Memorial Day Meaning: All About the U.S. holiday is explained here.

Many people are curious as to why and how the Memorial Day holiday is observed in the United States.

Observed on the final Monday in May, it is one of three US national holidays honoring the armed forces, the other two being Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day.

Military members who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces are honored on this federal holiday. It was first known as Decoration Day following the Civil War.

From 1868 to 1970, it was honored on the 30th of May, a date purportedly chosen because of the abundance of flowers across the country.

At Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, a huge observance was conducted that year, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Memorial Day was made a federal holiday in 1971 by an act of Congress, but it is still commonly referred to as Decoration Day by the public.

On this day each year, the country remembers its fallen heroes.