Memorial Day weekend kicked off Thursday as Director of Veterans’ Services Mike Sweeney began laying flags during Swampscott’s annual ceremony honoring veterans.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. The solemn day of remembrance is observed each year on the last Monday in May. Memorial Day is often spent visiting cemeteries and memorials to honor those who died in the line of duty.

The first national observance of what later became Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868. Then called Decoration Day, the holiday was to honor Union soldiers who had died in the Civil War. Official recognition of the holiday gradually spread across the country, with New York becoming the first state to formally recognize it in 1873. 

Thursday’s flag placement marked the beginning of a weekend-long series of tributes involving local organizations and community leaders. Flags honoring veterans buried elsewhere will also be available at Town Hall through Monday.

Residents are invited to decorate graves in the World War I section of Pine Grove Cemetery on Thursday, May 21, at 6 p.m.

From May 22 through May 27, American flags will be placed along Monument Avenue to honor those who have sacrificed for our freedoms. Volunteers are welcome for set-up at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 22 at the Swampscott Town Hall Lawn.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, Swampscott will hold a 10 a.m. ceremony in the veterans section of Swampscott Cemetery to honor the fallen.

The observance will continue in Lynn with a 1:30 p.m. procession from Manning Field Parking Lot, followed by a second ceremony at 2 p.m