November's flowers

The Chrysanthemum represents the month of November. This birth flower symbolizes cheerfulness although a red one sends the “I love you” message. Giving someone a white ‘mum means innocence, purity and pure love. Yellow chrysanthemums mean a slighted or jilted love. I don’t make this up. These meanings are part of the Language of Flowers, a throwback to the Victorian era, when we didn’t say what we meant; we gave symbolic flowers instead. The Ox-eye Daisy with its white petals and golden centres seen on our roadsides is related, although not native to the province.

 November is also associated with the Poppy Campaign of the Royal Canadian Legion, a tradition in place since 1921. These familiar red and black flowers bloom on the lapels of Canadians as we remember those who gave of their service and their lives in military service. This association is international and dates back to Napoleonic times, when they commemorated the fallen.

Lt. Col. John McCrae immortalized the poppies in his emotional poem In Flanders’ Fields, first published in 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I can still recite this from memory. Today and tomorrow many school children will assemble to pay their respects to events they study in history. November 11 at 11:11 won’t you give a moment of silence for those who gave?

Ox-eye Daisies, photo by Martin Thomas
Graphic by Stressed Jenny