What is "memorial day"

Memorial \Me*mo"ri*al\, a. [F. m['e]morial, L. memorialis, fr. memoria. See Memory.]

1. Serving to preserve remembrance; commemorative; as, a memorial building.

   There high in air, memorial of my name, Fix the smooth oar, and bid me live to fame.
   --Pope.

2. Contained in memory; as, a memorial possession.

3. Mnemonic; assisting the memory.

   This succession of Aspirate, Soft, and Hard, may be expressed by the memorial word ASH.
   --Skeat.

   Memorial Day. See Memorial Day in the vocabulary. Also called {Decoration Day}. [U.S.]

Memorial Day \Me*mo"ri*al Day\

1. A day, originally May 30, appointed for commemorating, by decorating their graves with flowers, by patriotic exercises, etc., the dead soldiers and sailors who served the Civil War (1861-65) in the United States; Also called Decoration Day. It is a legal holiday in most of the States. In the Southern States, the Confederate Memorial Day is: May 30 in Virginia; April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in North Carolina and South Carolina; the second Friday in May in Tennessee; June 3 in Louisiana. [U. S.]

2. A day designated for commemoration of all of the war dead of the United States, clebrated on the last Monday in May in most states. It supersedes the original Memorial Day celebrated May 30th.

Decoration Day \Decoration Day\ a day, May 30, originally appointed for decorating with flowers the graves of the Union soldiers and sailors, who fell in the Civil War in the United States; -- now called Memorial Day, and established as the last Monday in May, and designated as a day for commemorating those who died in all wars of the United States. [U. S.]

used in a general sense is from 1830s; as a specific holiday commemorating U.S. war dead (originally Northern soldiers killed in the Civil War) it began informally in late 1860s. officially from 1869 among veterans' organizations.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. The holiday, which is observed every year on the last Monday of May, originated as Decoration Day after the American Civil War in 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans founded in Decatur, Illinois, established it as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union war dead with flowers. By the 20th century, competing Union and Confederate holiday traditions, celebrated on different days, had merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service. It marks the start of the unofficial summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many people place American flags on each grave in national cemeteries.

Annual Decoration Days for particular cemeteries are held on a Sunday in late spring or early summer in some rural areas of the American South, notably in the mountain areas. In cases involving a family graveyard where remote ancestors as well as those who were deceased more recently are buried, this may take on the character of an extended family reunion to which some people travel hundreds of miles. People gather on the designated day and put flowers on graves and renew contacts with relatives and others. There often is a religious service and a picnic-like "dinner on the grounds," the traditional term for a potluck meal at a church. It is believed that this practice began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the "memorial day" idea.

Memorial Day is not to be confused with Veterans Day; Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans.

Memorial Day has been observed annually since July 1st 1917 to recall the losses of approximately 700 soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment from the Dominion of Newfoundland at Beaumont-Hamel during the Battle of the Somme of the First World War. Since the induction of Newfoundland into Canada in 1949, "Memorial Day" has been amalgamated to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces of the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador in times of war. It is observed concurrently with Canada's national holiday, Canada Day.

Memorial Day is the debut album released by rapper, Full Blooded. It was released on December 1, 1998 through No Limit Records and was produced by Beats By the Pound. Memorial Day proved to be one of No Limit's most unsuccessful releases, as it only made it to #112 on the Billboard 200, #20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #1 in the Top Heatseekers selling 5,320 copies its first week. After this album's failure, Full Blooded released one independent album entitled Untamed before disappearing from the music business. As of 2002, the album had sold 12,851 copies.

The South Korean (officially the Republic of Korea) Memorial Day ( Korean: 현충일 , Hyeonchung-il) is held every June 6 to commemorate the men and women who died while in military service during the Korean War and other significant wars or battles.

On this day, a memorial ceremony is held in the National Cemetery in Seoul, first started in 1956. At 10 a.m. on Memorial Day, a siren rings all over the country, and people have silent prayers for one minute. The South Korean flag is flown at half-staff.

Memorial Day is Vince Flynn's sixth novel, and the fifth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American CIA agent that works for the counterterrorism unit "Orion Team".

Memorial Day is an war drama directed by Joseph Sargent in 1983. Mike Farrell stars as an attorney who finds himself at the center of a surprise reunion with the veterans of his platoon from the Vietnam War, including Robert Walden and Edward Herrmann. The reunion stirs up painful memories and disturbing secrets for all involved.

Memorial Day is an American holiday.

Memorial Day can also refer to the following articles:

Memorial Day is a 2012 war film starring James Cromwell, Jonathan Bennett and John Cromwell, directed by Sam Fischer and written by Marc Conklin.

Memorial Day (also known as Memorial Day Killer) is a 1999 horror film directed by Christopher Alender, and written by Marcos Gabriel.