Memorial Day History, How Newton Remembers: 5 Things To Know

NEWTON, MA — Memorial Day is a holiday people throughout Newton and across America look forward to every year as the start of summer.

It also gives people a chance to look back, as the final Monday in May is a day to remember all American lives lost during military service.

Here are five things to know about the history of Memorial Day:

1. It Was Originally Called Decoration Day: Remembering veterans who died while in military service in late May dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. Logan called it “Decoration Day,” which it was known as for several years. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, History.com reported, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

2. Local Services: Memorial Day traditions in Newton date back decades.

On Sunday, May 30 the American Legion Post 440 and several others will sponsor Nonantum Memorial Day observance that will begin at 9 a.m. at the Richard J. Forte Park. There will be a ceremony at 10 a.m. at Colett-Magni Park and several others:

Traditional parades have been canceled this year, but the annual wreath laying ceremonies at the Newton Cemetery will begin at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day.

Then the American Legion Post 440 and the Nonantum Children’s Christmas Party Association, Inc. plans to hold its second "Rolling Memorial" also on Memorial Day. The in-car alternative to a traditional parade will begin at 1 p.m. and include about 20 patriotic floats roll through parts of Newton, Waltham and Watertown. For more info, see: nonantumccpa.org

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1. Birthplace Of Memorial Day: The Memorial Day holiday tradition in Waterloo, New York, dates back even longer than Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Waterloo first celebrated on May 5, 1866, as local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags, according to History.com.

"The people of Waterloo are justly proud of this outstanding event in the history of their community," then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller said in 1966, when the federal government recognized the upstate village about midway between Rochester and Syracuse as the “birthplace of Memorial Day.”

Although its event is canceled for the second consecutive year due to the coronavirus, Waterloo holds a yearly two-day celebration — complete with a car show, Civil War memorial and 5K races — as a nod to the village’s rich connection to the holiday’s history.

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1. A Civil War Holiday At First: Until World War I, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as noted above, was only meant to honor those who died while fighting for the union in the Civil War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the holiday took on a new role to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

2. National Moment Of Remembrance: Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. The midday time was chosen “because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.