Veterans Day honors military veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, observed with ceremonies and parades nationwide. It is always November 11 (or the adjacent weekday if moved for observance). Federal offices close; the focus is on thanking living veterans, distinct from Memorial Day.
📜 History & Origins
Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, marking the armistice signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 that ended World War I. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day. It became a legal federal holiday in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War, Congress renamed it Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all who served. In 1971 the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved it to October, but public opposition restored the date to November 11 in 1978.
🎉 How It's Celebrated
Communities hold parades, and veterans are honored at memorials and cemeteries. A national ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery features a wreath laid by the president or a designee at 11:00 a.m. Many restaurants and businesses offer free meals and discounts to veterans, and two minutes of silence are observed in some places at 11 a.m. Unlike Memorial Day, it honors living veterans, not just the fallen.
🍽️ Traditional Foods
No formal meal is traditional, but patriotic-themed foods, barbecues, and apple pie are common at community gatherings. Many restaurants offer free dinners — particularly steak, burgers, and breakfast items — to veterans and active-duty military.
