Remembrance Day (Canada)HISTORY
Each and Every Country has its' own celebration as a day for honouring their war veterans and those who served their country. Remembrance, Veterans, Armistice Day is held on November 11th each year. Why is that this was the date chosen to pay honour to those who lost their lives during war and peacekeeping missions. On November 11, 1918 on the 11th hour an armistice was signed bringing to an end four years of war. A war, in which many lives were lost, many left permanently disfigured and still others who are haunted by the memories and horrors, which they lived through. This was supposedly the "war to end all wars" and yet as we look back on history we can see this was not to be, many more wars would follow. So, today as we remember those who defended their countries, it encompasses all wars and peacekeeping missions, which have taken place during the 20th century.
Remembrance Day (Canada)
The first Remembrance Day ceremonies were held in 1919 throughout the entire British Commonwealth and were referred to as Armistice Day. It began at the end of the First World War on Monday November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m., the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. During the years 1923 to 1931 Armistice Day was held on the Monday during the week of November 11th. It was held on the same day as Thanksgiving was celebrated. In 1931, M.P. Allan Neill introduced a bill to set a fixed date for Armistice Day, which was November 11th, the date that signified the end of World War I. It was during the passing of this bill that parliament changed the name from Armistice to Remembrance Day. Once the bill was passed, Remembrance Day was conducted on November 11th, 1931 and has remained the date since that time. Thanksgiving Day was moved to October that year and celebrated on the 12th. The poppy also became the symbol of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Major John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer who served during the First World War. Although Remembrance Day is in honour of Canadians who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, it now includes the many that have lost their lives during peacekeeping missions since then or in other wars. It is a day set aside in remembrance of all men and women who have served in the Forces as well as civilians who helped the war effort in various ways throughout the 20th century.
Veterans' Day (United States of America)
In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, an armistice was signed bringing an end to the First World War. It was a time for rejoicing and celebration as peace once more prevailed throughout the nations. In 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day in remembrance of the men and women who made great sacrifices during the First World War. Surviving soldiers marched in parades held in cities and towns throughout the nations while veteran officers gave speeches. Armistice Day officially received its name in America in 1926 through a Congressional resolution. In 1938 Congress passed a resolution declaring November 11th, a national holiday. It was only a few years later that America once again found itself at war. At the end of the Second World War Armistice Day remained the same but it now encompassed those who had served during this past war as well. The people in Emporia, Kansas began calling this day Veterans' Day in appreciation of the veterans in their own hometown. In 1954 Congress renamed Armistice to Veterans' Day, "to honour all veterans on the 11th day of November of each year as a day dedicated to world peace." In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared Veterans' Day to be a federal public holiday on the second Monday in November. Veterans' Day now honours all those who lost their lives during war or on peacekeeping missions as well as civilians who furthered the war efforts in a variety of ways, throughout the 20th century.
| Country | Name of Day | Date |
| Australia | Anzac Day
Remembrance Day |
April 25
November 11 |
| Canada | Remembrance Day | November 11 |
| France | Jour du Souvenir | November 11 |
| Germany | Volkstrauertag | Third Sunday in November |
| Great Britain | Remembrance Day | Closest Sunday to
November 11 |
| Greece | Ochi Day | October 28 |
| Italy | Giorno della Vittoria | November 4 |
| Netherlands | Herdenkings Day | May 4 |
| New Zealand | Anzac Day
Remembrance Day |
April 25
November 11 |
| Soviet Union | Victory Day | May 9 |
| United States | Memorial Day
Veterans' Day |
Last Monday in May
November 11 |
Get your own Free Home Page