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Armistice Day in Spain: Do the Spanish wear poppies and celebrate Remembrance Day?
Many British expats in Spain observe Remembrance Day, but don’t be surprised if you get some funny looks from Spaniards for wearing a poppy
November 11 is Remembrance Day or Armistice Day for countries like the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. But which other countries have a Remembrance Day? Is Remembrance Sunday observed in Spain?
Why do we celebrate Remembrance Day?
Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day, is commemorated every year on November 11 in memory of the armistice between the Allied forces and Germany during World War I in 1918.
Peace was declared on “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”, which is why on November 11 at 11am every year, we hold one minute’s silence to respect and remember those who died in the First World War, and all wars. The Sunday following November 11 is known as Remembrance Sunday.
The Royal British Legion (RBL) sells poppies made from paper and plastic (which are manufactured by disabled former British military personnel), which people wear around this date as a mark of respect. The red poppies, which give Armistice Day its nickname of Poppy Day, are a reference to the red blood spilled by fallen soldiers and to the poem “In Flanders Fields” where the poppies blow.
Does Spain have a Remembrance Day?
No, the Spanish do not observe Remembrance Day on November 11 and do not wear poppies in November because it is mainly a British Commonwealth tradition. During World War I, Spain was neutral and in World War II, while Spain’s fascist dictator was firmly on the side of the Nazis, the country was too poor and wrecked by its own Civil War just a few years before to be able to fight.
The Spanish are still trying to come to terms with the consequences of their Civil War from 1936-1939, and the ensuing four decades of repressive fascist rule under General Francisco Franco in which thousands of people were murdered. A recently passed ‘Law of Historical-Democratic Memory’ aims to finally stamp out glorification of dictatorship-era military leaders.
As of 2022, the date October 31 has been set aside as the Día de Recuerdo y Homenaje (Day of Remembrance and Homage) to remember the victims of Spain’s Civil War and dictatorship.
Remembrance Day events in Spain
On the UK and Commonwealth side, the Royal British Legion hosts events and raises money for the Poppy Appeal in Spain every year. They sell poppies and hold remembrance events like wreath-laying and ceremonial observation of one minute’s silence (sometimes at 12pm instead of 11am due to the one-hour time difference with the UK), especially in areas with large expat communities like Torrevieja, Benidorm, the Costa del Sol and the Region of Murcia.
All the money raised by the RBL in Spain goes towards beneficiaries within the country. At the end of each year, any leftover charity money from the Poppy Appeal goes into the RBL’s Welfare Fund, returning to the UK where it earns much higher interest, a general policy observed by all Overseas Branches of the RBL around the world. The majority of ex-servicemen and -women who are beneficiaries of Royal British Legion fund in Spain are elderly, but there are also some younger claimants.
This November 11, take a moment to think of those who have died in wars and those who survived and need help.
We will remember them.
Image: Archive
