Observing a minute of silence is fairly common in many countries-- to honor war victims, or fallen soldiers, or specific tragedies such as the recent terror attacks in Belgium, etc.
Typically, these ceremonies are localized, and fairly small; maybe taking place inside the building at the house of Parliament, or in a public square while a dignitary lays a wreath at a memorial, or at a sports stadium before the game starts, etc.
In Israel, the minute of silence is observed by the entire population. Sirens sound, and absolutely everybody stops dead in their tracks, in a moment of solemn solidarity.
My question is : Does any other country have a ceremony which is so widely observed, and encompasses such a massive number of people?
Here’s how Israel does it:
It’s a 4 minute video clip, but you only need to watch one minute, from 0:30 to 1:30. (The clip has audio, but if you are at work, you can leave your speakers turned off, and still understand the video. )
The clip shows the Israeli ceremony, which happens twice a year; once to remember the Holocaust, and once in honor of fallen soldiers.
In the UK, definitely. I think it’s Armistice Day, but I’m sure a British Board member will be by to help me out.
Everyone stands stock still in observance. I was in the airport once while it was happening. A bit eerie. There were also notices of what was happening and at what time. Everyone was encouraged to participate.
It’s often marked twice - both on Armistice day (Nov 11th) and the nearest Sunday ‘Remembrance Sunday’
Many towns have a ceremony where uniformed service people march to a memorial, where the names on the roll of local people who died at war are read aloud, followed by a speech or poem, playing of the last post on a bugle, and observation of silence. Poppies are worn.
The ‘popularity’ of a two minute silence on 11/11 rises and falls with how the general population feels about the military. When the coffins were being shipped back from the Middle East, there was much wider observance than (say) in the 70s and 80s. These days some supermarkets close the tills down at 11 am on 11/11 as a mark of support and respect.
As said above, there are parades in most towns on the nearest Sunday, centred on the war memorials. Poppies raise a huge amount of money for ex servicemen’s charity, The Royal British Legion. (over £40 million).