No Poppies in America on Remembrance Day

by caliber 27 Replies latest jw friends

  • caliber
    caliber

    I was surprised to hear this today.. poppies are not a big deal in the USA

    Remebrance day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I

    to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

    "In Flanders Fields"
    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.
    ~~~ John McCrae ( was Canadian.)

    Most all news and sportscastars wear poppies on Nov.11 in Canada

    Here is what one American said on the subject...

    ...".we do have poppies, but they appear in late May, for Memorial Day. They're called "Buddy Poppies" and sold by veterans. They're not as widely worn but they're there. And technically, we have two holidays for veterans -- one in May, commemorating "the ultimate sacrifice," and one in November to commemorate all of them, poppies or not."

    How many of you American's here have heard of Poppy Day ?

  • Theocratic Sedition
    Theocratic Sedition

    They're illegal. Poppie Plants, Heroin duh!!!!!!

  • caliber
    caliber

    ha ha ha ... don't duh me too fast , these on not real poppies smoke or shoot these and you may get very ill !!

    they are not totally unknown in the USA

    http://www.cal-mum.com/poppy.htm

  • Theocratic Sedition
    Theocratic Sedition

    Hehehe, I'm just messing around.

    Thanks for posting as I wasnt aware of Armistice Day. Life of a JW where ignorance is celebrated.

  • sammielee24
    sammielee24

    I do recall seeing the mini poppies but the one thing I could never, ever, ever get my ahead around was the fact that they actually link veterans day to retail therapy.

    There are ususally veteran day sales all over the place - in November - and for me coming from Canada where you just don't see that - it was hard to see the respect for the day with all the people just treating it like a big sales event. The same on Good Friday - I flew out of the US and it was busy as usual and hit Pearson and wham - it was so quiet because of the holiday....always interesting observations. sammieswife

  • caliber
    caliber

    He he he ..I got it thanks a little more history ..

    he poppy has become a nationally known and recognized symbol of sacrifice and is worn to honor the men and women who served and died for their country in all wars.

    A brief history of the artificial poppy:

    In the World War I battlefields of Belgium, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape. How could such a pretty little flower grow wild while surrounded by death and destruction? The overturned soils of battle enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, thus allowing them to grow and to forever serve as a reminder of the bloodshed during that and future wars.

  • Theocratic Sedition
    Theocratic Sedition

    So the flower represents ALL fallen combatents regardless of their respective countries?

  • caliber
    caliber

    So the flower represents ALL fallen combatents regardless of their respective countries?

    I believe so... have even heard of German people remembering their lost ones with poppies while living here in Canada

    lets just say they weren't fighting for Canada or the Queen of England

  • Theocratic Sedition
    Theocratic Sedition

    Ha! I guess not! Thats interesting though, that its open to everyone. Very few things are as universal as death.

  • Broken Promises
    Broken Promises

    The poppy is used in Australia too.

    I've never heard of an Australian store having a veteran's day sale. To associate retail consumerism with the death of our diggers would spark a riot.

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