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Marking the 100th Anniversary of the Remembrance Poppy in Canada

2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the Remembrance Poppy in Canada. The Poppy was first introduced by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War, when he penned his now infamous poem, "In Flanders Fields," the day after a fellow soldier died. 

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....

The idea for the Remembrance Poppy was conceived by Madame Anna Guérin of France, who was inspired by the poem, so she founded a charity to help rebuild regions of France torn apart by the war. To raise funds for the needs of Veterans' and remember those who gave their lives during WWI, she created poppies made out of fabric.

In 1921, she travelled to Britain and Canada and persuaded both the British Legion and the Canadian Great War Veterans Association (which in 1925 would become the Canadian Legion) to adopt the poppy as their symbol of remembrance as well. In July of 1921 the Great War Veterans Association adopted the Poppy as the flower of Remembrance, and the first "poppy day" happened on November 11th of that year. Since then, the Royal Canadian Legion and its members have upheld this tradition of Remembrance.

Today, millions of Canadians wear the poppy in the weeks leading up to and on November 11th, to remember and honour the immense sacrifice of Canada's Fallen.

 Watch the video below for more on the story of the Remembrance Poppy in Canada.

Here are 15 Kid-Friendly Poppy Crafts, from Sugar, Spice and Glitter 

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