Originally known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day is observed as a Memorial Day in all Commonwealth member states since the First World War. Remembrance Day commemorates the armed forces members who died in the line of duty. This tradition was inaugurated by King George V in 1919. Most countries observe Remembrance Day on November 11th every year since the First World War hostilities formally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11 month of 1918.
History
The first Armistice Day was observed in 1919 by King George V in Buckingham Palace, which commenced with a banquet he hosted in honour of the President of the French Republic. The member states of the Commonwealth of Nations changed the name from Armistice Day to Remembrance Day during the Second World War, whereas the US changed the name to Veterans Day. This was to commemorate the lives lost in both the wars. Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day since there is a tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy.
This day is observed by keeping a two-minute silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The service generally includes the sounding of the “Last Post” which is then followed by a period of silence. This is then followed by the sounding of the “Reveille” or “The Rouse” and is finished by the recitation of the fourth verse of “The Ode of Remembrance”. The service also includes playing the national anthems, “Flowers of the Forest”, “O Valiant Hearts”, “I Vow to Thee, My Country”, or even “Jerusalem”. Wreaths are also laid to commemorate the fallen.
Remembrance Day in Canada
The Canadian Government passed the Armistice Day bill in 1921 to formalize the observance of Armistice Day on the first Monday in the week in November in which the 11th falls. However, this combined Armistice Day with the Thanksgiving Day holiday. So, it was decided that Remembrance Day would be observed on November 11. The Remembrance Day would thus commemorate the fallen soldiers instead of the events leading to the victory in the First World War.
Remembrance Day is now a national holiday for the public, federal and provincial government workers. The National War Memorial in Ottawa observes a ceremony which is broadcast on national television. One of the most common ways people all over Canada observe Remembrance Day is by pinning a paper poppy onto their chests. This is because the poppy is the official symbol of remembrance. To understand just how the humble poppy flower became a well-known symbol of remembrance, we have to go back more than a hundred years.
100+ Years of the Poppy
In 1914, the First World War began and lasted a little over four years. In the spring of 1915 after the second Battle of Ypres, a Canadian Officer, John McRae, wrote a poem after the death of one of his close friends. He titled the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ and described the poppies that grow on the battlefields of Belgium and on the graves of the fallen soldiers. The poem was published in December 1915 in Punch Magazine and became one of the most famous works of art to come out of World War I.
In Georgia, a woman named Moina Michael vowed to always wear a red poppy inspired by this poem. Later, a Frenchwoman named Madam Anna Guérin arrived in the US. She had begun making and selling poppies to raise funds to help people and places to recover from the consequences of the war. Together, both convinced the National American Legion to adopt the poppy as its emblem of remembrance, in 1920. Moina Michael would later be immortalized as the “Founder of Memorial Poppy” on a US stamp, and Madame Anna Guérin would be dubbed “The Poppy Lady from France.”
After the success of the campaign in the US, Madame Anna Guérin took this charity to Port Arthur in Northern Ontario. Today we know it as Thunder Bay. She presented the idea to the allies of France. One of them was a group which later would go on to become the Royal Canadian Legion. In 1921, this group that would become the Royal Canadian Legion officially adopted the poppy as the symbol of remembrance to help the veterans and honour the fallen. From 1922 to 1996 poppies were made by the veterans of the war in Canada. From 1996 onwards, the Royal Canadian Legion started manufacturing poppies in a factory to enable mass production. Every year, they distribute around 20 million poppies annually and raise around 20 million dollars to support veterans and their families in different ways. These tiny poppies have grown to become more than a symbol of remembrance, but a means to take care of veterans and their families, a true tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives for their nations.
To mark the hundred years of the poppy last year, the Royal Canadian Legion sold replicas of the handmade version from 1921 as well as hundred copies of a digital art project called “The Immortal Poppy” sold as collectibles. It is important to know that only the Royal Canadian Legion is allowed to use the poppy or its image for commercial use, since the Parliament provided the poppy trademark to the Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters in 1948. If anyone else wished to use it, they are required to apply for and receive official permission from the Royal Canadian Legion.
While the red poppy is the original symbol of remembrance, there are different coloured poppies popping up as symbols of commemoration too. White poppies are said to commemorate all victims of war, both civilians and non-civilians. The black poppy highlights contributions of Black, African, Caribbean, and Pacific Island communities to war. The purple poppy highlights all animals that were harmed in the war.
If you’d like to know more about the history and traditions of Remembrance Day or plan a commemorative event, please take a look at the resources provided by the Government of Canada.