5 things to know about Memorial Day, including its evolution and controversies (2024)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.

But for people such as Manuel Castañeda Jr., the day is very personal. He lost his father, a U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam, in an accident in 1966 in California while his father was training other Marines.

“It isn’t just the specials. It isn’t just the barbecue,” Castañeda told The Associated Press in a discussion about Memorial Day last year.

Castañeda also served in the Marines and Army National Guard, from which he knew men who died in combat. But he tries not to judge others who spend the holiday differently: “How can I expect them to understand the depth of what I feel when they haven’t experienced anything like that?”

1. WHY IS MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATED?

It’s a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. military, according to the Congressional Research Service. The holiday is observed in part by the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. for a moment of silence.

2. WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OR MEMORIAL DAY?

The holiday stems from the American Civil War, which killed more than 600,000 service members — both Union and Confederate — between 1861 and 1865.

There’s little controversy over the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day. It occurred May 30, 1868, after an organization of Union veterans called for decorating war graves with flowers, which were in bloom.

The practice was already widespread on a local level. Waterloo, New York, began a formal observance on May 5, 1866, and was later proclaimed to be the holiday’s birthplace.

Yet Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, traced its first observance to October 1864, according to the Library of Congress. And women in some Confederate states were decorating graves before the war’s end.

David Blight, a Yale history professor, points to May 1, 1865, when as many as 10,000 people, many of them Black, held a parade, heard speeches and dedicated the graves of Union dead in Charleston, South Carolina.

A total of 267 Union troops had died at a Confederate prison and were buried in a mass grave. After the war, members of Black churches buried them in individual graves.

“What happened in Charleston does have the right to claim to be first, if that matters,” Blight told The Associated Press in 2011.

In 2021, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel cited the story in a Memorial Day speech in Hudson, Ohio. The ceremony’s organizers turned off his microphone because they said it wasn’t relevant to honoring the city’s veterans. The event’s organizers later resigned.

3. HAS MEMORIAL DAY ALWAYS BEEN A SOURCE OF CONTENTION?

Someone has always lamented the holiday’s drift from its original meaning.

As early as 1869, The New York Times wrote that the holiday could become “sacrilegious” and no longer “sacred” if it focuses more on pomp, dinners and oratory.

In 1871, abolitionist Frederick Douglass feared Americans were forgetting the Civil War’s impetus — enslavement — when he gave a Decoration Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery.

“We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves between the nation and the nation’s destroyers,” Douglass said.

His concerns were well-founded, said Ben Railton, a professor of English and American studies at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. Even though roughly 180,000 Black men served in the Union Army, the holiday in many communities would essentially become “white Memorial Day,” especially after the rise of the Jim Crow South, Railton told the AP in 2023.

Meanwhile, how the day was spent — at least by the nation’s elected officials — could draw scrutiny for years after the Civil War. In the 1880s, then-President Grover Cleveland was said to have gone fishing — and “people were appalled,” Matthew Dennis, an emeritus history professor at the University of Oregon, told the AP last year.

By 1911, the Indianapolis 500 held its inaugural race on May 30, drawing 85,000 spectators. A report from The Associated Press made no mention of the holiday — or any controversy.

4. HOW HAS MEMORIAL DAY CHANGED?

Dennis said Memorial Day’s potency diminished somewhat with the addition of Armistice Day, which marked World War I’s end on Nov. 11, 1918. Armistice Day became a national holiday by 1938 and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

An act of Congress changed Memorial Day from every May 30th to the last Monday in May in 1971. Dennis said the creation of the three-day weekend recognized that Memorial Day had long been transformed into a more generic remembrance of the dead, as well as a day of leisure.

In 1972, Time Magazine said the holiday had become “a three-day nationwide hootenanny that seems to have lost much of its original purpose.”

5. WHY IS MEMORIAL DAY TIED TO SALES AND TRAVEL?

Even in the 19th century, grave ceremonies were followed by leisure activities such as picnicking and foot races, Dennis said.

The holiday also evolved alongside baseball and the automobile, the five-day work week and summer vacation, according to the 2002 book “A History of Memorial Day: Unity, Discord and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

In the mid-20th century, a small number of businesses began to open defiantly on the holiday.

Once the holiday moved to Monday, “the traditional barriers against doing business began to crumble,” authors Richard Harmond and Thomas Curran wrote.

These days, Memorial Day sales and traveling are deeply woven into the nation’s muscle memory.

Jason Redman, a retired Navy SEAL who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the AP last year that he honors the friends he’s lost. Thirty names are tattooed on his arm “for every guy that I personally knew that died.”

He wants Americans to remember the fallen — but also to enjoy themselves, knowing lives were sacrificed to forge the holiday.

5 things to know about Memorial Day, including its evolution and controversies (2024)

FAQs

What are 5 Memorial Day facts? ›

Here are some interesting and surprising facts about Memorial Day.
  • Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day.
  • Memorial Day is said to have began as a Southern holiday, celebrating African American Freedom.
  • The holiday was not official until 1968.
  • It wasn't always celebrated on the last Monday in May.
19 hours ago

What is the evolution of Memorial Day? ›

An act of Congress changed Memorial Day from every May 30th to the last Monday in May in 1971. Dennis said the creation of the three-day weekend recognized that Memorial Day had long been transformed into a more generic remembrance of the dead, as well as a day of leisure.

Is Memorial Day controversial? ›

The holiday stems from the American Civil War, which killed more than 600,000 service members — both Union and Confederate — between 1861 and 1865. There's little controversy over the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day.

What Memorial Day is really about? ›

The story of an American who died in service to his country. The United States has fought twelve major wars and numerous smaller skirmishes in its history. Memorial Day is how we honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, airwomen, marines, and coast guardsmen who did not return home.

Why is Memorial Day the deadliest holiday? ›

During this holiday weekend, there is an increase in accidents because the roads are overcrowded. With less room to react and maneuver around potential roadway hazards, traffic congestion can result in serious collisions.

What happens at 3 on Memorial Day? ›

The National Moment of Remembrance is an annual event that asks Americans, wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.

What is Memorial Day originally called? ›

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. Since 1971, it is observed on the last Monday of May.

Why is Memorial Day important? ›

Memorial Day began as a way to honor those who died in the Civil War and has become a day to honor all American veterans who gave their lives in sacrifice to our nation. Learn more about its history in the Pieces of History blog from the National Archives History Office.

Is Memorial Day only for fallen soldiers? ›

Memorial Day honors those who have died in military service, while Veterans Day in November honors all veterans living and dead. After the 2022 elections, NCSL identified at least 748 military veterans serving in the legislatures of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the five U.S. territories.

What is the most controversial holiday? ›

Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, is one of the most inconsistently celebrated U.S. holidays.

Why is it inappropriate to say Happy Memorial Day? ›

“Memorial Day is a day off work, it's the start of summer, it's a time for celebration, but for anybody who's lost a loved one at war, it's one of the worst days of the year, aside from the day that they were killed,” Greene said.

What not to say on Memorial Day? ›

And not everyone agrees on the proper greeting for Memorial Day. Most people say “Happy Memorial Day” or they will take to social media to thank veterans for their service. But many veterans say this makes them uncomfortable because it's not about them.

What are three facts about Memorial Day? ›

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It was established on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. It was designated to fall on May 30, when flowers are in bloom.

What is the month of May known for? ›

April showers bring May flowers, as they say. What else is the month of May known for? Cinco de May (May 5), Mother's Day (May 12), and the federal holiday Memorial Day (May 27) are May holidays you probably already know. But do did you know about National Cherry Cobbler Day (May 17) or Lucky Penny Day (May 23)?

Why is Memorial Day special? ›

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. Since 1971, it is observed on the last Monday of May.

What happened at the end of 5 days at Memorial? ›

Rider, confident in the case, comes to Pou's house and arrests her for the murder of four of the patients. Renowned forensic experts conclude that multiple patient deaths were homicides, but prosecutors with the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office - which now has jurisdiction in the case against Dr.

Is Five Days at Memorial based on facts? ›

'Five Days at Memorial' explores systemic bias after Katrina : NPR. 'Five Days at Memorial' explores systemic bias after Katrina Executive producer, writer and director John Ridley says he tried to take an unbiased view of this new Apple+ drama based on what actually happened.

Why is Memorial Day important for kids? ›

It is a day to remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives while serving in the armed forces. For many, it is also a day to honor family and friends who have died.

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