From Conflict to Peace: Understanding the Heart of Remembrance Day Ceremony

• Red poppies symbolize the remembrance of all the civilians, British, and non-British colonized, as well as Canadian deaths and bloodsheds of the war that dye the petals a shade of crimson. The charity supported by the First World War veterans created the Royal British Legion which first began the distribution of poppy flowers. Some people refused to wear a red poppy, claiming that the bright red color promotes views such as war and high mortality rates, leading to them wearing white poppies instead. The Peace Pledge Union kickstarted the distribution, and similar to the previous candidate, white poppies also commemorated sacrifices in the conflicts but implied a subtle focus on harmony, mutual empathy, and an aim to counteract the tendency of conflict glorification.
  
• Purple poppies, on the other hand, appearing on a minor scale, were worn to remember animals that have been victims, but crucial assisters in wars. Initiated by the Animal Purple Poppy Funds, many felt the obligation and necessity to honor those anonymous animals comparable to the soldiers and officers who participated in human service. Creatures like horses, mules, and bullocks were transportation sources; pigeons were message carriers; dogs played the dual role of enemy trackers and troop protectors. An estimated 8 million horses and another 8 million other animals were killed in action during WWI, excluding the innumerable wildfires and mustard gas detonations that would have been killed or displaced as different battles raged on. The social oversight of purple poppies highlights the negligence of the animal and environmental sacrifices in the fervent pursuit of victories. This absence of purple badges on our shirts advocates for awareness and correction for more simultaneous appearances of purple poppy pins to acknowledge these overlooked contributions.
  
• Black poppies specifically nominate the service performed by any group that might be considered a social minority, such as indigenous communities, island dwellers, and those of African ancestry. The term social minority is defined as any individuals or families sharing similar characteristics that mark them as out of the ordinary social standards, preventing them from accessing resources, support, or obtaining general rights that most individuals within a population hold. Two prevalent reasons may lead certain groups to be considered a minority. To begin, racial or ethnic minorities are members sharing a common history and culture, which, somehow over time, leads to negative conformity toward the group’s values and beliefs. Additionally, bias and social stigma often judge individuals based on their appearance, physical condition, speech, residential situation, or economic status, potentially deeming a certain trait or position as inferior in the general society. Unfortunately, members belonging to these groups may be disregarded or excluded in the acknowledgment of red poppies, so black poppies made sure everyone who deserves the acknowledgment receives their recognition regardless of personal background and opinions.
  

2. Reading the war poem, “In Flanders Field.” This poem was written by Colonel McCrae during the summer of 1915 when he lost one of his close friends in the bloodstained battle of Ypres, also serving the country while he was a surgeon in the First Brigade of Canadian Field Artillery. Although he had never survived to witness the time of peace (for McCrae died in January 1918 due to severe pneumatic infection and meningitis), his poem created an everlasting legacy that laments over the cruelty and reality of wars but provided a sense of enlightening hope by granting their memories to the poppy flowers that grow in remembrance of the soldiers who were gone but never lost in remembrance. Flanders Field achieved remarkable success from the perspective of poem creation, one that earned its rightful place in the worldwide ceremony for several convincing reasons. Firstly, it was highly relevant to point out that there are a tremendous number of real human beings living in the current age who were lost in one swipe a few decades ago and these losses have not stopped because conflicts rise one after another. Secondly, the poem is emotion-provoking telling the tale of the grief and sorrow of families and friends hearing the despondent tragedies. Thirdly, as Canadian citizens or residents, we share a geological connection with McCrae who was a native countryman willing to participate and pitch in the peace now stabilized in our country. As Kathy Parks, the administrator of the Soldier's Tower Commemoration Site, said, “...many young Canadians recite the poem in social settings and it becomes lodged in our subconsciousness.”

3. Two Minutes of Silence. This practice was first suggested by the WWI Australian veteran Edward George Honey. He propelled his grand plan in local newspapers, envisioning the Remembrance Day ceremony to be “brief but solemn” by proposing five minutes of absolute quietness, just like hitting the pause button of the world. Furthermore, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, a South African politician also jumped onto the silence bandwagon and presented the five-minute marvel to none other than King George V who rendered five minutes, a prolonged amount of time, and slashed it down to two minutes. According to his famous proclamation at the ceremony, the significance of the short time of stillness was to suspend all our daily activities fleetingly and just concentrate on the reverent remembrance of all the sacrifices made for emerging wars.

4. The Last Post and Reveille were played on a bugle or trumpet around the world before the two minutes of silence. Traditionally performed in the 1790s by the British army to mark the end of training in a military camp, the duty officers and soldiers rested until the morning when they heard the Rouse, a quarter call to wake everyone fifteen minutes before the formal training and activities that were signaled to start by the Reveille. However, the Reveille was a notoriously hard tune to play, so in the ceremony, they omitted the longer and harder piece, renaming the Rouse as the Reveille. Ritualistically speaking, the Last Post and the Reveille functioned as symbolic associations between a soldier’s last duty, suggesting the use of their lives to safeguard and uphold their standings, and the following ascension above their physical duty through their moral dedication is profound. Their grave contribution goes beyond the call of duty, surpassing what was required and asked of them.