Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day Wallpaper 1117 x 800

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Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a Commonwealth holiday to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918 (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice). The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.

The poppy of wartime remembrance is Papaver rhoeas, the red-flowered corn poppy. This poppy is a common weed in Europe and is found in many locations, including Flanders, the setting of the famous poem "In Flanders Fields," by the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand artificial poppies (plastic in Canada, paper in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand) are worn to commemorate those who died in war. This form of commemoration is associated with Veterans' Day in the United States and with Remembrance Day in Canada, both of which fall on November 11. In Canada, poppies are often worn from the beginning of November until the 11th. In New Zealand and Australia, the soldiers are commemorated on ANZAC day, April 25 although the poppy is still commonly worn around Remembrance Day.