Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring the military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. But for many Memorial Day is nothing more than a day off of work when you hang out with your friends and family, have a cookout, and drink beer to excess. For others, Memorial Day is a day on which those who died in active U.S. military services to their country are remembered, some go to the cemetery to honor and mourn those that they love, while others have a more private reflection, that often includes a toast to remember the fallen. It’s not to be confused with Veterans Day, which celebrates the service of U.S. military veterans, or with Armed Forces Day, which honors men and women currently in service. Many volunteers place an American flag on the graves of military personnel in national cemeteries.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States. It is traditionally observed on May 30 but is now officially observed on the last Monday in May.