The most popular poppy story is that of Flanders Field, which was destroyed and saw the loss of 87,000 allied soldiers. There are many stories and myths that involve the poppy. Just like the purple poppy, the pink poppy and the blue poppy are a symbol of imagination, luxury, and success. In Eastern cultures, white poppies are a sign of death and can be found in funerals and memorials. As such, the white poppy has in some places, also become a symbol of protest. It can also be worn on Remembrance Day as a commemoration of lives lost in battle but with an emphasis on peace achievement and as a challenge to our view of war.įactions that prefer the white poppy feel that the red poppy exalts war, or that it focuses on the commemoration of British armed forces and its allies while leaving out the enemy and civilian war victims. In Western cultures, the white poppy is a symbol of peace. Many feel that the animals’ service should be treated as equal to the humans’ and thus wear the purple poppy for that reason.Īside from war commemoration, the purple poppy is a symbol of imagination, luxury, and success. Particularly, many horses lost their lives or sustained injuries during World War I.

While the above is true in Western cultures, in Eastern cultures however, the red poppy is a symbol of love and success and is often concomitant with romantic gestures.Ĭonnected to an initiative called Black Poppy Rose, the black poppy is a symbol of the commemoration of black, African, and Caribbean persons to the war as civilians, servicemen, and servicewomen.Ĭonnected to the initiative The Purple Poppy by the War Horse Memorial, the purple poppy has been commonly adopted as a commemoration of animal war victims, as well as animals who serve in the frontline with and as a support to modern-day armed forces.Īnimals that fell victim to the war are dogs, pigeons, and horses. Poppy Symbolism According to Colorīelow are the most common poppy flower colors and their meanings:Ĭonnected to a charity created by World War I veterans,The Royal British Legion, who assert that it is a representative of remembrance and hope, the red poppy is the most common symbol of the commemoration of the First World War and ensuing conflicts. The poppy flower and Remembrance Day (for all ensuing wars) are intertwined, so much so that November 11 has also come to be known as poppy day. Remembrance Day is a commemorative day set aside after World War I to honor soldiers who died in the line of duty in battles fought in extensive poppy farms. The most symbolic use of the poppy flower, however, is that it’s worn on Remembrance Day, November 11. For Christians, it is a symbol of the blood of Christ, His suffering, and sacrifice. In addition, poppies also depict fruitfulness and fertility. The reasoning behind this symbolism comes from the sedative aspect of opium harvested from poppies, and the bright red color of the popular red poppy respectively. In general terms, poppies symbolize peace, sleep, and death. Usually, poppy flowers have four to six petals housing an ovary surrounded by lots of stamens and lacy-looking or fern-like foliage. Papaver, the most common poppy genus, houses about one hundred flowering cultivars with ranging shades of yellow, blue, red, white, purple, ivory, orange, cream, and pink. This is because when poppy stems are cut, they produce milk-looking sticky latex. The name poppy is derived from the Latin word “ pappa” which means milk. What Are Poppies?Ī member of the Papaveraceae family and Papaveroidea subfamily, poppies are colorful flower-producing herbaceous plants.

The symbolism varies depending on the color of the flower, as well as the cultural lense its viewed through.Īll this make poppies an excellent option for bouquets and gifts. In addition to all this, poppies are also highly symbolic flowers. These flowes have a range of uses, and have been used for centuries in different contexts. They grow easily in the wild and while they are easily recognizable by their intense red shades, they also come in a variety of other colors. Poppies are among the most well-known flowers.

Remembrance poppy designs