Apr 7, 20222 min read

Are Sunflowers our next Poppy?

Updated: Sep 10, 2022

A large yellow sunflower is in focus with the rest of the sunflowers in the field can just be made out in the unfocused background. — Sunflower field in Tibbermore, Perth, Scotland.

The Poppy is a symbol of remembrance for most of Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

But why?

Red poppies in a field — Photo by Alesia Kozik from Pexels

The Poppy has many reasons to be an international representation of the lives lost during war; Poppies are resilient, they grew in many of the fields where the bodies of soldiers fell in World War I and II. Being red, it is easy to make the association of a blanket of poppies to the pooling of blood spilled by war. Pressed poppies were often sent home in letters from Soldiers on the front lines to their loved ones in World War I. So it is no surprise that over 100 years later, Poppies are used to raise money for soldiers and their families and as a way of remembering those lost during the first and second World Wars. Which leads me to my question, 'Are sunflowers our next poppy?'.

Sunflowers have already become an international symbol of the 'No To War' response for Ukraine. Many wear crowns on their heads during protests. Shop windows display them next to the Ukrainian flag with the words 'Stand with Ukraine'. Photos of them are being shared online in support of Ukraine, but Why? Ukraine's national flower is the Sunflower and has become an ingrained part of Ukrainian culture. It was the only oil not banned during Lent and, thriving in the Ukrainian climate, grew all over the country. Sunflower's are seen in Ukrainian art and design, woven into women's dresses in Fashion and are basically the inspiration for the Ukrainian flag. The horizontal strip of yellow represents the Sunflower & Wheat fields of Ukraine against the strip of blue that represents the rising sky above.

Blue and Yellow Ukrainian flag hangs from a white pole on the side of a Scottish Council building — Ukrainian Flag on the outside of a council building in Scotland.

It makes sense that Sunflowers will now forever be looked at differently and possibly used as a symbol of peace and remembrance. Like the poppy they are a symbol of strength and resistance representing the resilience of people affected by war. Many of you may have seen the video of a Ukrainian woman approaching a Russian soldier in her local town of Ukraine, as it now has hundreds of thousands of views. After confronting the soldier the Ukrainian woman can be seen extending her hand with some sunflower seeds stating;