CELEBRATIONS
Why is Veterans Day being observed on Friday?
The federal holiday will be the day before the actual day of rememberance due to how federal holidays work on weekends.
As always, Veterans Day will be officially celebrated on 11 November. This date one 2023 will fall on a Saturday.
A national memorial ceremony is held every year at Arlington National Cemetery, where over 400,000 people - most of whom served in the armed forces - are buried. The service, which begins at 11 am ET, includes the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument dedicated to members of the US military whose remains have not been identified.
However, as the day falls on that Saturday, the federal holiday will instead be moved to the previous day, Friday 10 November.
Government offices and federal institutions will be closed on Friday. This includes things like post offices, federal courts, and government-run facilities. It’s also a day off for federal employees, so you’ll find many of them enjoying a break. Some businesses may also choose to close or offer special holiday hours, but that’s not a universal rule.
The history of Veteran’s Day
Veterans Day’s origins can be traced back to the end of World War I. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, an armistice, or a temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany, effectively ending the fighting in World War I.
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed 11 November as Armistice Day, officially recognising the end of fighting.
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” Wilson proclaimed.
19 years later, in 1938, it was made a federal holiday.
After World War II and the Korean War, the holiday’s name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to include veterans of all wars and conflicts. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed this legislation into law.