Evolution Into a Federal Holiday
Gradually, Decoration Day came to be known as Memorial Day. That’s reflected in the 1887 law that Congress passed declaring ‘“Memorial” or “Decoration Day”’ to be a holiday for all government employees. The next year, the legislature passed another law making the occasion a holiday for everyone in Washington, D.C.
Memorial Day 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. This grew to include fallen soldiers from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the mid-20th century, Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower followed the lead of earlier commanders-in-chief by issuing proclamations that encouraged Americans to observe Memorial Day, which was still not a national holiday. In 1950, Truman called for Memorial Day to “henceforth be dedicated also as a day for Nation-wide prayer for permanent peace.” He also initiated an hour of prayer, focused on promoting peace, to begin at 11 a.m. EDT on the unofficial holiday.
Finally, in 1971, Memorial Day became a federal holiday across the country thanks to a law Congress had passed two and a half years earlier.
Did you know?
Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.
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 take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.
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 began with a World War I poem.
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.