Remembrance Day – What does the poppy exactly represent?

Every year on 11th November UK commemorates the signing of Armistice which ended World War I. Europe observes Armistice Day on 11th November every year to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices of their soldiers in the most epic war in the history of mankind i.e. the World War I.

Prince Harry and Prince Charles will be seen commemorating the Remembrance Day

Accordingly, Prince Harry will lay down a garland of flowers at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and will also be seen reading the poem “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke.

Prince Charles who is currently touring the Middle East will attend the said ceremony in Bahrain. The common man in Europe shall be observing the commemoration and paying tribute by dedicating two minutes of silence at war memorials which have been erected at public places. It is a very important day in not only Europe’s history but also for mankind since it was this day in 1918 when the guns went silent and the bloodshed of World War I finally came to an end with the end of the war between Germany and the forces on the Western Front.

The Poppy symbolism is highly misunderstood

It is informally known as the Poppy Day and the UK celebrates the Veteran Day on the same day as well.

The red poppies came into the picture and got associated with the day through Canadian army officer John McCrae’s poem named “In Flanders Field” which has the mention of poppies blowing in its very first line. Apparently, the Canadian officer wrote the poem after helping bury his own friend and after he noticed how poppies flourished around his grave. The poem thus presents a dead soldier’s perspective on the bloodshed in the war. It was only in 1921 that his efforts to portray soldiers plight through his poems lead to the poppy being adopted as the official emblem of Remembrance. It was adopted back then both by British and American Legions.

Though the attachment of poppy with the Remembrance Day is significant and touching, wearing poppies has over the years become more of a symbol of glorification of war and endorsement of the British Military powers.

The British Legion also recently came out with a video named “Rethink Remembrance” to clear the air on the same and make the general public more aware of the symbolism and the hardships of the veterans.