Remembrance Day, observed every year on Nov. 11, evolved from Armistice Day in Canada and is marked by poppies and ceremonies including the national event at Ottawa’s National War Memorial.
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Canadians observe Remembrance Day each year on Nov. 11. It began in Canada as Armistice Day in 1919, after King George V urged countries in the British Commonwealth—including Canada—to commemorate the day.
The holiday’s name changed from Armistice Day to Remembrance Day in 1931. Government of Canada information notes the Nov. 11 timing reflects the armistice agreement signed for an end to hostilities at 11 a.m., on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The armistice ended the First World War, although fighting continued for hours after the agreement was reached, and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.
In Canada, the red poppy is worn to honour fallen service members. The poppy has Canadian roots linked to a 1915 poem about fields of poppies growing around the graves of First World War soldiers in Flanders, written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.
Each year, a national ceremony is held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Governor General, who presides over the ceremony, and the prime minister are among the officials who attend, along with members of the Canadian Armed Forces, officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and cadets marching to the memorial. France, Belgium and Poland also observe Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
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