Memorial Day Weekend 2023: 5 Things To Do In Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The upcoming Memorial Day events in Framingham are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Memorial Day Ceremony at the Memorial Building on May 29 at 11 a.m. is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

Nine Medals of Liberty will be awarded to Gold Star families in recognition of the service and sacrifice of their family members. The Massachusetts Medal of Liberty is awarded to Massachusetts servicemen and women who have been killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action.

Framingham will also issue its first-ever Massachusetts Medal of Fidelity. This medal recognizes individuals with service-connected injuries related to exposure to harmful substances like Agent Orange and conditions like Gulf War Syndrome, in addition to combat-related mental illness.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Annual Memorial Day Services on the Waltham Common
• Natick Memorial Day Parade and Flag Raising
• Somerville Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony
• Boston Common Memorial Day Flag Garden
• Framingham Memorial Day Ceremony

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Framingham cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in Framingham (which probably means a good chunk of you are heading to Cape Cod). Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

• Boston Calling 2023
• Sunday Funday at Cape Cod Brewery
• Figawi Race

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.