Memorial Day Weekend 2023: New Brunswick-Area Parades And Events

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Memorial Day weekend is a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

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

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer. Here are all the ways to commemorate U.S. veterans this week in the New Brunswick area and beyond:

• "Support Our Troops" rally Wednesday evening, May 24 in Woodbridge. The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at George Frederick Plaza (outside the Woodbridge Health Center) All are welcome to thank members of the U.S. military.
• Saturday May 27 2-6 p.m. Memorial Day celebration at the Woodbridge American Legion Post 87314 Berry Street Woodbridge , NJ 07095 Food, drinks and live music.
• May 27: The Edison Memorial Day Parade will be held at 12 p.m. Click here for details.
• Monday, May 29 11 a.m. Saint Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia will host Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo for a Memorial Day Mass honoring America’s fallen heroes.
• The Metuchen Memorial Day Parade will be held on May 29, 10 a.m. onwards. The parade begins at the American Legion Hall on Wernik Place.
• American Legion Post 401 Annual Memorial Day Service, on May 29, at 11 a.m., on the grounds of Post 401 at 148 Major Road, Monmouth Junction in South Brunswick
• North Brunswick Memorial Day Ceremony, May 29, 11 a.m. at Veterans Park

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.