Memorial Day and the Red Poppy

Memorial Day is more than just another Federal Holiday. This is the day we set aside to honor all who have lost their lives while protecting and fighting for our country. Since 1868, when it was originally called Decoration Day (officially becoming Memorial Day in 1938) this was the time for our nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

Each year flowers and wreaths are placed in front of veterans’ headstones in ceremonies across our Nation.  Magnificent displays of our Country’s colors—red, white, and blue— are found in roses, petunias, impatiens, lobelia, verbena, pansies, and bachelor’s buttons. But it is the red poppy that is perhaps the most iconic symbol of remembrance for the fallen—a symbol of reverence and gratitude since WWI, and the inspiration for the poem, “Flanders Field” written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

Photo credit: Ardeleanu, Unsplash