Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honor armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.
1. Remembrance Day Date
On November 11, Canada (and other Commonwealth nations, which include 53 member states, nearly all of which were former British Empire territories) mark Remembrance Day. It has many of the same connotations as America's Veterans Day. Remembrance Day, which has been observed since the end of WWI, commemorates Armistice Day, the day on which hostilities between the Allies and Germany on the Western Front halted.
2. History of Remembrance Day
The holiday derives from Armistice Day, which was established in the United Kingdom on November 11, 1919, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the peace treaty that ended World War I. In response to a politician's idea, King George V requested that the kingdom observe two minutes of silence in remembrance of the war's casualties. Following that, a moment of silence became the focal point of Armistice Day ceremonies, which took place annually until the onset of World War II in 1939, when it was determined that no major celebrations would take place on November 11 of that year. Rather, throughout the conflict, a nearby Sunday was honored as a "day of commitment." Following the end of World War II, the British government, in order to recognize participants in both wars, officially replaced Armistice Day with a new Sunday celebration known as Remembrance Sunday. The date was set in 1956 as the second Sunday of the month. Armistice Day has been reintroduced in recent years as an alternative opportunity for silence, however, Remembrance Sunday remains the primary day of observance.
3. Facts About Remembrance Day
Red poppies
The Flanders poppy was the first plant to bloom on the blood-soaked battlefields.
The number 11
Every year, Canadians observe a minute of silence on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember the Canadian men and women who died while serving their country.
Strength in numbers
More than 2,300,000 Canadians served throughout Canada’s history to maintain peace.
Replica poppies
The Royal Canadian Legion sells replica poppies on Remembrance Day to raise funds for Veterans.
The national ceremony
State leaders, veterans' organizations, diplomatic representatives, and residents attend the national celebration at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
We hold a 2 minute silence at 11am
On 11th November at 11am we have a 2 minute silence. It is a time to reflect on all the people who died for us in the war.
World War 1 ended on ‘the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month’ in 1918
Did you know that World War 1 ended on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month?
That’s why the two minute silence is held at 11am.
Paper poppies are sold to raise money for the armed forces
4. Remembrance Day Activities
Wear a red poppy on your lapel
Following WWI, the red poppy immediately became associated with the bloodshed of troops on the Western Front. Pin a poppy to your shirt lapel to memorialize those who perished in WWI and previous wars. You will be joining millions of Commonwealth residents around the world in this silent but significant gesture.
Participate in the nationwide two minutes of silence
Join the rest of the country in observing two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. to commemorate the time when the Armistice was signed in 1918. During this time, Canadians put everything on hold to honor all those who died in the line of duty.
Cite the poem “The Ode of Remembrance”
The "Ode of Remembrance," written by Laurence Binyon in 1914, is part of the poem "For the Fallen," which initially commemorated British soldiers who died on the Western Front. It is now chanted in memory of all troops who perished in the line of duty.
The Sunday before Remembrance Day is called Remembrance Sunday
We celebrate Remembrance Day on 11th November. However, the Sunday before is always known as Remembrance Sunday. On Remembrance Sunday the national memorial ceremony is held in London. Often the Royal Family and politicians attend to show their respects.
5. Remembrance Day Quotes
"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." - William Havard
"The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children." - Joseph Campbell
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."- Douglas MacArthur
"In my dreams, I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield." - Publilius Syrus
"Valor grows by daring, fear by holding back." - Billy Graham
"We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war. There is no task that is more important or closer to my heart." - Louis Pasteur
"They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation." - Schuyler Colfax
"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle and patriotism is loyalty to that principle." - Mark Twain
"At the beginning of a change, a patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." - Thomas Dunn English
"But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument today, and for aye." - Jeannette Rankin
"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake." - Czeslaw Milosz, "The Issa Valley"
"The living owe it to those who no longer can speak to tell their story for them."- Sara Zarr
"When the remembering was done, the forgetting could begin." - Thomas Campbell
"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." - Robert Reich
"True patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going." - Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
"The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war." - Gary Hart
"I think there is one higher office than the president and I would call that a patriot." - Eve Merriam
"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, 'Mother, what was war?'" - Terry Pratchett
"Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?" - G.K. Chesterton
"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die."
