National Poppy Day: Why the flower symbolizes sacrifice, hope and remembrance
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The Friday before Memorial Day is designated as National Poppy Day, commemorating service members.
Poppy Day is celebrated around the world but The American Legion brought it to the United States by asking Congress to designate the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day.
Every year, members of the American Legion, a veterans service organization distribute poppies with a request that the person receiving the flower make a donation to support the future of veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families with medical and financial needs.
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What does the red poppy represent?
The red poppy has come to symbolize remembrance and hope following the 1915 publication of the wartime poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, while serving on the front lines.
McCrae who had lost a friend, wrote the poem after seeing poppies growing in battle-scarred fields, according to the British Legion.
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.
-Poem by John McCrae
According to the American Legion, the poppy flourished in Europe after World War I.
"Scientists attributed the growth to soils in France and Belgium becoming enriched with lime from the rubble left by the war," the Legion's website states. "From the dirt and mud grew a beautiful red poppy."
The poppy became the official flower of The American Legion in 1920. In 1924, the distribution of poppies became a national program of The American Legion.
When is Memorial Day 2023?
Memorial Day falls on May 29 this year. The holiday honors military personnel who died in service and is observed each year on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, has been a federal holiday since 1971. The day is typically celebrated with parades and ceremonies, and most government offices and some businesses are closed.
More: A list of parades and events in the Cincinnati area for Memorial Day 2023
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: National Poppy Day 2023: What the red flower represents
