Why do the French use the blue cornflower rather than the red poppy as a symbol of war remembrance?
by 
Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger
ANSWERS: 1
-
The blue cornflower (bleuet) was a symbol of commemoration of the wounded before the poppy came into use. It stems from production of blue-coloured cloth by wounded soldiers who had fought in the 1914-18 war in Les Invalides hospital in Paris. So the bleuet commemorates the all veterans and the poppy commemorates the dead. The use of the poppy was inspired by the poem 'In Flanders Field' by John McCrae and poppy was translated into French as bleuet.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC