November 11th, a day many of us celebrate to commemorate the sacrifices made by soldiers. People symbolize their respect by wearing a poppy, or taking a moment of silence; but what do we truly know about WHY we celebrate Remembrance day?
The history of Remembrance day starts back in 1918, when the armistice was signed between the Allied Forces and Germany to officially stop the first World War. The peace began after that agreement was signed on November 11th, 11AM, 1918. Millions of soldiers and civilians died during WW1, sacrificing their lives willingly or unwillingly, all for our safety.
This ceasefire prevented many more deaths that could have occurred, and started a tradition in many countries, in which we take a second and just remember how many lives have been taken due to wars. The first Remembrance day was recorded in November 1919, when King George V hosted a “Banquet in Honour of the French Republic”.
Armistice day, later renamed Remembrance day, was originally used to commemorate only World War 1 soldiers and the life they lost in battle. The big push was made in 1928, where many citizens including veterans, grieving families, and many people who just wanted a change, fought for greater recognition and acknowledgement and to separate the sacrifice of wartime deaths away from Thanksgiving holidays.
It was only in 1931, when the federal government proclaimed that freshly renamed Remembrance day would take place on the 11th month, of the 11th day, on the 11th hour. Remembrance day would now honour any fallen soldiers instead of specifically the World War 1 veterans.
You may be asking yourself “What now?”, the truth is there are many possibilities. I know how busy life can get, especially on a Monday this year no-less. You may not be free at 11AM on November 11th, and that’s okay. There’s absolutely no restrictions on recognizing the many deaths and sacrifices made throughout history to make the world a bit safer.
The only thing that I can possibly ask is just to try. You don’t need to throw a huge celebration party, or do anything big, but doing something small like taking a moment of silence, wearing a poppy (which you can find in many stores at this moment), or just thinking about the lives lost can mean a lot.
If everybody took a moment of realization and appreciation, the world could be a bit kinder that day. Just like how it was just for a moment back on November 11th, 1918.