According to Wandsworth Times on Nov. 7 2023,

Remembrance Day: Why do we wear poppies and what they mark 

November is a month dedicated to remembering those who lost their lives in conflicts worldwide. Many people wear red poppies as a symbol of remembrance, and these poppies are sold as part of the Poppy Appeal, raising funds for the Royal British Legion, which supports those affected by conflicts and veterans. The tradition of wearing poppies dates back to World War One, with the famous poem 'In Flanders Fields' by John McCrae popularizing it. Red poppies honor all war casualties, while different colored poppies have distinct meanings: purple poppies for animals in war, black poppies for contributions from black, African, and Caribbean communities, and white poppies for those who died at the end of conflicts and advocate for peace. The recommended period to wear poppies is from the last Friday of October to November 11, but they can also be worn at veterans' funerals and commemorative events.

Would you want details? Go on to the desctiption and jump into the article.

https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/19688052.remembrance-day-wear-poppies-mark/

Currently we happened to find many people wearing the red-colored flower badges everywhere mentioned in article. At the same time, I have been aware of the bus I take everyday displaying "Lest we forget". These brought me wonder what this means as a new to Canada. At the end of the day, these two were all about Remembrance-day on Nov 11th every year, which is commemorating those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the line of duty. It originated to commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.

By the way, "Lest we forget" means in order to prevent something from happening or, put simply, not to forget. 

What's interesting in this article is there are several types of poppies, each color has different meanings they can bring on.

Purple poppies for animals have been a victim of war. Such as the horses, dogs, and pigeons used during the war effort, in particular for World War One. The black poppy commemorates the black, African, and Caribbean communities' contributions to the war effort, as service people and civilians. 

Some people choose to wear the white poppy as they feel the red poppy glorifies conflict and wars. From my perspective, I actually want to wear white one, since I couldn't agree more that it seems too cute to regret their sacrifices.

One thing as an immigrant to Canada, sometimes I feel it is hard to capture how Canada or Canadian people feel these kind of regretable historical fact. I think Japanese are more simple, we kept seeing the memorial day of the world war 2, as a regrettable day, we definately swear to avoid  such a miserable war, and are all willing to eradicate any wars all over the world. However, I feel something different in Canada toward a war. I found out some reasons I feel so. One of them is they use the word "honor" for this kind of memorial day. For example, "We honor people who died at war." For Japanese as educated to avoid any war in the world, this sounds a little bit strange. Or me as an English leaner, I might be too straightforward to recognize the meaning of the word or possibly misunderstanding "Honor". Is this something literally honored or something else? I am still trying to figure out how Canada or Canadian deem the day itself. Maybe a good idea by stepping outside on the day to feel it. Any thoughts or opinions?