Why We Observe Memorial Day in May

Inspired by the centuries-old tradition of decorating graves with flowers, Memorial Day has its beginnings in the aftermath of the Civil War. Today, the observance takes place on the last Monday in May to honor those who have died during military service.

The History of Memorial Day

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan of the Grand Army Republic (an organization of Union veterans) issued General Orders No. 11, designating May 30 as a day “of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves” of soldiers who were killed during the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, the date was chosen to ensure the availability of “the choicest flowers of springtime.”

There’s much debate about this, but Boalsburg, Pennsylvania claims to be the site of the first Decoration Day observance in 1864. New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a holiday in 1873. All Union states followed suit by 1890. Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 to designate the last Monday in May as Memorial Day, calling on the people of the United States to remember fallen soldiers and pray for permanent peace. It officially went into effect in 1971.

Memorial Day Events in Pittsburgh