Memorial day for most americans is a day set aside to honor fallen american veterans but the.
Decoration day vs memorial day. The calendar reads memorial day but in parts of the rural south residents know it as decoration day. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on memorial day to honor and. Memorial day is observed on the last monday of may. Memorial day previously but now seldom called decoration day is a federal holiday in the united states for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the united states armed forces.
Whether it is dinner on the grounds and family barbecues decorating a cemetery with flowers and flags or the singing of gospel tunes and playing taps on a trumpet. The holiday is now observed on the last monday of may having been observed on may 30 from 1868 to 1970. Until 1971 it was known as decoration day in reference to the decoration of graves. The first celebration was on november 11 1919 to commemorate the end of world war i.
Memorial day was first called decoration day and was established after the civil war as a day for.