Memorial Day may be known as a day for relaxation, beaches and barbecues, but the day was originally intended for a much more solemn purpose. 

Memorial Day is a national holiday for honoring those who died in the line of duty while bravely serving the United States. The history of the day dates back to three years after the end of the civil war, during which more American soldiers died than any other war in U.S. history. 

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day because of the tradition of decorating graves with flowers, flags and wreaths.

It was first observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the lives lost in the bloody Civil War. The day was dedicated by Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union soldiers and sailors, according to PBS. 

During the first Memorial Day celebration, former Union Gen. and Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery to 5,000 participants. 

"We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue," Garfield said in the speech. 

The event inspired other communities to have their own local commemorations. In 1873, New York became the first state to make Memorial Day a state holiday. 

More cities and communities observed the day by the late 1800s, and a number of other states declared the day a legal holiday. 

Memorial Day was expanded to honor those who died in all of America's wars after World War I. The holiday was then considered a national holiday throughout the United States. 

But it wasn't until 1971 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established that Memorial Day would be celebrated nationally on the last Monday in May. 

Some Southern states have an additional day for honoring fallen Confederate soldiers, which is sometimes known as Confederate Memorial Day. 

Confederate Memorial Day is held on Jan. 19 in Texas; the fourth Monday in April in Alabama and Mississippi; April 26 in Georgia and Florida; and May 10 in North and South Carolina. 

Each year, the national Memorial Day commemoration is held at Arlington National Cemetery, during which the president or vice president lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.