Flag Day
A flag day is a flag-related holiday, a day designated for flying a certain flag (such as a national flag) or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag.
Flag days are usually codified in national statutes passed by legislative bodies or parliaments; however, in some countries a decree or proclamation by the head of state or chief executive can also order a flag day. The statute, or the proclamation or decree, may specify locations where flags are to be flown and how (for example, at full- or half-staff); alternatively, custom may prevail.[1]
Specific flag days
Country | Date | Details |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan | August 19 | Independence day, 1919. |
Albania | November 28 | Albanian Flag Day. Independence day, 1443, then again, 1912. |
American Samoa | April 17 | Commemorates the date American Samoa became a US territory and first flew the US flag in 1900, as well as the date of adoption of the American Samoan flag in 1960. |
Argentina | June 20 | National Flag Day. Anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano, who created the current flag. |
Armenia | June 15 | Commemoration of the Armenian tri-colour flag. Though the flag dates back to 1918, a revamped Law on the Flag of the Republic of Armenia was passed by the National Assembly on June 15, 2006. |
Aruba | March 18 | Flag day. Adoption of the national flag on March 18, 1976. |
Australia | September 3 | Australian National Flag Day commemorates the first flying of the Australian National Flag in 1901. |
Azerbaijan | November 9 | State Flag Day, was officially established on November 9, 2009,[2] for the commemoration of the adoption of the Flag of Azerbaijan on November 9, 1918.[3] |
Åland | Last Sunday of April | Commemorates adoption of the Åland flag. (April 26, 2020; April 25, 2021; April 24, 2022; April 30, 2023) |
Bolivia | August 17 | Flag Day in Bolivia. Commemorates of the creation of the first national flag. |
Brazil | November 19 | Flag Day in Brazil; adopted in 1889 |
Canada |
February 15 | National Flag of Canada Day commemorates adoption of the Canadian flag, Feb. 15, 1965. |
Colombia | July 20 August 7 | Declaration of Independence (1810) (Celebrated as National Day); Battle of Boyaca (1819) |
Curaçao | July 2 | Dia di Bandera ("Day of the Flag"). Adoption of the national flag on 2 July 1984. |
Denmark | June 15 | Valdemarsdag, the anniversary of King Valdemar's victory in the Battle of Lindanise (present day Tallinn, Estonia) in 1219, where according to legend, the Dannebrog fell from the sky. It is also the anniversary of the return of North Slesvig in 1920 to Denmark following the post-World War I plebiscite. |
Ecuador | September 26 | "Day of the National Flag" ("Dia de la Bandera Nacional"). Date when the tricolour was reinstated in 1860, two days |
Estonia | June 4 | "Eesti lipu päev" (National Flag Day). Date when the Flag of Estonia was consecrated in 1884.[4] |
European Union | May 9 | Europe Day commemorates the Schuman Declaration. |
Finland | Midsummer's Day | "Suomen lipun päivä", "Finlands flaggas dag" ("Finland's Flag's Day") celebrated annually since 1934. There are also several other flag days in Finland. Celebrated on the Saturday on June 20–26 (June 20, 2020; June 26, 2021; June 25, 2022; June 24, 2023). |
Faroe Islands | April 25 | The British occupation of the Faroe Islands during World War II led to the adoption of the Merkið that day in 1940. |
Georgia | January 14 | საქართველოს სახელმწიფო დროშის დღე (sak'art'velos sakhelmts'ip'o droshis dghe, "Day of the State Flag of Georgia"), (2004).[5] |
Greece | October 27 | "Ημέρα της σημαίας (imera tis simeas,"Day of the Flag") |
Haiti | May 18 | Commemorates the creation of Haiti's flag at the 1803 Arcahaye Conference. |
Honduras | September 1 | Commemorates the introducing of their first leader on Lake Yojoa. |
Hungary | March 16 | The day after the 1848 revolution in Pest-Buda. |
India | December 7 | Armed Forces Flag Day honours the soldiers, airmen and sailors of India. The Armed Forces Flag Day or the Flag Day of India is a day dedicated towards collection of funds from people of India for the welfare of the Indian Armed Forces personnel. It has been observed annually in India on December 7 since 1949. Over the years, it has become a tradition to commemorate this day as an honour to the soldiers, airmen and sailors of India.
India does not have a Flag Day dedicated to the National Flag. Prior to 2004, Indians were allowed to display the National Flag only on select days like the Independence day and Republic day. Industrialist Naveen Jindal fought a decade long battle and won the Fundamental Right to fly the National Flag.[6] Many Indians have been arguing to observe 23 January as the Flag Day as the landmark Supreme Court judgement allowing all Indians to display the National Flag on all days of the year was deivered on 23 January 2004.[7] |
Indonesia | August 17 | Proclamation of Indonesian Independence Commemoration of the Proclamation of Independence day of Indonesia every year on August 17. Hari Kemerdekaan. |
Ireland | April 24 (1916 date) / Easter Monday | The 'Easter Rising Commemoration' (Comóradh Éirí Amach na Cásca) commemorates the beginning of the Easter Rising of 1916. An army parade on O'Connell Street in Dublin is attended by the President of Ireland, the Taoiseach and other government ministers. The Irish 'tricolour' was adopted by the rebels of 1916. |
Italy | January 7 | Festa del tricolore ("Festival of the Tricolour") commemorates adoption of the Italian flag in 1797. |
Kurdistan | December 17 | Kurdish flag day is an unofficial holiday associated with the Kurdish independence movement. |
Liberia | August 24 | Flag day The holiday was first observed in an 1847 convention, when the founding fathers approved the flag's design along with establishing the new republic.[8] |
Lithuania | January 1 | Vėliavos diena ("Flag's day") commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas' Tower in 1919. |
Mexico | February 24 | First celebrated in 1934, commemorates the Plan de Iguala that was the turning of the Independence War of Mexico in 1821 |
Moldova | April 27 | The flag was officially designated as the state flag on April 27, 1990 by the members of the first post-Communist Parliament.[9] After the decision, Gheorghe Ghimpu went up to the roof of the Parliament building and took off the Soviet flag, raising the tricolor. |
North Macedonia | Every 1st and 15th day of each month. | Ден на македонското знаме (Den na makedonskoto zname, "Day of the Macedonian Flag"). Every 1st and 15th day of each month, the flag is changed in special ceremony. This celebrates the adoption of the flag.[10] |
Norway | May 17 | Celebration of the Norwegian Constitution, signed on 17 May 1814. Now the national day of Norway. Norway has a total of 16 official flag days (of which includes 5 for the royal family, 4 for Christian holidays and 1 shared with the Sámi national day) - see Flag flying days in Norway. |
Pakistan | August 11 | The National Assembly adopted the country's flag on this day. |
Panama | November 4 | An annual public holiday in Panama that forms a bridge holiday between Separation Day and Colon Day. |
Paraguay | May 14 | The real date of the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebration continues the next main day, Independence Day. |
Peru | June 7 | Commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Arica and the sacrifice of Alfonso Ugarte. |
Philippines | May 28 | Araw ng Watawat ("Flag Day"), the anniversary of the 1898 Battle of Alapan where the flag was first used. Display of the flag in all places until Independence Day is encouraged, provided it follows Republic Act 8491, currently the period extends till June 30.[11] |
Poland | May 2 | A holiday introduced in 2004, a day between the feasts of the 1st (International Workers' Day) and 3 May (May 3rd Constitution Day). Commemorates raising the flag over the Berlin Victory Column after the Battle of Berlin in 1945. |
Portugal | December 1 | A holiday introduced in 1910, it commemorates raising the flag on Restauradores Square on the anniversary of Restoration of Independence. |
Romania | June 26 | A holiday introduced in 1998, it celebrates Decree No. 1 of the Wallachian Provisional Government, which made the blue-yellow-red tricolour the national flag. |
Russia | August 22 | Commemorates raising of the present flag over the Russian Supreme Soviet building after a 1991 coup attempt. |
Serbia | September 15 | From 2020, the Day of Serbian unity and Serbian flag will be celebrated on 15 September in Serbia and Republika Srpska.[12] |
Slovenia | April 7 | Commemorates the anniversary of the first raising of the national flag in 1848 at Wolfova Street 8, Ljubljana. |
Sweden | June 6 | Svenska flaggans dag ("The Swedish Flag's Day"), observed since the late 19th century. Also the National Day of Sweden since 1983. Sweden has a total of 18 official flag days (of which 6 for the royal family and 3 for Christian holidays) - see Flag days in Sweden. |
Sri Lanka | February 4 | Independence Day ("National Day of the Sri Lanka Flag"), The independence day of Sri Lanka is a great national occasion celebrated with parades and pageants combined with the spirit of patriotism and national pride. National Day of Sri Lanka since 1948. |
Thailand | September 28 | วันพระราชทานธงชาติไทย (Wan Pra Raj Cha Tan Thong Chad Thai, "Thai National Flag Day") The day of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) adopted to use the flag in 1917. Announce on September 20, 2016 by cabinet of Thailand[13] |
Turkmenistan | February 19 | Commemorates the adoption of the nation's first flag after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. |
Ukraine | August 23 | День Державного прапора (Den Derzhavnoho prapora, "National Flag Day") commemorates the adoption of the Ukrainian flag; observed since 2004.[14] |
UAE | November 3 | Flag Day is celebrated on the day Sheikh Khalifa became President in 2004. It also commemorates the founders of the state, Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid. The UAE flag was adopted in a different day on December 2, 1971. |
United Kingdom | November 1
|
All Saints' Day |
United States | June 14 | Flag Day; commemorates adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777 and the Bear Flag Revolt in California on June 14, 1846. |
Venezuela | August 3 | Commemorates the first raising of the flag by Francisco de Miranda in Venezuelan soil, 1806. Formerly on March 12. |
See also
- National Day
- Republic Day
- Independence Day
- Public holiday
Notes
- Gammage, Jeff (June 14, 2008). "Flag Day loses importance but lives on in Phila". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
- "Azerbaijan sets National Flag Day". Today.az. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- "Azerbaijan marks National Flag Day". Today.az. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- "Estonian Holidays in 2010". Estonian Foreign Ministry. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
- (in Georgian) საქართველოს ორგანული კანონი საქართველოს სახელმწიფო დროშის შესახებ ("Law of Georgia on the State Flag of Georgia"). January 14, 2004. Parliament of Georgia. Accessed January 14, 2012.
- https://indiankanoon.org/doc/40605/
- https://theprint.in/opinion/india-must-mark-23-january-as-national-flag-day-naveen-jindal/182222/
- "Liberia Flag Day | Article about Liberia Flag Day by The Free Dictionary". encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- Republic of Moldova celebrates State Flag Day
- Macedonia got Flag Day Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine – Macedonian
- Philippine Republic Act No. 8491 Chan Robles (www.chanrobles.com). Retrieved on 2013-05-07.
- https://www.nezavisne.com/novosti/drustvo/Vlada-RS-usvojila-zakljucak-Dan-srpskog-jedinstva-15-septembar/620680
- (in Thai) การฉลองครบรอบ 100 ปี การประกาศใช้ธงไตรรงค์ เป็นธงชาติไทย Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- Ukraine celebrates National Flag Day Archived October 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Xinhua News Agency (23 August 2012)
Ceremony of hoisting Ukraine's national flag held at presidential administration, Kyiv Post (23 August 2011)
Україна відзначає День Державного прапора On Tuesday, August 23, all of Ukraine celebrates National Flag Day. Measures to raise the national flag are planned throughout the country., 1+1 (23 August 2011)
External links
- Media related to Flag day at Wikimedia Commons