When was decoration day called memorial day

In , the head of an organization of Union veterans Maj. John A. Logan established Decoration Day as a way for the nation to honor the graves of those who died in the Civil War with flowers, according to the U.

Veterans Affairs Department. The 30th day of May, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

On July 2nd, , the Continental Congress Memorial Day and its traditions may have ancient roots. The ancient Greeks and May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia.

Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. Memorial Day. Flashback: Memorial Day - A Memorial Day Tribute. On June 19th, by joint resolution, U. Congress authorized and directed the Secratary of War to accept a tablet commemorating the designation of May 30th as Memorial Day.

At that time Memorial Day was made a National Holiday and changed from honoring those who died fighting just the Civil War to honoring all Americans who died fighting in all our wars.

Since Memorial Day is now celebrated by law on the last Monday in May. Union Cemetery does that. That dramatic finale to the event involves an explosive charge, which is set off under an anvil that goes flying into the air, sometimes setting off alarms on cars parked on adjacent Woodside Road.

Memorial Day, the May holiday formerly called Decoration Day, once drew thousands to cemeteries across the nation to pay their respects at the graves of Civil War veterans. Union Cemetery is a grim reminder of that cataclysmic struggle.

The eastern end of the cemetery features a Grand Army of the Republic plot that has 46 headstones atop the graves of Union army veterans, their final resting place guarded by a statue of a Union soldier.