Ritual is an old human activity and some of the best ones operate at a more or less unconscious level combining symbolism with myth and belief. Our basic Remembrance Day rituals on November 11th seem right and fitting, and they evolved that way in the immediate aftermath of the First World War. Our Remembrance Day observation combines elements of classical Greece and Rome, a Christian hope of resurrection, and practices that probably go back to pre-historic times. They were not designed by a committee so much as they were assembled in 1919-1922 by the people of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Various officials yearned to design November 11th ceremonies, but King George V had the sense to rein them in. Remembrance Day was how the people of Britain and the Dominions chose to commemorate their losses, and practices from Melbourne to Cape Town, to Glasgow to Calgary rapidly gelled together in a broad consensus, and the people chose well.

---

Support Canada Free Press

---