Remembrance Day is observed by Commonwealth Nations, including Canada, on November 11th. In Canada, many people will wear a red poppy in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day and observe a moment of silence on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to commemorate those who have died in war. The red poppy was inspired by the poem written by Canadian medical officer Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae called “In Flanders Fields”, which is often recited on Remembrance Day:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
Although Remembrance Day falls on the last day of the First World War, the day commemorates all Canadian veterans and brave fallen in all wars up to the present day.
