What is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day honours the men and women of the United States armed forces who died while serving. It is distinct from Veterans Day in November, which honours all who served, living or dead. Traditional observances include visiting cemeteries and memorials, placing flags and flowers on graves, and parades in towns across the country. At Arlington National Cemetery volunteers place a small flag on each grave, and the President traditionally lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
By custom the flag is flown at half-staff until noon and then raised to full height. In 2000 Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, asking Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time. The weekend is also regarded as the unofficial start of summer, with barbecues and the opening of swimming pools, and the Indianapolis 500 motor race is run on the Sunday. Red paper poppies, a custom inspired by the First World War poem In Flanders Fields, are distributed by veterans' groups.
Why it is observed
The holiday began after the Civil War as Decoration Day, when communities decorated the graves of soldiers. Several places claim to be its birthplace. On 5 May 1868 General John A. Logan, the head of the Union veterans' organisation the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a national day of remembrance on 30 May, and the first was held that year. After the First World War the commemoration was extended to those killed in all American wars. Memorial Day became the official federal name in 1967, and the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the date from 30 May to the last Monday in May from 1971.
How the date is set
Memorial Day in the United States is the last Monday of May, so it falls between 25 and 31 May.
How it is observed
Memorial Day is a federal holiday. Federal offices, the stock markets, banks, post offices and schools are closed, and many private employers give the day off. Many shops stay open, often with sales, and parades and ceremonies take place in the morning. The long weekend is one of the busiest of the year for road and air travel. Public transport often runs a reduced timetable, and there is no mail delivery. Pay, premium rates and time off depend on the employer, the state and the contract.
Sources
United States