Armistice Day in France

Hi everybody, and happy Veterans Day to all my American friends!  Here in France, it's Armistice Day (more or less the same holiday, more or less the same purpose, just a different name), and I'm getting the opportunity to experience rather different cultural views on a national holiday.

First, a bit of history.  Veterans Day in America and Armistice Day in a whole bunch of European countries (and Remembrance Day in Canada, as I've recently been informed) are all our different names for the national holiday on November 11, commemorating the armistice that officially ended World War I.  The US holiday was originally called Armistice Day as well, up until 1954 when the name was changed to Veterans Day, with the goal of honoring all American veterans and not only those who had served in World War I.

In France, however, as well as in most European countries that observe the holiday, Armistice Day has remained a bit closer to its original roots.  Living veterans are rarely honored in any particular way, since all French World War I veterans are now deceased.  The holiday is really much more of a historical observation.  Statues and public places are decorated with flowers and French flags, and in the few workplaces that are open today, there is often a moment of silence at 11:00, the hour when the armistice became official.

The French observation of Armistice Day differs quite a bit from American Veterans Day, where living veterans are honored in school assemblies, given discounts at stores and in restaurants, etc.  Despite having identical roots, the French and American holidays seem to have each developed different purposes: the French holiday honors the past and its historical impact, while the American holiday gives thanks to its present heroes.  Now that I think about it, French Armistice Day is actually quite similar to American Memorial Day.

As cheesy as this may sound, I feel like it needs to be said: wherever you are, whatever you're celebrating today, please take a moment to realize the significance of the holiday.  Fallen and living heroes alike have done their part to shape the world and make it what it is today; the least we can do is to take a moment and understand the importance of that.

Happy Armistice/Veterans Day!