Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday in United Kingdom, for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.
| United Kingdom | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Remembrance Sunday | Sunday 11th November | Sunday 10th November | Sunday 8th November |
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday - a day for recollection, private and public.
The origins of Remembrance Sunday celebrations lie deep within the First World War.
The history of Remembrance Sunday
The end of the First World War came with Armistice Day, which is now honoured with our Remembrance Day celebrations. Arms were laid down at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, an arbitrary moment chosen to end the four years of turmoil that had spread across Europe, but a moment that has become embedded in everyone's consciousness since then. Remembrance Day is now an instantly recognisable date. Remembrance Sunday ever since has commemorated and celebrated the contribution to the war effort and victory made by British and Commonwealth troops, not only in the First World War but in the many conflicts, small and large since. The Queen and royal family, politicians and the man in the street all take part in marking Remembrance Sunday.
When and where Remembrance Sunday is celebrated
Across Britain Remembrance Day falls on the second Sunday in November, the nearest Sunday to November 11th. From the main ceremonies at London's Whitehall Cenotaph to small village greens across the United Kingdom, parades and church services take place to mark Remembrance Sunday. Nations of the Commonwealth, from Australia to the other side of the globe, also hold their own Remembrance Day celebrations honouring their dead from the conflicts of the World Wars.
How Remembrance Sunday is celebrated
Wearing a red poppy is the most immediately recognisable mark of Remembrance Day. Parades and processions, ending with wreaths of poppies being laid at Cenotaphs and memorials across the length and breadth of the land are used to mark Remembrance Day. Starting at 11 a.m. on Remembrance Day a two minute silence is held, creating an unforgettable impression when the thousands of people in London to the few score in a small village all fall silent. This silence reminds us of when the guns across Europe fell silent. Veteran soldiers down to young children all take part in, or watch, the parades and processions, the military march pasts and the bands that mark this very special day, Remembrance Day.