At the factory where I retired, ladies from the War Mothers would hand out poppies (plastic) every Memorial Day, and the Marine Corps veterans would hand ‘em out (paper) at Veterans’ Day. “In Flanders Fields” was in our lit books in (about) seventh grade.
In France, there’s an equivalent. The blue cornflower (this is the real flower. I couldn’t find a picture of the “fake” one sold).
But they’re rarely if ever sold or worn anymore, except during the ceremonies themselves to the people who attend them. I don’t remember noticing them being sold in the streets since I left the rural area where I was brought up.
The product of the sales goes to war veterans associations and charities.
I can’t link to the picture directly, apparently. The flower is the “bleuet”, in the middle of the bottom row.
Same here. My home town had a 100th aniverary parade while I was there one summer vacation from the U of Iowa in the late 40’s. Down the street came these old men and I thought to myself, “Here come the Spanish-American war vets.” They were the WWI vets who I remembered as a lot younger.
A bleuet is a cornflower - how about that? In Quebec, that’s the word for blueberry.
I can remember getting poppies from the VFW about 10 years ago while growing up in Mass. I don’t remember whether I got them through school or through the Boy Scouts, though.
You can find VFW poppies being sold for Veterans day where I live, and I’m in a heavily liberal part of California. For what that’s worth.
In NZ and Australia, red poppies are worn on ANZAC day, April 25, which commemorates the ANZAC {Australia and New Zealand Army Corps} landings at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 - the campaign, against the Turks, was a disaster, and was marked by heavy casualties on all sides. ANZAC day has grown to commerorate military veterans of all wars, and the day is marked by dawn services throughout the country: the wearing of red poppies then is extremely common.
The poppy and the poem are featured on the back of the Canadian $10 bill (second from the top in the link).
The Anzac Day poppies are worn again on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, here. For the memorial services around 11 am, and the moment’s silence.
Poppies have been sold on Memorial Day and Veterans Day every place I’ve ever lived (in the US). I was raised in San Diego, and have lived in Rhode Island and Virginia.
My grandfather was a WWI veteran and a member of the VFW. When my mom was a girl she went with him on Veterans Day to sell poppies. So I always buy one. I wear it during that day (usually attached to my purse strap), then transfer it to the rearview mirror of my car.