ATLANTA — Memorial Day traces its origins back to the years following the Civil War, when Americans began honoring soldiers who died in combat.

The tradition started as what was known as “Decoration Day,” when survivors of the Civil War decorated the graves of fallen Union soldiers.

The first official observance was held on May 30, 1868, as communities across the country honored the hundreds of thousands of people killed during the war.

Different states and communities originally recognized the holiday on different days.

More than 100 years after the Civil War, Congress officially named the holiday “Memorial Day” in 1967.

In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act officially moved the observance to the last Monday in May, creating the three-day holiday weekend recognized today.