The sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the poem In Flanders fields (see The recitation). In soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. During the First World War, red poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium. Beginning in the 1930s, some groups have alternatively promoted white poppies as an emblem of peace, though this has often met with controversy.The Flanders poppy has long been a part of Remembrance Day, the ritual that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and is also increasingly being used as part of Anzac Day observances. In addition to poppies intended to be worn on clothing, wreaths made of poppies are frequently displayed at memorial sites. (The phenomenon was depicted in the popular 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields,” by Canadian soldier John McCrae.) In 1921 the newly formed British Legion (now the Royal British Legion), a charitable organization for veterans, began selling red paper poppies for Armistice Day, and its annual Poppy Appeal has been enormously successful since. The most recognizable symbol of Remembrance Sunday is the red poppy, which became associated with World War I memorials after scores of the flowers bloomed in the former battlefields of Belgium and northern France. In recent years Armistice Day has been revived as an additional occasion for silence, though Remembrance Sunday remains the main day of commemoration. In 1956 the date was fixed as the second Sunday of the month. After the conclusion of World War II, the British government, seeking to honour participants in both World Wars, officially replaced Armistice Day with the new Sunday observance, which was thereafter known as Remembrance Sunday. Instead, a proximate Sunday was observed as a “day of dedication” during the span of the war. Thereafter a period of silence became the centrepiece of Armistice Day events that occurred annually until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, when it was decided that general celebrations would not be held on November 11 of that year. In response to a politician’s suggestion, King George V requested that the country pause in silence for two minutes in acknowledgment of the war’s fatalities. 11, 1919, in commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the peace agreement that ended World War I. The holiday has its origins in Armistice Day, which was dedicated in Great Britain on Nov. A nationally televised remembrance service, generally attended by politicians, religious leaders, military personnel, and members of the British royal family, has been held for decades at the Cenotaph monument in central London. By tradition, a two-minute period of silence is observed throughout the country at 11 am, and church services and other ceremonial gatherings take place during the day. Remembrance Sunday, in the United Kingdom, holiday held on the second Sunday of November that commemorates British service members who have died in wars and other military conflicts since the onset of World War I. See poppies projected onto Big Ben in commemoration of Remembrance Sunday © UK Parliament Education Service ( A Britannica Publishing Partner) See all videos for this article SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.From tech to household and wellness products. Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.
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