The Significance of the Red Poppy
The poppy is a perennial flower, often grown as an annual, that is native to Asia and Southeastern Europe. Its flowers can be white, pink, slate-blue, purple and, most recognizably, red. The poppy is cultivated in many countries thanks to its oil, seeds and the drugs such as opium, heroin and morphine that can be manufactured from it. It is also a striking addition to any garden. Its seeds can lie dormant for years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Egyptians
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The Egyptians considered the poppy to symbolize eternal life and consolation. They used the red poppies at funerals and left them in tombs.
Greeks
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For the Greeks, poppies symbolized fertility, beauty and magic. They left poppies in the shrines of Diana, who was the goddess of the hunt, and Demeter, who was the goddess of fertility.
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"In Flanders Fields"
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Poppies grew with abandon in Flanders after the Napoleonic Wars when the fields were disturbed by fighting. They reappeared in World War I for the same reason. Following an exhausting day caring for the wounded in 1915, Lt. Col. John McCrae saw the poppies and was inspired by them, associating the red poppies with those who had fallen in battle. He wrote a poem called "In Flanders Fields," which begins: "In Flanders fields the poppies blow /
Between the crosses, row by row,..."
"We Shall Keep the Faith"
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Moina Michael read "In Flanders Fields" and was inspired to write her own poem in 1918 called, "We Shall Keep the Faith." In this poem, she included a promise to wear red poppies to remember the dead.
National Symbol of Remembrance
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In 1920, the American Legion agreed to adopt the red poppy as the national symbol of remembrance.
Madame E. Guérin
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Inspired by the message of "We Shall Keep the Faith," a Frenchwoman, Madame E. Guérin, decided to make red paper poppies for people to wear on Remembrance Day to remember those who had fallen.
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References
- Photo Credit a red poppy image by John Hartley from Fotolia.com
