Does anyone know where I might get one of these for Remembrance Day? They don't seem to sell them here in the colonies.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
KoM, the Veterans of Foreign Wars sells them on Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day here). I'd suggest going to a Wal-Mart that morning, they'll be selling them outside.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Red Poppies aren't much fun.
Posted by Wonder Dog (Member # 5691) on :
Umm... how close are you to the Canadian border? They're all over the place here. As always.
(I've never figured out why Amaericans don't use wear the poppy the same way we do.)
Posted by lord trousers (Member # 8741) on :
When I was growing up, there was this weird family next door that didn't cook and eat the giblets of the turkey on Thanksgiving. I could never figure them out.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Wait- Americans don't wear a poppy? Do they have a Rememberance Day on November the Eleventh?
Posted by lord trousers (Member # 8741) on :
Don't you wacky people celebrate the Fourth of July or Presidents' Day?
Sheesh. No wonder you're all in a state of absolute decadence.
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Veterans Day is indeed on November 11th, but I've never heard of wearing a poppy for it.
In my experience, it seems to kind of be a hit or miss holiday - for example, the community college here cancels classes for it, but the state university doesn't.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Well, most western places mark Nov. 11th to a certain extent. It just surprises me because you're always so big on military-related things.
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
What do the poppies signify? I'm guessing the red represents the blood from wounds of the fallen soldiers, but why specifically a poppy? When I first saw the thread title, I immediately thought of The Wizard of Oz.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Poppies are always for sale around here in November, usually at diners and grocery stores and the like. But yes, we call it Veteran's Day instead of Remembrance Day, and it's not a day off for most people.
Posted by lord trousers (Member # 8741) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi: Well, most western places mark Nov. 11th to a certain extent. It just surprises me because you're always so big on military-related things.
Yep. My favorite holiday is Generals' Day, when we shut down all traffic in the major cities and goose-step around town, dressed up in military fatigues, carrying flags adorned with the faces of our war heroes. Then we all go to the shooting range and rip targets apart with semi-automatic weapons.
We do it like, twice a month. Keeps the patriotism alive, you know?
Surely you meant freedom-related things.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Come on, am I the only one with the Ogden Edsel song stuck in my head?
Posted by Princess Leah (Member # 6026) on :
>>>Come on, am I the only one with the Ogden Edsel song stuck in my head?
I got it. Red, red red red poppies! Red, red red red poppies!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:But yes, we call it Veteran's Day instead of Remembrance Day, and it's not a day off for most people.
It's not a day off here, either (except Federal Employees), at least in Ontario, except for about an hour around Eleven. I have a ten o'clock class which I still have to attend, but then I can head down to Soldier's Tower and attend the ceremony.
quote:What do the poppies signify?
I always figured it had something to do with the poppies of the french fields (as in the Flander's Fields Poem), but it predates that...
quote:A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended...
A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.
(some Canadian site)
However, it definately has to do with France...
quote:The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red colour an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.
(wikipedia)
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Thanks, Teshi! I did some Googling of my own and came up with these links that I think basically say the same thing:
For some reason, the best links I found were for Australian sites. That just struck me as a little odd when, according to what I read, the tradition of wearing the poppy was begun by an American.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Well, it's clear that America doesn't really have the tradition so strongly anymore... so it's not really surprising.
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Hmm...apparently it isn't as forgotten as I thought at first. I found a link on the US Dept of Veterans Affairs site about the day in general, which says this about poppy-wearing:
quote: Q. Why are red poppies worn on Veterans Day, and where can I obtain them?
A. The wearing of poppies in honor America 's war dead is traditionally done on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day. The practice of wearing of poppies takes its origin from the poem "In Flanders Fields," written in 1915 by John McCrae. Click here to read "In Flanders Fields." For information on how to obtain poppies for use on Memorial Day, contact a veterans service organization, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), as the VFW distributes poppies annually on Memorial Day. You can find veterans groups in the Veterans Service Organization link on VA's Veterans Day web page. Veterans groups in your area can be found in your local phone book. Look in the yellow pages under "Veterans and Military Organizations" or a similar heading.
And also this comparing Vets/Remembrance Day in different countries:
quote:Q. Is Veterans Day celebrated in other countries?
A. Yes, a number of countries honor their veterans each year on November 11, although the name and types of commemorations differ somewhat from Veterans Day celebrations in the United States. For example, Canada and Australia observe "Remembrance Day" on November 11, and Great Britain observes "Remembrance Day" on the Sunday nearest to November 11. There are similarities and differences between these countries' Remembrance Day and America 's Veterans Day. Canada 's observance is actually quite similar to the U.S. celebration, in that the day is intended to honor all who served in Canada 's Armed Forces. However, unlike in the U.S., many Canadians wear red poppy flowers on November 11 in honor of their war dead. In Australia, Remembrance Day is very much like America's Memorial Day, a day to honor that nation's war dead.
In Great Britain, the day is commemorated by church services and parades of ex-service members in Whitehall, a wide ceremonial avenue leading from London 's Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square. Wreaths of poppies are left at the Cenotaph, a war memorial in Whitehall, which was built after the First World War. At the Cenotaph and elsewhere in the country, a two-minute silence is observed at 11 a.m., to honor those who lost their lives in wars.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Hm. Interesting.
Posted by lord trousers (Member # 8741) on :
Holidays are only played up here when someone can make a profit on them. Poppies don't make much money.
Can you tell I'm a bit jaded about holidays?
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by lord trousers: Poppies don't make much money.
Well, that depends on the kind of poppies, now, doesn't it?
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
I prefer lilac blossoms. All the little angels rise up, rise up; All the little angels rise up high. How do they rise up, rise up, rise up; How do they rise up, rise up high? They rise knees up, knees up, knees up, All the little angels rise up high. ...