The Surprising History Behind the Red Poppy You Saw This Memorial Day
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Bright and bold, the spectacular beauty of poppies is something to behold. But this bloom does more than light up any landscape: It also serves as an important symbol to our veterans, honoring those we've lost.
If you've ever been to a Memorial Day parade, you've likely been handed a red poppy made from crepe paper. This tradition dates back to 1915, when entire European villages were destroyed in battle. After a long and gloomy winter, red poppies began to appear across the battlefields.
According to Newark Advocate, this sight inspired Canadian soldier John McCrae to write the poem "In Flanders Fields," published that same year, about the burial grounds. Professor and humanitarian Moina Michael then responded by launching a campaign to have the poppy officially recognized as a symbol for remembrance. She personally pledged to always wear a red poppy in honor of those who lost their lives at Flanders Fields.
American Legion, a corporation formed by veterans of the American Expeditionary Forces in Paris, approved Moina's request in 1920, and others soon sought to wear poppies as well. Anna Guérin, a French woman who was a representative of the French YMCA Secretariat, then became the first person to start making faux poppies like the ones that have become so common today.
Now that our brief history lesson is done, it's time to stop and smell the flowers. Isn't nature even prettier when it represents such a beautiful story?
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Did you know the poppy is one of the most popular wildflowers in the U.S.?
Faux poppies are often made from fabric or tissue paper.
Of course, poppies aren't only red—look out for them in various shades of orange, yellow, white, purple, and pink.
Want to grow your own poppies? Their seeds are very tiny, so they can sprinkled along soil and watered with a spray bottle.
In 2014, an art installation at the Tower of London, "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, marked the centennial of Britain's involvement in the First World War.
Poppies are symbolic at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, a tradition since 1928.
Purple poppies, which are native to southeast Europe and western Asia, can grow to be as tall as four feet.
Yellow poppies, perhaps the most cheerful shade of the flower, are a symbol of success.
Knitted poppies are used during Melbourne's Anzac Day parade.
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