How Did Remembrance Day Traditions Begin?
Every November 11th, Canadians wear red poppies, gather at war memorials and pause for two minutes of silence. These familiar traditions have become an important part of Remembrance Day, but how did they begin?
Remembrance Day Origins
The history of Remembrance Day stretches back more than a century, to the end of the First World War. Over time, customs that began as ways to honour those who died grew into traditions of remembrance observed by millions of people around the world.
Why November 11th?
On November 11, 1918, after more than four years of fighting, an armistice between Germany and the Allied powers brought an end to the fighting on the Western Front. The agreement took effect at 11:00 a.m., on the eleventh day of the eleventh month and one year later, King George V called for a day of remembrance throughout the British Empire.
The first Armistice Day
November 11, 1919, became the first Armistice Day, honouring those who had died during the war.
The first Remembrance Day
In Canada, Armistice Day was originally observed alongside Thanksgiving in November. The two holidays shared the same date for much of the 1920s, until Parliament changed the law in 1931. November 11th became a separate observance, officially named Remembrance Day.
The first Veterans Day
In the United States, November 11th was also originally known as Armistice Day. In 1954, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day to honour American veterans of all wars. While Canada's Remembrance Day and America's Veterans Day share the same historical origins, the two observances have developed somewhat different traditions.
How Did the Two Minutes of Silence Begin?
The tradition of observing silence has roots in South Africa, where people began pausing their daily activities during the First World War to remember those who had died. In 1919, King George V introduced a two-minute silence to mark the first anniversary of the armistice. At exactly 11:00 a.m., people throughout the British Empire were asked to stop working, travelling and talking.
The first minute was intended as a moment of remembrance for those who had died, while the silence also offered an opportunity to reflect on the enormous losses experienced during the war.
This custom quickly became one of the most recognizable parts of Armistice Day. More than a century later, Canadians still pause at 11:00 a.m. on November 11th to remember those who served and sacrificed their lives.
Why Do We Wear Red Poppies?
The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance through the words of a Canadian doctor and poet.
In May 1915, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields after the death of a fellow soldier in Belgium. His poem described the red poppies growing among the graves of soldiers on the battlefields of Flanders. The poem became widely known during the war, but the tradition of wearing poppies developed afterward.
In 1918, American humanitarian Moina Michael was inspired by McCrae's words and began wearing a red poppy in memory of those who had died. French humanitarian Anna Guérin later promoted the sale of artificial poppies to raise funds for people affected by the war.
Guérin brought the idea to Canada in 1921, where the Great War Veterans Association adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. The first Canadian poppy campaign took place that November.
Today, millions of Canadians wear red poppies in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day. Donations collected through the Royal Canadian Legion's annual Poppy Campaign help support veterans and their families.
In Flanders Fields
Why Are Poppies Worn in November in Canada and May in the United States?
How Did Remembrance Day Ceremonies Develop?
In the years following the First World War, communities across Canada began building memorials to honour local soldiers who had died overseas. Many Canadian families had no opportunity to visit the graves of their loved ones, who were buried in military cemeteries across Europe. Local monuments provided places where families and communities could gather, lay wreaths and remember.
Some memorials were simple stone monuments bearing the names of those who had died. Others became important national landmarks, including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, unveiled in 1936, and the National War Memorial in Ottawa, dedicated in 1939.
As the years passed, ceremonies developed familiar features, including military parades, the laying of wreaths, the playing of the Last Post and periods of silence. Following the Second World War, and through subsequent conflicts, Remembrance Day expanded beyond its original purpose of commemorating those who died in the First World War.
Why Do We Still Observe Remembrance Day?
More than a century has passed since the armistice of 1918, and the world has changed considerably. Yet many of the traditions established in the years immediately following the First World War remain familiar today. Each November, children learn about the meaning of the poppy, communities gather around local memorials and Canadians pause together for two minutes of silence. These traditions connect generations who experienced war firsthand with those who know it through history, family stories and the memories preserved by their communities.
What began as a day to remember the fallen of one war has become an occasion to honour the service and sacrifice of Canadians throughout the country's military history and every November 11th, these traditions of remembrance continue.
A Note from Little Goodbyes Press
As we continue exploring the origins of familiar celebrations and customs through our Changing Traditions series, Remembrance Day is another tradition we're thinking that we'd like to explore in a future picture book. The history behind the poppy, the two minutes of silence and the ways communities remember offers an opportunity to share these important stories with a new generation of readers.
Be sure to check some of the classic Children's Picture books about Remembrance Day that we love.
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