Memorial day is a  federal holiday were the United States honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S military. The holiday is held on the last Monday of May every year. This year Memorial Day will be on Monday 27th.

Memorial Day was also known as Decoration Day. It was founded in the years following the Civil War. The Civil War ended in the spring of 1865 and took more lives than any conflict in U.S history. This day became an official federal holiday in 1971.

By the late 1860s, the American people in towns and cities started to hold tributes to the fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. Soon in 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York the official birthplace of Memorial Day.

To celebrate Memorial Day, cities and towns across the United States have parades every year. Sometimes they even have the military and the veterans participate too.  Americans also celebrate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear red in remembrance of those who have fallen in war. Many people also take weekend trips, or throw parties and barbecues in honor of Memorial Day.