppy Lady.”

The Symbol Spreads Abroad

The wearing of the poppy was traditionally done on Memorial Day in the United States, but the symbolism has evolved to encompass all veterans living and deceased, so poppies may be worn on as well. Not long after the custom began, it was adopted by other Allied nations, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, where it is still popular today. In these countries, the poppy is worn on Remembrance Day (November 11).

Today, poppies are not only a symbol of loss of life, but also of recovery and new life, especially in support of the servicemen who survived the war but suffered from physical and psychological injuries long after it ended.

Read the text of both poems below, and learn more about the .

“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

“We Shall Keep the Faith”

by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet – to rise anew! We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead. Fear not that ye have died for naught; We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields.

Memorial Day Weekend: The Unofficial Start of Summer Memorial Day tends to mark the unofficial start of summer for many Americans (though the season really begins with the in June).

Wondering what weather to expect this summer? Check out our !

The Best Times to Travel

According to , nearly 43 million Americans are expected to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend for their first vacation of season—about 1.5 million more travelers than last year and the highest amount since 2005.

If you’re looking to get outdoors this weekend, AAA suggests the worst time to travel is late afternoons of both Thursday and Friday (4:45-6:00 PM).Commuters and vacationers will be getting a head start on the three-day holiday weekend.

In metropolitan areas such as New York, Boston, Atlanta, and the nation’s capital, expect congestion to be two to three times greater than usual at peak times during the weekend.

Overall, the best time to travel will be just after the morning commute or after the evening commute, when most people will either be at work or already settled at their destination. So, plan accordingly!

Super Summer Burger. Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner.

Memorial Day Recipes On Memorial Day weekend, we also enjoy the extra time spent with family and friends, sharing a meal.

If you’re planning a backyard barbecue or a picnic, here are some of our favorite meals to feed a crowd:

Find more recipes on our and pages.

Thank You to the Fallen. From everyone here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we would like say thank you to those men and women who paid the ultimate price. We will always remember the sacrifices of our nation’s heroes. We are deeply grateful.

In remembering the fallen, we also honor their loved ones: spouses, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, friends. There really aren’t proper words, but we do live in gratitude each and every day for the precious gift that they have given to us.

How do you honor the memory of veterans on Memorial Day? Tell us your traditions in the comments below.

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Reader Comments Leave a Comment Trump, cowardly inventing some “bone spurs” to avoid the draft, badmouthing Sen McCayn, war heroes, and POWs, “I like ‘em when they don’t get caught.” As a vet, I don’t want that jerk’s profane mouth and tweets smearing Memorial Day!

I was born in 1940 and have vivid childhood memories of Memorial Day. Peonies in our yard were always blooming at that time of year and my mother would cut them and then my whole family would visit graves and leave flowers on them. Some of these graves were military, but most of them were close family members who had passed on. Then, there was a huge military parade -- bands, majorettes and the most inspiring music! These are some of my favorite memories. Fast-forward to today -- my husband recently passed away and I wanted to put some flowers on his grave for Memorial Day. My grown children were dumbfounded and told me we are only to put flowers on deceased veterans' graves. I know for a fact that in years past some of my acquaintances here (Calvert County, MD) were going to visit family graves (taking flowers) on Memorial Day and they were not veterans' graves. FYI - I grew up in Allegany County, MD. Feel like I am caught in a time-warp!

Last few years I visited Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and paid my respects to the brave fallen ones and prayed for their families. I also remember my older brother who served in the US Navy and sponsored me to come live in America. I live 8 hours drive from there and being that we are still under lock-down in many cities I will be home reflecting on each service member who gave his/her life serving our country so we can live free!

I wake up on Memorial Day morning and remember my visit to the Arizona Memorial in pictures revisited of a vacation In Hawaii with my Parents and my Husband on a trip to Oahu in 1998. I have my coffee and put out our American Flag for the neighborhood to see. Half Staff until Noon. I'll post a song by Frank Marino and Mahogny Rush entitled "Stories of a Hero" on my Face Book page. My Husband and I will watch some documentaries and movies on Wars past. I will play "Taps" at sunset. A personal day of remembrance and reflection.

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I am so glad to see this information available on the internet. Many of the youth of our nation are not made aware of the meaning of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. Many people celebrate it because they get a day off from work or school. The sacrifices made by others to allow Americans to live in a wonderful country where freedom and personal rights are protected is the true reason for celebration. It's a lovely sight to see the flags flying in graveyards and in towns across America.

I walk the local Veterans Graveyard to pay my Respect to those who served before me and to hon ou r my father and many others that served our great Nation.

Our tradition is to clean up graves and leave flowers, attend a Memorial service, later we read the Declaration of Independence or Bill of Rights or the military oaths, and watch a war or history documentary. We each give thanks using specific examples of freedom and liberty we cherish or take for granted (and shouldn’t). Many lives were sacrificed in order for us to have our way of living. For us the day is set aside to be a Memorial-to honor and be thankful to all who served.

Ever sense I was young Memorial Day weekend was about going to the cemeteries and putting flowers by the stones for my family. We would pack up in the car travel four hours to my grandparents in Maine and stay the weekend. During our stay we would go to the local cemeteries to place flowers on family I never knew and never met in my early life. We would continue on to travel downeast to my fathers side of the family to place more flowers on family I would never meet in life. As a kid you go never thinking about it other than the wanting to be someplace else, but it did instill a sense of family history in me that continues to today. I still make the trek and still place the flowers, but now I know some of those relatives that are buried there. This gives me the sense of duty to remember them whether they have served in the armed forces or not to keep there memory going of who my family is and was for times to come. I hope all can take some time this weekend to visit and place a flower, say thanks or say prayer to all that have served your family and the country.

I too grew up placing flowers on graves of ancestors, but my mom cleaned the graves regularly and we placed flowers on all holidays. I still do, and will continue to do so until I can no longer drive down. For me, as a kid, it was always serious business, and mom taught us to not walk on graves, etc. I've tried to instill this in my own kids, and hope they are able to continue this tradition of connecting and honoring family history.

I came across this looking for something else. I'm so glad I saw this. I am a veteran and I'm aware that it takes death in order for us to have our freedom. I thank all the veterans that have bought and given their lives for us. I will make sure that all my children know what it means to have our freedom. God Bless America

Hi. I would know on which day was Memorial Day in the State of New York in the year 1968. This piece of information remains ambiguous after the lecture of this dedicated site. In a german book, Thursday, 30th Mai is signed (in a sort of diary held by the protagonist Gesine Cresspahl) as Memorial Day; now is of the utmost importance to me, to know if the Autor (Uwe Johnson; the book: Anniversaries or, in the original unabridged version: Jahrestage) has misplaced or displaced the date of this Celebration. Can anybody help me on this subject? Many thanks in advance.

You may wish to contact the Waterloo, NY, village office. Waterloo was the birthplace of Memorial Day. See here:

Decoration Day was started officially with General John A. Logan's general orders #11 to the members of the Grand Army of the Republic, Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The origin of Memorial Day actually began by slaves who had been freed after the civil war. A mass grave of union soldiers was found. The freed slaves dug them up and gave each on a proper burial and celebrated them for fighting for their freedom with dancing and singing for all to see.

I would love more information about these thoughts. This is the first I’ve ever heard of it. I’m live in and am from Mississippi. I would love to know more.

In the event that the slaves did a gracious thing in burying the Union dead who were not buried properly, that is wonderful. But it's getting a bit weird that as we continue to discredit the founders of this country (i.e. dead white European males) , we find that women and minorities were being documented every day doing so many things. History is history. I appreciate things being discovered but there is an odd proliferation of "new history" while historical realities are forgotten or viewed with disdain. It's a sad thing when a nation has to erase, re-word , eliminate, raise new heroes in order to placate identity politics. When I grew up, I learned about all sorts of good people, of all backgrounds. Quotas were not required.

I agree. As a 60+ year old woman who had children late in life, one still in high school, I think it is not only sad but disgraceful that history is being rewritten, leaving out all the true leaders who built this country. I've even heard about the desire to deface Mt. Rushmore because Jackson had slaves. Folks need to wake up to the fact that slavery wasn't a white American institution. It was world wide, and the folks who initiated the selling of those slaves were from Africa, yep, neighboring tribes. That being said, there were heroes of wars throughout history who aren't PC these days, and unfortunately my children have received a very distorted presentation of "heroes" in their history, while the true heroes are being deleted. My uncle died in WWII, my dad and uncles fought in WWII and did not want to talk about the war, however, my daddy talked of his and other soldiers giving their measly k-ration to starving kids in the war zone. These are HEROES. God bless all of them!

Jackson is not on Mt. Rushmore - you might be thinking of Jefferson. And yes, slavery was indeed a white American institution. And no, the neighboring African tribes did not initiate the selling of their people. White slavers kidnapped them.

I believe memorial day is an important occasion and that's why I have created a blog on it just to create more awareness.

I always assumed Memorial Day was at the end of May. Now I read that Congress set the date as the last Monday in May. Oh well, Congress does what it wants- always has, always will. Next thing you know, they'll change 4th of July.

Hi what good would it be if you just pick any day at the end of the Month most would agree the Last Monday would be the best Time this way Every Friday Saturday Sunday you can enjoy the Weekend together and the Celebrate it on that Monday and as you said you always assumed it was at the end of the Month as an American if you are one you should always know the Day that is for the lost hero's and if you have served as i Salute those lost , Still fighting i will include you . Johnny

I personally wish July 4 would change it's DAY- like this year it's on Wednesday- right in the middle of the week- some people will only get that one day off- as if it was on a Friday or a Monday- it would give people more time to enjoy it- The same goes for Christmas. J/S.

Reaaly Linda?! Sorry our country's birthdate date falling WHENEVER it happens to bothers you. Get over it. That is definitely one holiday that should NEVER be moved. Except to July 2nd when the document was actually signed. Just like we should be celebrating June 21 and not September 17 ( the day it was merely adopted) as Constitution Day because that is the day it was ratified and became law. It should also be a national holiday/

Well stated Mr Nolan. Linda, please consider that these events are not meant just to be your wing-ding party weekend. Maybe you could also consider when your family gets together to celebrate your mothers birthday; I'll bet that date doesn't ALWAYS fall on a Monday or Friday. I'm an Air Force veteran and a member of my Post's "Honor Guard/Drill Team". With my flag in hand I stand fast to these commemorations, not so much their dates; although these dates & their origins are still a big deal.

IF YOU ARE TRAVELING THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND HAPPEN TO BE ON THE EXPRESSWAY OR FREEWAY WHEN YOU TAKE THE OFF RAMP AND SEE A PERSON STANDING THERE WITH A SIGN SAYING WILL WORK FOR FOOD, OR JUST SOMETHING LIKE PLEASE HELP, PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS, THAT PERSON IS PROBABLY A HOMELESS VETERAN, HOW MUCH WOULD IT HURT YOU TO PUT ONE DOLLAR INTO HIS OR HER CAN ??? EVEN IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON IS GOING TO BUY LIQUOR OR DRUGS WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT WON'T ? THE ONES THAT ARE TRYING TO GET FOOD FOR BABIES SOMEWHERE IN CARDBOARD BOX, OR A SHELTER ?, YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR A VETERAN THIS WEEKEND ? GO SPEND A FEW MINUTES OF THIS WEEKEND AT A VA HOSPITAL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW THE VETERAN THE TRUTH IS THEY ARE ALL ONE, AND ANY SHOW OF CONCERN IS AS EFFECTIVE AS THE BEST PAIN MEDICATION, THAT IS SAYING THANKS !!!

Panhandlers should NEVER be given money. There are countless agencies that care for homeless vets. Most of these panhandlers are con men who may make more than you and me. Others are drug addicts and alcoholics who use the money for drugs and alcohol. Panhandlers on roadways cause accidents and shouldn't be encouraged.

it is not up to us what they do with the money. what ever happened to help fellow man? i'll bet you give money to charity so they can take most of it and only give out a little to people in need.

Whenever I see someone with a sign asking for food or work, I always think of that song, What if she's an angel, if I have a little something I always stop and give, what they do with it is up to that person but I feel better knowing that I did my part in helping

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