Every Remembrance Day people pay respect to those young soldiers who lost their lives in war. This memorial day has been observed since the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, officially ending World War I, though fighting stopped at 11am on November 11, 1918.
Most people begin observing Remembrance Day in late October by wearing a red poppy which symbolizes the blood spilled during war. The fields of Flanders in Belgium were the locations of the worst battles of the war, yet millions of poppies bloomed there. The poppy became the symbol for remembrance thanks to the poem “In Flanders Field” by Canadian physician, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.
November 11th is also Veteran’s Day in the United States, but that celebrates the veterans who returned home from the war. The dead are remembered on Memorial Day which takes place in May.
Today, Remembrance Day is observed in all the Commonwealth countries. Generally, all activity stops for two full minutes at 11am for a moment of remembrance and peace.
DID YOU KNOW?
- World War I was known as the Great War because it was the first war that impacted so many countries at once and was assumed that it would be the last war of such a scale.
- The Royal Canadian Legion suggests that poppies should be worn on the left lapel, as close to the heart as possible.
- Some people who oppose war, but still want to pay respect to those who gave their lives for their country wear a white poppy instead of a red one.
- Purple poppies can also be worn to remember that both animals and humans are victims of wars.
- John Mcrae wrote “In Flanders Field” in 20 minutes and threw it away because he didn’t like it. Soldiers retrieved it and it’s now one of Canada’s best known literary works.