Memorial Day 2019

Memorial Day

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For other uses, see Memorial Day (disambiguation).

See also: Decoration Day (disambiguation)

Memorial Day (previously, but now seldom, called Decoration Day^[1]) is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.^[2] The holiday is now observed on the last Monday of May, having been observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.^[3]

Memorial Day
The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are decorated by U.S. flags on Memorial Day weekend in 2008.
Official name	Memorial Day
Observed by	Americans
Type	National
Observances	U.S. military personnel that died in service
Date	Last Monday in May
2019 date	May 27
2020 date	May 25
2021 date	May 31
2022 date	May 30
Frequency	Annual

The Tomb of the Unknowns located in Arlington National Cemetery

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day to honor and mourn those who died while serving in the U.S. Military. Many volunteers place an American flag on graves of military personnel in national cemeteries.

Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial start of summer in the United States,^[4] while Labor Day, the first Monday of September, marks the unofficial start of autumn.

Two other days celebrate those who have served or are serving in the U.S. military: Veterans Day, which honors those who have served in the United States Armed Forces,^[5] and Armed Forces Day, an unofficial U.S. holiday (earlier in May) for honoring those currently serving in the armed forces.