Why do we get Poppies when we give a donation on Veteran's Day?
Flanders Field is a United States military cemetery near Waregem, Belgium. Buried in this cemetery are the bodies of 368 members of the armed forces who died in World War I (1914-1918). Canadian poet John McCrae wrote the famous poem, "In Flanders Fields"
McCrae, pronounced muh KRAY, John (1872-1918), was a Canadian physician, soldier, and poet. He contributed verses to Canadian periodicals before World War I. But he did not become famous until 1915 when he published "In Flanders Fields" in Punch, an English magazine. His poems were published after his death under the title In Flanders Fields, and Other Poems (1919). ~Above Information from The World Book Encyclopedia~
In Flanders Fields
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.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
~Written by John McCrae~
Poppy is the common name for several related groups of flowers. Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day has also been Poppy Day. Volunteers sell small, red artificial poppies in order to help disabled veterans. In recent years, the custom has grown in most families to decorate the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day.
It has been raised in the Orient since ancient times. The flowers of poppies are admired for their delicate beauty and gracefulness. Most kinds are hardy and easy to cultivate. The tiny seeds are sold for bird food. They also yield an oil used in preparing some foods. Poppy seeds are also used as flavoring. Poppy seeds may be sprinkled on bread and rolls, or used in filling for cakes.
The common corn poppy grows wild in the grain fields and grassy meadows of Europe. The most showy poppy is the large-flowered Oriental poppy. This poppy's red, orange, white, or salmon blossoms often have blackish-purple centers. Many poppies are annual plants that can be grown from seed. The poppy is one of the flowers of the month of August.