Memorial Day was first observed more than 150 years ago to honor Civil War soldiers, but it did not become an official holiday until 1971.

It was initially known as Decoration Day and first widely celebrated on May 30, 1868, according to PBS.

“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” Gen. John Logan, leader of a northern Northern Civil War veterans group said, History reported.

Memorial day in Boston, 20,000 Flags

Nearly 5,000 people helped decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., during the first Decoration Day, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Some believe the May 30 date was chosen because flowers would be in season around the nation.

There has been some controversy over the official origins of Memorial Day, with nearly 25 locations having some sort of connection with the beginning of the holiday.

President Lyndon Johnson and Congress named Waterloo, New York, as the official birthplace of Memorial Day in 1966, however. Waterloo reportedly held a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honoring local Civil War veterans. Residents flew flags at half-staff and stores were closed.

ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 14: Sgt. Brian Scott, 30, with the 18th Military Police Brigade, sits at the graveside of his friend and gunner U.S. Army Spc. Michael Luis Gonzalez who was killed in action in Iraq on Memorial Day in Section 60 at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, May 31, 2010. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) StaffPhoto imported to Merlin on Mon May 31 16:29:01 2010Christian Jacobs, 5, of Hertford, N.C., dressed as a Marine, stands at his father's gravestone on Memorial Day in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 30, 2016. Christian's father Marine Sgt. Christopher James Jacobs died in a training accident in 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Memorial day in Boston, 20,000 Flags

Following World War I, the holiday began commemorating all of those who died in service during American wars.

Several southern states also hold Confederate observances in addition to Memorial Day.

Americans are encouraged to give a moment of silence at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day to honor fallen soldiers.

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