Remembrance Day
De-Christianizing Remembrance Day
Every year on November 11, Canadians across the country cluster in the cold around cenotaphs of concrete and stone to commemorate our war dead. In a society almost entirely devoid of tradition and ritual, Remembrance Day ceremonies wield particular power: the tread of boots on asphalt in the silence as the military parade passes by; the shrill of the bagpipes; God Save the Queen (or, last year for the first time since 1951, God Save the King); the laying of the wreaths; the reading of John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields; and the moment of silence at 11 AM followed by the Last Post, the notes echoing into the reverie. It is the last Canadian ceremony of its kind.
We Remember
My Dad. Landed at Juno, severely wounded by shrapnel several weeks into the Normandy campaign. Not a hero. Just a common soldier.
A sense of the sacrifice was passed down to my generation first hand.
Many had parents or knew friend’s parents, or had granddads, uncles and cousins who served in WW I, WW II and Korea.
My Godfather lost a hand in WW I. He always gave me a buck on my birthday. You don’t forget that.
I only had to look at the scars on Dad’s body and his deformed leg.
Today our armed forces can’t meet recruiting goals.
The succeeding generations of the people who sacrificed lives, bodies and minds in our defense no longer desire to join Canada’s military.
What can you say when our Prime Minister goes on vacay for Remembrance Day and hangs out with drag queens.
What the poppy really means
The War was followed by an elite backlash against civilisation
Why do modern architects hate humanity? The question echoes around one my favourite corners of the internet, Reactionary Architecture Twitter. Powered by a loathing of the modernist and post-modernist built environment, it’s weirdly popular, signalling an about-turn towards traditional aesthetics, which has even seen Britain’s reactionary-in-chief, Prince Charles, enjoying a (sort of) comeback.
We Remember
How in gods name does this happen?!? It’s inexcusable. https://t.co/h43B0JezHH
— Alex Pierson (@AlexpiersonAMP) November 11, 2021
Security issue delayed Remembrance Day ceremony: Veterans Affairs
The Remembrance Day poppy is 100 years old in Canada. Our attitudes to war and peace must keep evolving with it
The crimson emblem we wear on Remembrance Day is a symbol of recognition and commemoration, of sorrow and of pride. The poppy connects us to history as we bear witness to those who have fallen in service of this country, to those who returned from wars and missions wounded in body, mind and spirit, to those who demobilized or left the forces to contribute to their communities, and to those who continue to serve.
The poppy is pinned to our history, and for many Canadians it has always been a part of our lives. Yet the poppy has its own remarkable history. This year is the 100th anniversary of its adoption by Canadian veterans to mark war, loss and the obligation of remembrance.
Canadian flags on federal buildings to be raised next week: government source
Trudeau had seemed to indicate Indigenous communities would have to give consent for the government to raise the flags. But the source said that is not the case.