Why does the US celebrate Memorial Day today, May 27? Who started it? Origin and meaning

The United States has a total of eleven holidays at the federal level, including Memorial Day. This celebration takes place on the last Monday in May, which means that, in 2024, the holiday falls on the 27th.

Memorial Day is one of the most popular holidays in the country since, informally, it marks the beginning of the summer holidays with the first long weekend of the season, so various stores and businesses take advantage of the opportunity to offer tantilizing deals and big discounts, but what is the true meaning of Memorial Day? Below, we’ll share its origin and why it is celebrated in the USA.

What is the meaning of Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to commemorate all those members of the United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in battle, serving their country. This holiday should not be confused with Veterans’ Day, since the Memorial pays tribute to all soldiers who, unfortunately, died in combat, while Veterans celebrates the living soldiers who went to war.

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Why does the USA celebrate Memorial Day today, May 27? Origin

According to various historians, there are several versions about the origin of Memorial Day, previously known as Decoration Day.

The first version dates back to 1865, when a group of 10,000 people paraded to the graves of deceased soldiers in Charleston, South Carolina; while the second to 1868, when another group of veterans gathered to decorate the graves of the falling soldiers. For its part, Waterloo, New York, proclaimed itself the place of origin of the celebration given that on May 5, 1866, their fallen soldiers were observed there.

So, who started Memorial Day?

Whatever the true origin of the commemoration, it was not until 1888 that Memorial Day was observed nationwide because a large number of government employees were members of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union Civil War Veterans participating in Memorial Day ceremonies.

Since participating in these types of ceremonies meant the economic loss of a work day, Congress proclaimed Memorial Day as a holiday, marking its celebration every May 30. However, in 1971, the same organization modified the day of celebration to the last Monday in May.