Los Angeles CA
5-30-2022 10:12am

Happy Memorial Day

Learn some interesting facts about Memorial Day.

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. Some of the largest parades in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear a red poppy to remember 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 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.

READ MORE: 8 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day

Watch military documentaries on HISTORY Vault

One of the Earliest Memorial Day Ceremonies Was Held by Formerly Enslaved People

Photo Gallery

On Memorial Day, a uniformed U.S. soldier plants American flags at gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on May 30, 1994.

" data-full-height="1333" data-full-src="

" data-full-width="2000" data-image-id="ci0283aa8020082458" data-image-slug="GettyImages-612537080" data-public-id="MTgxMTc1ODQ2MTU1OTIwNDcy" data-source-name="Mark Reinstein/Corbis/Getty Images" style="box-sizing: border-box;">A sign reads "Welcome to Waterloo N.Y." The U.S. federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day for starting the tradition of Memorial Day services in 1866.

" data-full-height="1338" data-full-src="

Article Title

Memorial Day

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

Access Date

May 30, 2022

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

May 16, 2022

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009

Editor, SideBar.

HISTORY.COM EDITORS shared this information and photos, the information has not been updated except to add an article, punctuation, and grammar.

Anita Johnson-Brown, Editor

More News from Los Angeles
I'm interested
I disagree with this
This is unverified
Spam
Offensive