Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day as it’s known in France, is a time to come together and remember those who lost their lives during wars.
November 11, 1918 - Armistice Agreement that ended the First World War.
November 11 is the date on which was signed the Armistice agreement that ended the First World War in 1918. This national holiday honours the memory of soldiers who died in combat during this conflict. A ceremony takes place at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris where the French president lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This ritual is respected and repeated in the cemeteries and military memorials of the Great War throughout France as well as at communal war memorials. Moreover, two minutes of silence and the ringing of bells in all French villages are usually observed at 11:00 a.m., to remember the fallen.
Bleuet de France: the symbol of national solidarity
Following the disaster of the First World War, a French citizen’s mobilization was set up in favour of a material, economic and human reconstruction.Charlotte Malleterre and Suzanne Leenhardt, two French nurses, decided to collect funds to help the disabled and wounded soldiers. Made at the Invalides and sold in the streets of Paris, the cornflower was chosen because it is one of the only flowers to grow on the battlefields and reminds the blue of the uniform of the French troops — “les poilus.” Today, this flower symbolizes the values of respect, peace and tolerance. It is notably worn in France on May 8 (end of the Second World War), November 11 and July 14 (National Day).
What program for 2022?
Remembrance in Paris
In 2022, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne commemorates the 104th anniversary of the Armistice with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of the Clairière de Compiègne where the Armistice was signed, and by relighting the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.
Idea for your next stay
Follow on a 35-kilometer bike ride through key remembrance sites in Northern France: the Canadian Memorial of Vimy, the German military cemetery of Maison Blanche, the 14-18 Memorial of Notre-Dame de Lorette and the spectacular Ring of Remembrance, the ruined towers of the abbey church of Mont-Saint-Eloi...
Let RMB Transports escort you as you explore the Vimy Ridge area
The perfect alternative to a cab, Michel Bernard accompanies you to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. 2 different itineraries are taken to and from Arras to discover other sites and monuments related to the 1st World War. The trip lasts 20 minutes on the way out and 30 minutes on the way back.
By France.fr
The magazine of the destination unravels an unexpected France that revisits tradition and cultivates creativity. A France far beyond what you can imagine…
