This holiday is not a day that Americans really celebrate. Instead, it has a quieter purpose. Memorial Day is a day to remember the people who have died in wars while they were defending our country.
Most people also honor their own family members who have died.
Memorial Day began soon after the Civil War ended in 1865. So many Americans were killed during the war that nearly every family in the country had a member who had died. For a long time nearly every state celebrated this day, but it was on different days. Common Traditions Flags are flown at half-mast to honor the dead. The President of the United States puts a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.