Unlike ‘Memorial Day‘, ‘Labor Day‘ or for that matter ‘Thanksgiving (U.S.)‘, ‘Veterans Day‘ is NOT a moveable holiday. It is always marked on November 11 (i.e., 11/11) of each year — as of 1938 (i.e., for the last 83 years).
There is a profound reason for this, i.e., marking it on 11/11. That was when what was the horror of WW I formally came to an end — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 (11:00 11/11/1918). That was Armistice Day.
Though a lot of wars, though none probably as brutal & horrific as WW I, have come & gone, we still mark Veterans Day & Remembrance Day to mark 11/11.
We Brits, & our dear kin from the glorious British Commonwealth, can never forget the 11/11 significance because of our wonderful & SACRED red poppy tradition. When we wear (or see) a red poppy we automatically think of ‘Flanders Field‘, WW I & what all of that entailed.
The U.S., alas, does not have the red poppy tradition though I even wrote to President Obama asking him to try & make it a reality. I am, however, seeing signs that red poppies might start growing in popularity in the U.S. as time passes.
But, for now, for today, please remember, that Veterans Day is always on 11/11 because that was Armistice Day. Thank you.
Please listen to this from the incomparable ‘Eric Bogle‘. One of my favorites.
Never makes sense. It is a U.S. Federal Holiday. As such there is NO U.S. postal delivery (though I have a sneaking suspicion that they might NOW be making an exception for ‘special’ priority mail). Most of the BIG banks, such as ‘Bank of America‘ are closed. The U.S. Bond Markets are closed. But, not the U.S. stock markets.
That is not right. Yes, I like having the markets open, & as soon as I post this I will be checking to see what is happening & whether I could/should do some trades. [I can’t help it. I am addicted to stock/option trading. Though definitely NOT a day trader, & never have been, I like to do some trading everyday.]
It is something to think about. Maybe down the road it would change. Let’s hope so.
Don’t forget that I have a dedicated ‘Red Poppy‘ page on my old blog.