Representational image. Wikimedia Commons
Also known as Remembrance Day or Poppy Day, Armistice Day, marked on 11 November annually, remembers those who died in World War I. Marking the end of the Great War, Armistice Day also remembers all those who sacrificed their lives in the First World War and other conflicts that followed it. In the four-year-long gruesome war, millions sacrificed their lives, including more than 74,000 Indian soldiers. For those who don’t know, the first Great War ended ‘at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month’, and therefore Remembrance day is celebrated every year on 11 November.
What is the history of Remembrance Day?
On 11 November 1918, at 11 am, the Armistice began, which was an agreement to end the fighting in World War I. This was a prelude to peace negotiations. In 1919 King George V inaugurated the event for the first time in commemoration of the first anniversary of the peace agreement. Responding to the suggestions of politicians, King George V urged the nation to pause in silence for two minutes, in a bid to acknowledge the war fatalities. Thereafter, the period of silence became the centerpiece of the Armistice Day events that took place annually. However, the name changed after the end of the Second World War.
Why does Poppy hold significance?
In the Commonwealth nations, poppies were widely sold before the origin of Remembrance Day. The flower is worn to show respect for all the people who sacrificed their lives while fighting in World War I, as well as the conflicts that followed the war. Poppy was one flower that grew on many of the battlefields during the war and was later adopted by American academic Moina Michael to remember the loss of life in the Great War. Poppy is also associated with the charity that was founded by the veterans of World War I, known as the Royal British Legion.
How is the day observed?
To mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War, people across the globe observe two minutes of silence at 11 AM on 11 November. It was the moment in the past when the armistice agreement was signed between the Allied Forces and Germany.
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