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Memorial Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the American holiday. For other uses, see Memorial Day (disambiguation).
Memorial Day | |
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The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are decorated by U.S. flags on Memorial Day weekend. | |
Type | National |
Date | Last Monday in May |
2011 date | May 30 |
2012 date | May 28 |
2013 date | May 27 |
Observances | Remembrance of American war dead |
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May.[1] Formerly known asDecoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. (Southern ladies organizations and southern schoolchildren had decorated Confederate graves in Richmond and other cities during the Civil War, but each region had its own date. Most dates were in May.) By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.[2] As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season