Each year, Memorial Day provides Americans with the opportunity to spend a three-day weekend honoring those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. Because the holiday always takes place on a Monday, you can do just that.
By 1865, the American Civil War had left the nation in ruins. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, head of a Union veterans’ group, declared a national day of remembrance. He picked May 30 since no battle occurred that day. People decorated soldiers’ graves with flowers and tokens to honor their sacrifice.
“Travel organizations had pushed for three-day weekends since the 1950s. They finally got employee unions on board. Federal employee unions agreed to. Overall, there was wide support that it would be good for business,” Mittelstadt told TIME in 2016.
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was implemented in 1971, and we’ve been celebrating Memorial Day on a Monday ever since.
When Is Memorial Day 2025?
This year, Memorial Day will be celebrated on Monday, May 26. Next year, it will occur on Monday, May 25, 2026.
Why Is Memorial Day a Holiday?
By the time the American Civil War ended in 1865, every corner of the country had suffered heavy losses. Communities began honoring fallen soldiers. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, head of a Union veterans’ foundation, declared a national day of remembrance. He chose May 30 because no battle had occurred on that day. People were asked to decorate soldiers’ graves with flowers and tokens to honor their sacrifice.
“Decoration Day,” as Logan called it, caught on, and every northern state had made it an official holiday by 1890. According to History.com, the southern states also celebrated Decoration Day, but the exact date varied by state.
After World War I, Decoration Day assumed a broader significance: instead of commemorating the Civil War specifically, people began to use the holiday as an opportunity to pay their respects to fallen soldiers from any U.S. conflict. As TIME reports, the holiday was officially renamed “Memorial Day” in 1967, and it became a federal holiday with the ratification of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act the following year.
What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?
Veterans Day also honors citizens who have served in the military, but the history behind the holiday differs significantly from that of Memorial Day. The first Veterans Day was observed on November 11, 1919, to commemorate the first anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. It was initially called “Armistice Day,” but President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially renamed it “Veterans Day” in 1954 to clarify that the holiday was meant to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I.
The nature of the celebration is a little different, too. Since Memorial Day is specific to soldiers who died while fighting for their country, the holiday has a more sober tone than Veterans Day, which celebrates both still-living veterans and those who have passed away.
