Observance On Memorial Day, people place flowers and flags on the graves of military personnel. Many organizations, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and fraternal groups, march in military parades and take part in special programs. Memorials are often dedicated on this day. Va. In addition, to honor those who died at sea, some United States ports organize ceremonies in which miniature ships filled with flowers are set afloat on the water. Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day has also been Poppy Day.
Volunteers sell small, red artificial poppies in order to help disabled veterans.
In recent years, the custom has grown in most families to decorate the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day. History Several communities claim to have originated Memorial Day. But in 1966, the United States government proclaimed Waterloo, N.Y., the birthplace of the holiday. Businesses were closed, and people decorated soldiers' graves and flew flags at half-mast. Major General John A. Logan in 1868 named May 30 as a special day for honoring the graves of Union soldiers.