How to Use Decoration Day in a Sentence

Decoration Day

noun
  • The day features talks with historians about the history of Decoration Day and a walking tour of the cemetery.
    — Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 26 May 2022
  • Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, took place on May 30 that year.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 26 May 2026
  • The festival -- which organizers liken to Decoration Day in the South -- has changed locations a few times over the years.
    — Mary Colurso | [email protected], al, 1 Nov. 2022
  • There’s little controversy over the first national observance of what was then called Decoration Day.
    — Ben Finley, Anchorage Daily News, 26 May 2023
  • By 1890, Decoration Day was adopted as a holiday in the Northern states.
    — Carol Kovach, cleveland, 24 May 2022
  • Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a time of remembrance for those who died in service to their country.
    — Leada Gore | [email protected], al, 29 May 2023
  • By 1890, all northern states recognized Decoration Day as a holiday.
    — Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2023
  • By the end of the 19th century, Decoration Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation.
    — Daily News, 25 May 2026
  • The larger marble amphitheater followed some 50 years later, when crowds gathering for Decoration Day could no longer fit into the original space.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2020
  • Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, has been a federal holiday since 1971.
    — The Enquirer, 26 May 2023
  • Schoolchildren gather masses of daisies for Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day.
    — Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 26 May 2024
  • But the modern American version of the holiday traces directly back to 1868 and the first iteration of what was then called Decoration Day.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 30 May 2022
  • The Definitive Decoration Day is being released digitally and in a 4xLP box set.
    — Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Decoration Day was first observed as a national holiday, honoring those who had died in military service during the Civil War, often by decorating their graves with flowers.
    — USA Today, 13 May 2026
  • The performance, and the entire show at the Flicker Bar, will be released as part of the Drive-By Truckers’ forthcoming reissue of Decoration Day.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Memorial Day started as the specifically Unionist Decoration Day.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Congress recognized Decoration Day as a federal holiday in 1938.
    — Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 31 May 2022
  • In a press release, Patterson Hood discussed the band’s Flicker Bar show that’s now captured on The Definitive Decoration Day.
    — Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The federal holiday was originally called Decoration Day and was first celebrated in 1868 to honor the Civil War veterans and those who died in those battles.
    — Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 25 May 2026
  • The annual holiday originated as Decoration Day after the Civil War to honor the Union’s dead and was celebrated May 30.
    — Dan Kelly may 19, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
  • The holiday, which was formally established in 1868 under the Memorial Day Act, was originally known as a Decoration Day.
    — Xavier Mascareñas, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026
  • The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, goes back to the Civil War (1861-1865) and was a time to remember the Union soldiers who died.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026
  • On this day in 1868, Decoration Day was first observed as a national holiday, honoring those who had died in military service during the Civil War, often by decorating their graves with flowers.
    — Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 30 May 2024
  • What became Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, as Decoration Day, a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead with flowers.
    — Daily News, 25 May 2026
  • In 1875 a cemetery, where today an annual Decoration Day commemoration (the original name for Memorial Day) is held on the first Sunday of May, was established.
    — Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026
  • While Isbell and the Truckers might come together again in the future, don’t expect a full-on reunion in the wake of the Decoration Day reissue, as Isbell has already announced 2026 tour dates with his 400 Unit.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Initially named Decoration Day following the Civil War, the day of commemoration officially became a federal holiday in 1971.
    — Julia Musto, Fox News, 24 May 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Decoration Day.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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