Remembrance Day is a sombre day. For the Commonwealth member countries, it is a minute of unity experienced across the nations. The symbolism of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is stark.
I know that I am part of a particular social consciousness because I wonder why countries do not commemorate Nov 11 at 11:00. Russia, Israel, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa and the Netherlands. They have other days designated for Remembrance. Some of the rationale seems to be a sorting between the First World War the Second World War. And also remembering all civilians and soldiers who have died in conflicts. Other nations have renamed it from Armistice/Remembrance. However, it seems that Remembrance is the defining theme along with Lest We Forget.
The particular date and time is symbolic. The definition of the 11th hour: the latest possible time before it is too late.
"The phrase eleventh hour has a Biblical origin; it comes from a parable in Matthew in which a few last-minute workers, hired long after the others, are paid the same wage. Despite being brought on the job after eleven hours of hard vineyard work, they weren't too late. The meaning has shifted a bit over the years, but today doing something at the eleventh hour means you got in just under the wire."
Here's our Remembrance Day wreath. This is available for $50 with delivery in the Niagara area, in support of the Nelles Manor Museum.
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