Peabody Memorial Day Weekend 2024 Events

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

The Peabody Memorial Day Parade will step off at the intersection of Washington Street and Allens Lane at 11 a.m.

The parade will proceed east on Washington Street and then West on Main Street to City Hall. Both Washington Street and portions of Main Street and Lowell Street will be closed to traffic during the parade.

Following the parade, there will be a ceremony in front of City Hall honoring fallen heroes. As part of the ceremony, 25 Medals of Fidelity will be presented to the families of veterans who died from Agent Orange exposure, Camp Legeune contaminated water, PTSD, and radiation exposure.

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

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.