About Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day marks the end of the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918 and remembers those who have died in war since. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The UK, Canada and Australia keep a silence at 11 a.m., and the UK holds its main services on Remembrance Sunday.
The fighting on the Western Front stopped at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. A year later, King George V asked people across the British Empire to stop whatever they were doing at that hour and keep two minutes' silence. Trains, trams, factories and traffic stopped. More than a hundred years on, the silence is still the heart of the day.
It is not a celebration, and the word "happy" does not belong anywhere near it. People search for "Happy Remembrance Day" every year, and it reads badly to anyone who has lost someone. The day is for remembering the dead of the two World Wars and of every conflict since, soldiers and civilians alike.
Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday
The two names cause most of the confusion. Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, is always 11 November. Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday of November, which in 2026 is 8 November and in 2027 is 14 November. Britain moved its national ceremony to the Sunday after the Second World War so that the dead of both wars could be remembered together.
| Country | The main day | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Remembrance Sunday, second Sunday of November | The national service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, with two minutes' silence at 11 a.m., wreaths laid by the King and political leaders, and a march past by thousands of veterans. Many people also keep the silence at 11 a.m. on 11 November itself. |
| Canada | Remembrance Day, 11 November | The national ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa and services at cenotaphs across the country, with two minutes' silence at 11 a.m. A statutory holiday for federal workers, in six provinces and in all three territories. |
| Australia | Remembrance Day, 11 November | One minute's silence at 11 a.m., wherever people are. The Australian War Memorial in Canberra holds a national ceremony. It is not a public holiday; Anzac Day on 25 April is the bigger day. |
| New Zealand | Armistice Day, 11 November | Smaller services; Anzac Day on 25 April is the main day of remembrance. |
In Canada, Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Nova Scotia, though many schools there hold assemblies and many workplaces stop for the silence. In French it is le jour du Souvenir.
The poppy
The red poppy comes from the fields of Flanders in Belgium, where poppies grew over the battlefields and graves. A Canadian army doctor, John McCrae, wrote about them in May 1915, after burying a friend.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row
After the war, Moina Michael in the United States and Anna Guérin in France campaigned for the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, and Britain's Royal British Legion sold its first poppies in 1921. Today the Legion in each country sells poppies to raise money for veterans and their families.
- In Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion's poppy campaign runs from the last Friday of October to 11 November. Wear the poppy on the left side, over the heart. Many people place theirs on a wreath or at the base of the cenotaph at the end of the ceremony.
- In the UK, poppies appear from late October, and the Legion's Poppy Appeal is one of the country's largest charity collections.
- White poppies, sold by the Peace Pledge Union, stand for remembrance of all victims of war together with a commitment to peace. Purple poppies remember animals that died in war. Some people wear them alongside a red poppy; others choose one.
India's war dead
For readers in India, this day is not only about other countries. The Indian Army grew from about 150,000 men in 1914 to nearly 1.4 million by 1918, and Indian soldiers fought in France and Belgium, East Africa, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission remembers about 74,000 Indian servicemen who died in the First World War and 87,000 in the Second.
India Gate in New Delhi, designed by Edwin Lutyens, was built as the All India War Memorial for Indian Army soldiers who died between 1914 and 1921, and about 13,300 names are carved on it. In Europe, the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial in France lists around 4,700 Indian soldiers with no known grave. In July 2026 the CWGC added 9,909 previously missing Indian soldiers to its records, after researchers studied the Punjab enlistment registers held at the Lahore Museum.
Commonwealth war cemeteries in India, including Delhi War Cemetery and Kohima War Cemetery in Nagaland, are looked after by the CWGC and are open to visitors. India's own days of remembrance include Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July and Martyrs' Day on 30 January.
Words for the day
These are not greetings. They are short lines of remembrance you can send to someone who will be thinking of their own dead, or use for a school or workplace notice. Add a name where you can.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
The next lines of that poem end with "We will remember them", which the crowd repeats at many services. Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders often add "Lest we forget".
Thinking of Grandad today, and of you. Two minutes at 11 is the least we can give him. Lest we forget.
I know your great-grandfather served in France. I'll be remembering him at 11 today.
Remembering Daniel today, with you. No words will be enough, but he is not forgotten.
Thinking of you, and of the friends you lost, on Remembrance Day.
At 11 a.m. today we will keep two minutes' silence to remember all those who have died in war. Please pause wherever you are.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.
Remembering the 74,000 Indian soldiers of the First World War today, and our own great-grandfather among them.
Do
- Keep the silence at 11 a.m., wherever you are; stop talking and stand if you can.
- Use a person's name when you remember someone. It means more than a general line.
- Buy a poppy from the Legion rather than an unofficial seller, so the money reaches veterans.
Avoid
- Don't write "Happy Remembrance Day", or use party graphics, balloons or exclamation marks.
- Don't take selfies or pose for jokey photos at war memorials and cemeteries.
- Don't use the poppy or the day to sell something.
- Don't turn the day into a celebration of war or a political argument. It is about the dead.
For the American day on the same date, which thanks living veterans as well, see Veterans Day.
How to wish someone on Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a day of mourning and memory, so there is no greeting and never \"Happy\". A message for this day remembers: a grandparent who served, a name on a memorial, the people a family lost. \"Lest we forget\" is the traditional line. Keep it short and plain, use names where you can, and leave out exclamation marks, emojis and anything that celebrates war.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, French (Canada).
When is Remembrance Day in 2026 and 2027?
Remembrance Day is on 11 Nov every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is Remembrance Day in 2026?
Remembrance Day 2026 falls on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
Can you say "Happy Remembrance Day"?
No. Remembrance Day mourns the dead of the World Wars and later conflicts, so "happy" is the wrong word. Say nothing festive. "Lest we forget", or a short line naming the person you are remembering, is the right tone.
What is the difference between Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday?
Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, is always 11 November, the anniversary of the end of the First World War. Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday of November, when the UK holds its national service at the Cenotaph in London. Many people keep the silence on both days.
Why is the silence held at 11 a.m.?
The armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War took effect at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. King George V asked for a silence at that hour in 1919. The UK and Canada keep two minutes; Australia keeps one.
Is Remembrance Day a holiday in Canada?
It is a statutory holiday for federal workers, in six provinces and in all three territories. Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia do not make it a statutory holiday, though ceremonies are held everywhere and many workplaces stop at 11 a.m.
Which side do you wear a poppy on?
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion asks people to wear the poppy on the left side, over the heart, from the last Friday of October until 11 November. Many people leave theirs on a wreath or at the cenotaph after the ceremony.
How many Indian soldiers died in the First World War?
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates about 74,000 Indian servicemen who died in the First World War. The Indian Army grew to nearly 1.4 million men by 1918, and India Gate in New Delhi was built as their war memorial.
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