What is the relevance of the poppies?
[With help from Steve South:] During the First World War, the fields of Flanders were dug over. Not by farmers, but by trench digging, shell and mortar fire, etc. Now it is a curious thing, but the seeds of the red poppies found in Europe can lay in the ground for years without germinating, and then grow after the ground has been disturbed. Consequently, sometime after the battles, the sites of devastation were transformed into a blaze of color. The poppy has become a symbol of that time. Every November, when Americans celebrate Veterans Day, the British have Remembrance Day. Poppy wreaths are laid at the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, etc. A national charity collects money for veterans by selling artificial poppies — wearing a poppy shows that you remember and that you gave. The same thing happens in the US, for Memorial Day. It does also have something to do with morphine. Poppies are also a symbol of relief from life’s pain, and have been since long before WWI.
