Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Take In A Parade, Visit A Cemetery, Go To A Cookout

SILVER SPRING, MD — Memorial Day is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Not only is the holiday weekend a chance for families to remember love ones they've lost, it's also the unofficial start of summer, which many celebrate by going to the beach or having a cookout.

The City of Rockville has been celebrating Memorial Day with an annual ceremony and parade ever ever since William "Bill" Wood founded the first one in 1946. Stephen P. Johnson, an historian with the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency is the grand marshal for this year's parade.

The Memorial Day celebration will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, with a musical tribute performed by the Rockville Concert Band and Chorus at Rockville Town Center. The ceremony follows at 9:30 a.m. and the parade will starts at 10:30 a.m.

More information about Rockville's Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade, including parade route, parking and road closures, is available online.

Here are some other events and activities taking place near Silver Spring over the Memorial Day weekend:

• National Memorial Day Concert Series in Washington, DC: May 26-29
• National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery: May 29
• National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC: May 29
• Rolling to Remember: May 28
• Art in Nature Festival at National Botanic Garden: May 27-28
• Memorial Day BBQ at the Potomac Swim & Tennis Club: May 29, 12-4 p.m.
• Memorial Day Cookout at Wheaton Regional Park: May 29, 12-6 p.m.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, 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. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.