Published: March 13, 2026
MARGIBI / MONROVIA — At sunrise on the second Wednesday of March, the quiet stillness of Liberia’s cemeteries begins to change.
Families arrive carrying buckets of water, paint, flowers, cutlasses and candles. Some kneel beside graves, clearing weeds and scrubbing tombstones. Others repaint fading inscriptions or place fresh flowers near headstones. Children stand quietly nearby as elders recount stories about relatives they never met.
By Masefane Konneh, Roseline Gbessagee and Destiny Jabula
Across Liberia, this annual ritual marks Decoration Day—a national holiday that transforms cemeteries into living social spaces where remembrance, family reunion and national memory intersect.
While the scenes appear intimate and personal, Decoration Day is also rooted in law and national history. The holiday’s modern legal foundation dates back to October 24, 1916, when the Liberian Legislature approved an act establishing the second Wednesday in March as Decoration Day. The law incorporated the observance into Liberia’s official national holiday calendar, embedding it alongside other commemorative days intended to preserve national memory and civic values.
Each year, the sitting president issues a proclamation observing the holiday and ordering the national flag flown at half-staff, reinforcing Decoration Day not simply as a cultural tradition but also as an act of civic remembrance honoring the contributions of past generations.
Yet beyond its formal recognition, Decoration Day is most vividly expressed through the traditions practiced by ordinary Liberians.
From Palm Grove Cemetery in Monrovia to burial grounds in Margibi, Bong and other counties, cemeteries come alive with a mixture of grief, reflection and reunion.
A Day of Memory and Reunion
Eric Mulbah traveled this year to decorate the graves of his father and sister-in-law. For him, Decoration Day represents one of the few moments when extended families gather in one place.
“Decoration Day brings families together,” Mulbah said while arranging flowers near the gravesite. “Even people who are not on good terms will speak to each other. Sometimes you see relatives you barely see during the year.”
As relatives gathered around the graves, Mulbah said the moment often becomes a space for storytelling and remembrance.
“For me, it takes me down memory lane thinking about the life the person lived with the family,” he said. “We come together here, we eat and drink at the gravesite, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying while talking about their life. That’s how my family honors our dead.”
Across many communities, the holiday functions as a rare opportunity for relatives scattered across cities and counties to reconnect.
Chris Greece said the simple act of visiting a loved one’s grave often helps mend family divisions.
“Whenever we come here to clean our mother’s grave, it brings us together,” he said. “Sometimes conflicts among siblings get fixed, and even uncle and aunty can resolve their differences.”
Luke Sampon described the day as both emotional and reflective for families who lost key members.
“This day brings sorrow to us because the person we come to remember was the backbone of the family,” Sampon said. “But it also gives us the chance to gather again as a family.”
Grief That Never Fully Fades
Across the cemetery grounds, grief remains visible despite the festive reunions.
Esther Johnson struggled to hold back tears as she sat beside the grave of her brother’s wife, Hannah, who died young and left children behind.
“Every Decoration Day I come here to light a candle for Hannah, clean the grave, and let her know she is remembered,” Johnson said softly.
“It’s a really sad day for me because she died young and left her children behind.”
For Johnson, returning to the grave each year is painful but necessary.
She believes the tradition is also important for younger generations who may never have known the people buried there.
“I want my children and the younger generations to never forget who came before them and to always honor them,” she said.
Ruth Johnson shared similar feelings, saying the day forces families to pause from their daily struggles and remember loved ones who shaped their lives.
“We are always busy looking for our daily bread,” she said. “But this day reminds us of the time we lost them.”
A Tradition Rooted in History
Although Decoration Day was formally codified in 1916, historians say the practice reflects much older cultural traditions surrounding burial and remembrance across Liberia’s diverse communities.
Anthropological research suggests that in many Liberian societies, maintaining identifiable graves and honoring the dead are central elements of social belonging and moral responsibility. Burial sites serve not only as resting places but also as physical anchors of family memory.
Government proclamations describing the holiday often emphasize that remembering the dead helps younger generations understand the sacrifices and contributions of earlier citizens, encouraging a sense of service and patriotism.
Eric B. Gibson, the Town Chief of Government Farm on Marshall Road, said maintaining dignity in cemeteries is an important part of preserving that heritage.
“The graveyard is always kept clean and we don’t allow street thugs to sleep here,” Gibson said.
“Our forefathers started this cultural practice of honoring the dead,” he added. “The significance is to keep the legacy of the dead alive.”
For many families, the act of cleaning and repainting graves is itself symbolic—demonstrating that although loved ones have passed away, their memory continues to live within the family.
Concerns About Cemetery Conditions
While Decoration Day highlights remembrance, some visitors say the condition of cemeteries raises serious concerns.
Several burial sites across Liberia have in recent years faced problems including overgrown vegetation, vandalized graves and security challenges. Residents say such issues undermine the dignity of burial grounds that hold generations of family history.
Sampon argued that cemeteries should not only be cleaned when Decoration Day approaches.
“The cemetery should be clean all the time,” he said. “People pay maintenance fees, so the place should be maintained.”
Others also raised security concerns, claiming graves are sometimes vandalized at night.
“The cemetery administration needs to take responsibility,” Alex Vinton said. “The government should also put pressure on them to make sure the places are properly cared for.”
Authorities have increasingly taken steps to regulate activities during the holiday. In recent years, the Liberia National Police has deployed officers at major cemeteries and announced restrictions on alcohol consumption around gravesites in an effort to preserve order and maintain the solemn character of the observance.
Different Spiritual Perspectives
Although Decoration Day remains widely observed, not all Liberians share the same view about its spiritual meaning.
Babygirl Turay, a spiritual leader who also visited the cemetery to decorate family graves, said she respects the cultural tradition but personally questions its religious significance.
“Inasmuch as Decoration Day is a cultural practice of every Liberian, I was born to respect the culture of honoring the dead,” Turay said.
“But spiritually I don’t believe it is right because the living have nothing to do with the dead anymore, and the dead do not remember the living.”
She said she participates mainly to respect family expectations.
“Biblically, it is not right to visit or honor the dead,” she said. “But over time it has become an important national tradition.”
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