Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (most recently observed May 29, 2006). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.
Traditional observance
Many people observe this holiday by visiting
cemeteries and
memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm
Washington time. Another tradition is to fly the
U.S. Flag at
half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place a
U.S. Flag upon each gravesite located in a
National Cemetery.
In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also a time for
picnics, family gatherings, and
sporting events. Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of
summer and
Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season. The national
Click it or ticket campaign ramps up beginning Memorial Day weekend noting the beginning of most dangerous season for auto and other safety related incidents. The
USAF "101 Critical days of summer"
* also begin on this day as well. Some Americans use Memorial Day weekend to also honor any family members who have passed away, not just servicemen. Christian Church services on the Sunday prior to Memorial Day may include a reading of the names of members who have died during the previous twelve months.
Memorial Day formerly occurred on
May 30, and some, such as the
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), advocate returning to this fixed date. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address, "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."
Hawaii's Senator
Daniel Inouye, a veteran of World War II, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional day since 1998.
History
Following the end of the
Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the early cities creating a memorial day include
Charleston, South Carolina;
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania;
Richmond, Virginia;
Carbondale, Illinois; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances eventually coalesced around Decoration Day honoring the Union dead and the several
Confederate Memorial Days.
More on
[ Memorial Day ]
Barbecue and Grilling :: Outdoors
Memorial Day :: Holidays
Memorial Day - Twitter SearchHILLSBOROUGH: Township sets first Veterans Day event:    Each year, on Memorial Day, the township hosts a breakfa... http://bit.ly/2sCYBQHillsBeacon (Hillsborough Beacon) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:20:44 -0000
HILLSBOROUGH: Township sets first Veterans Day event: Â Â Â Each year, on Memorial Day, the township hosts a breakfa... http://bit.ly/2sCYBQ
A gorgeous day for lunch in the park. — at Memorial Park http://gowal.la/s/h7Vmbarilla (Mark Barilla) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:05:12 -0000
A gorgeous day for lunch in the park. — at Memorial Park http://gowal.la/s/h7V
disgusted by lack of guy fawkes in school assembly, just a tiny bit of fire safety then a reading about memorial day. Next weeks closer!Four_Fifty_Nine (Joseph Davies) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:57:04 -0000
disgusted by lack of guy fawkes in school assembly, just a tiny bit of fire safety then a reading about memorial day. Next weeks closer!
#astia 3rd best venture horse race season is between Spring Break and Memorial Dayophiesay (Sophia Chiang) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:56:02 -0000
#astia 3rd best venture horse race season is between Spring Break and Memorial Day
The police were checking twitter accounts the day of MJ's memorial ?!?! Randy says the city way over estimated turnout #bb_tourKatieForte (Katie Vance Forte) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:46:46 -0000
The police were checking twitter accounts the day of MJ's memorial ?!?! Randy says the city way over estimated turnout #bb_tour
News of the Day : Judge tells now famous student he could be jailed for urinating over war memorial http://bit.ly/2TxhFjHagendazz (Younilife.com) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:32:27 -0000
News of the Day : Judge tells now famous student he could be jailed for urinating over war memorial http://bit.ly/2TxhFj
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Holidayrecipes.com - A collection of Memorial Day recipes from Allrecipes.com.
Meta Description: [ Ideas and recipes for a Memorial Day barbeque. ]
Mark Bittman's Memorial Day Grilling Tips - Grilled pizza, grilled fruit with ginger syrup, grilled lamb with herbs.
Memorial Day - Recipes for a spinach pie, spreads, salads, and lemon cake, which have points assigned, based on a popular weight loss program.
Memorial Day Alternative Recipes - Fish, turkey, and side dishes suitable for Memorial Day cookout.
Memorial Day Cookout - Cookout menu for Memorial Day weekend in Texas.
Meta Description: [ A complete Memorial Day cookout using outdoor grilling and cooking. ]
Memorial Day Entertaining - Menus, grilling tips and suggestions.
Meta Description: [ Start planning your Memorial Day entertaining with the menus, grilling tips and other ideas that can be found on these pages. ]
Memorial Day Grilled Chicken on White Bean Salad - TV recipe.
Meta Description: [ 100s of recipes from famous chefs on the cooking segment of the Channel 5 Eyewitness News at Noon. ]
Memorial Day Picnic Menu - Detailed menu with recipes for a crowd.
Memorial Day Texas-style - Menus and recipes for noted Texan chefs.
Meta Description: [ Recipes, food, chefs, spring recipes, fruit, vegetables, soups, salads, David Sellers, Santacafé, Jean-Marie Josselin, A Pacific Café, Oahu, Hawaiian chefs, Hawaiian recipes, Alan Wong, Alan Wong's Restaurant, René Bajeux, Windsor Court Hotel, Louisiana recipes, Louisiana chefs, John Folse, Lafit... ]
Preschool Education Snacks - Memorial Day - Simple snack to make for Memorial Day.