Remembrance DayPOPPY DAY

What is Remembrance Day?Remembrance Day is on 11 November. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts.

Poppy Day? Why?The poppy, as a memorial flower to the war dead, can be traced to a single individual, Moina Michael. She was so moved by Lt. Col. McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields," that she wrote a response:

. . . the blood of heroes never dies But lends a luster to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders' Fields.

Later she would spearhead a campaign that would result in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice.

Poppy Day is different, because on the field, where soldiers have died, was growing up poppy. Poppy is a red flower, and red is color of blood.

People from many countries are celebrating Poppy Day, because for them is this day important too. For Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, St. Lucia, Bermuda, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Northern Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, United States.

Which states celebrateRemembrance Day?

CanadaIn Canada, Remembrance Day is a public holiday and federal statutory holiday, as well as a statutory holiday in all three territories and in six of the ten provinces (Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec being the exceptions) 

New ZealandNew Zealand‘s national day of remembrance is Anzac Day, 25 April. "Poppy Day" is usually on the Friday before Anzac Day.

Poland11 November is a public holiday in Poland called Indepdendence Day, as the ending of First World War.

United StatesVeterans Day is observed in the United States on 11 November, and is both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states. However, the function of the observance elsewhere is more closely matched by Memorial Day in May.

United KingdomThe First Two Minute Silence in London (11 November 1919)was reported in the ManchesterGuardian on 12 November 1919. The two minutes of silenceare marked by cannon fire

Cenotaph, London

When was the first Poppy Day?

The first actual Poppy Daywas held in Britain on November 11th, 1921and was a nationalsuccess raising £106,000.Since then, during every November, we keep the memory alive by wearing a poppy to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives during war.

Which side should I wear my Poppy?I feel it is more important to wear a poppy rather than worry about which side you should wear it. Some people prefer to weara poppy on the left overtheir hearts. However,the general rules is to wearLeft for men becausethat's where medals goand Right for women becausethat's where a widow would wear her husband's medals.

White poppy?

The white poppy is an artificial flower

used as a symbol of peace, worn as an alternative to, or

complement to, the red remembrance

poppy for Remembrance Day

or Anzac Day.