Armistice Day

Armistice Day, observed on November 11th, marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting on the Western Front in the First World War, signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, France, and taking effect at 11 a.m. Paris time in 1918. In the UK, the day is marked chiefly by a two-minute silence held at 11 a.m., a tradition first proposed shortly after the war and observed annually since, giving the public a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of servicemen and women in war. Unlike Remembrance Sunday, which is the UK's larger organized national ceremony and can fall on a different date, Armistice Day itself always falls on November 11th regardless of the day of the week, meaning the two commemorations sometimes coincide and sometimes fall several days apart. The day is closely tied to the wearing of red poppies in the weeks leading up to it, sold by the Royal British Legion as part of its annual Poppy Appeal, with many public figures, broadcasters, and members of the public wearing one throughout early November. Similar Armistice Day observances take place across the Commonwealth and in France and Belgium, where it remains a full public holiday.