Memorial Day is celebrated every year in remembrance of the Americans who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This federal holiday is annually observed on the last Monday of May. This year, it will be held on May 30.

Common practices on Memorial Day include sharing memories of those who have passed away fighting for their country and visiting the graves of deceased loved ones. Americans also visit memorials and watch parades. Furthermore, from dawn to noon, the American flag is commonly flown at half-staff on Memorial Day.

Locally, people might put flags on graves of deceased military, including at the cemetery on Union Street or at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon at 5810 Midway Road. For those interested in organizing an event or simply sharing flags on their own, check out https://www.militaryveteranproject.org/flagsforward.html.

Up until 1882, Memorial Day was called Declaration Day, a holiday for honoring soldiers that died in the Civil War. Both sides (the North and the former Confederate South) held celebrations on different dates, but the holidays generally occurred in May. The holiday was initially celebrated anywhere from late-April to mid-June in the South while Declaration Day was first observed in the North on May 30, 1868.

As the arrival of the twentieth century approached, the holiday began to commemorate Americans who had passed away in any war. Federal law gave Memorial Day its official name in 1967.