What Does Memorial Day Signify? All About the Military Holiday
The annual federal holiday is intended to serve as a day of remembrance for those who died while serving in the U.S. military
It's generally advised not to wish people a "Happy" Memorial DayMemorial Day 2025, which takes place on the last Monday in May every year, falls on May 26, 2025.
Over the years, Memorial Day has come to symbolize the first weekend of summer, but its meaning far exceeds the summer vibe. Memorial Day is an annual federal United States holiday that is dedicated to mourning and honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
The holiday, which was established in 1868, is intended for families, friends and others to pay tribute to fallen service members. Oftentimes, volunteers place American flags in cemeteries to honor their lives. There are over 150 national cemeteries —including Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Cemetery — across the country that will sport thousands of American flags every Memorial Day.
In addition to Memorial Day, there is also Armed Forces Day, celebrating current military members on the third Saturday in May, and Veterans Day, honoring all veterans on Nov. 11 every year.
Unlike Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day, it's generally discouraged to wish people a "Happy" Memorial Day, because it is a day of remembrance.
Here's everything to know about Memorial Day.
Memorial Day descends from the Southern tradition of "Decoration Day," when families traveled to the cemeteries where their ancestors were interred to place flowers on their graves, per Decoration Day in the Mountains. Often, large groups of extended families made the trip, religious ceremonies took place and food was served.
Decoration Day used to reflect the cycles of farm life, taking place in late summer when farm work was lightest or in autumn after the seasonal harvest. (Some areas would also observe it on Sundays to coincide with church services.)
According to a website dedicated to the holiday, Memorial Day — as we know it — was established on May 5, 1868, when Grand Army of the Republic (a Civil War veteran organization) General John A. Logan, the GAR's first commander-in-chief, declared May 30 to be Memorial Day and called on the GAR's membership to make it an annual occurrence.
Some hold that the day was observed because it was the anniversary of a specific battle. In 2010, President Barack Obama's Memorial Day speech (via Associated Press) referenced the date being chosen because it was when flowers were optimally in bloom for decorating graves.
Memorial Day as a national holiday did not become common until after World War II and wasn't even designated as the holiday's official name until 1967. The following year, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved Memorial Day from its fixed date (along with three other holidays) to the last Monday in May.
The law went into action on the federal level in 1971; within a few years, all 50 states adopted the change.
Memorial Day is not — as Veterans Day is — a blanket remembrance of those who have served in the nation's armed forces, according to VA's 2023 Veterans Day Teacher Guide. It is specifically designated to honor those who have died while serving, and because of its gradual erosion into a "start of summer" celebration, several organizations and individuals advocate for the return of the holiday to May 30, including both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
The late former Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, introduced a Congressional measure to return Memorial Day to May 30 in 1987 and continued to do so every year until his death in 2012.
In 1999, he wrote, "Mr. President, in our effort to accommodate many Americans by making the last Monday in May Memorial Day, we have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation. Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer."
Writing on the now-defunct Listserv in 2013, U.S. Marine Tony Bundschuh elaborated on the idea: "There is a difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Veterans Day is the one where we give thanks to all that [sic] have served, but Memorial Day is supposed to be a somber day set aside for remembrance of those that [sic] have died serving their country. It is not a happy day."
In December 2000, a resolution for a National Moment of Remembrance was passed, which calls for all Americans to "voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect" at 3 p.m. local time.
Alternatively, people can also donate money to one of the many organizations that support families of combat-wounded or killed veterans or veterans themselves, like Hope for the Warriors, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society or Homes for Our Troops.
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