Memorial Day, declared officially by the United States Congress in 1971 as a national holiday, is observed in the U.S. on the last Monday of May. It is a day on which Americans commemorate the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The observance of this day began soon after the end of the American Civil War and was initially known as Decoration Day—a day when people would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers.

Full text at https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/commentary/memorial-day