Flag Day
Encyclopedia
A flag day is a flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag (such as a national flag
National flag
A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the 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 statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...

s, however, in some countries a decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...

 by the head of state can also order a flag day. The statute or decree may specify locations where flags are flown and how are they flown (for example, at full- or half-staff
Half-staff
Half-staff is the American term for to describe a flag flying a flag below the summit of the flagpole . The rest of the English-speaking world uses the term half-mast. Technically the flag should be flown one breadth lower to allow for the invisible flag of death...

); alternatively, custom may prevail.

Specific flag days

Country/Territory/Continent Date Details
 Afghanistan August 19 Independence day, 1919.
 Albania November 28 Independence day, 1912.
 Argentina June 20 Anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...

, who created the current flag
Flag of Argentina
The national flag of Argentina is a triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue, white and light blue. There are multiple interpretations on the reasons for those colors...

.
 Aruba March 18 Flag day. Adoption of the national flag on March 18, 1976.
 Australia September 3 Australian National Flag Day
Flag Day (Australia)
In Australia, Australian National Flag Day is celebrated on 3 September. It commemorates the day in 1901 on which the Australian National Flag was first flown. On that day Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced the winners of a competition to design a flag for Australia. A large flag, 5.5 metres...

 commemorates the first flying of the Australian National Flag
Flag of Australia
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...

 in 1901.
 Azerbaijan November 9 Adoption of executive order on November 17, 2009.
 Bolivia August 17 Flag Day in Bolivia. In conmemoration of the creation of the first national flag.
 Brazil November 19 Flag Day in Brazil, adopted in 1889
 Canada
February 15
January 21
National Flag of Canada Day
National Flag of Canada Day
Flag Day, officially named National Flag of Canada Day, is observed annually on February 15, commemorating the inauguration of the Flag of Canada on that date in 1965. The day is marked by flying the flag, occasional public ceremonies, and educational programs in schools...

 commemorates adoption of the Canadian flag
Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and , is a red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a stylized 11-pointed red maple leaf. Its adoption in 1965 marked the first time a national flag had been officially adopted in Canada to replace the Union Flag...

, Feb. 15, 1965.
Québec Flag Day (French: Jour du Drapeau) commemorates the first flying of the flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec
The flag of Quebec, called the Fleurdelisé, was adopted for the province by the government of Quebec, during the administration of Maurice Duplessis. It was the first provincial flag officially adopted in Canada, first shown on January 21, 1948, at the Parliament Building of the National Assembly...

, January 21, 1948.
 Colombia July 20
August 7
Declaration of Independence
Colombian Declaration of Independence
Colombian Declaration of Independence refers to the historic events which happened on July 20,1810, in Santa Fe de Bogota, at the time the Viceroyalty of New Granada seceded and the related events around this date that defined the uprising of the Republic of Colombia.- Background :An important...

 (1810) (Celebrated as National Day)
Battle of Boyaca
Battle of Boyacá
The Battle of Boyacá in Colombia, then known as New Granada, was the battle in which Colombia acquired its definitive independence from Spanish Monarchy, although fighting with royalist forces would continue for years....

 (1819)
 Curaçao June 2 "Day of the National Anthem and flag" ("Dia di Himno i Bandera"). Adoption of the national flag on June 2, 1984.
 Denmark June 15 Anniversary of the "Battle of Valdemar" in 1219 at Lyndanisse
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

, Estonia, when according to legend, the flag ("Dannebrog
Flag of Denmark
The national flag of Denmark, Dannebrog is red with a white Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side...

") fell from the sky. 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 tricolor Flag of Ecuador
Flag of Ecuador
The flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow , blue and red, was first adopted on September 26, 1860. The design of the current flag was finalized in 1900 with the addition of the coat of arms in the center of the flag. Before using the yellow, blue and red tricolor, Ecuador...

 was reinstated in 1860, two days after the Battle of Guayaquil
Battle of Guayaquil
The Battle of Guayaquil was the final and pivotal armed confrontation of the Ecuadorian Civil War. The battle was fought on the outskirts of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador on September 22 – 24, 1860 among several factions claiming control of the country's territory in the wake of the abdication of...

.
 Kingdom of England April 23 St George's Day
St George's Day
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...

. the national day of England.
 Estonia June 4 National Flag Day ("Eesti lipu päev"). Date when the Flag of Estonia
Flag of Estonia
The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue , black, and white. The normal size is 105 × 165 cm...

 was first consecrated in 1884.
 European Union May 9 Europe Day
Europe Day
In Europe, Europe Day is an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe. There are two separate designations of Europe Day: 5 May for the Council of Europe, and 9 May for the European Union...

 commemorates the Schuman Declaration
Schuman Declaration
The Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 was a governmental proposal by then-French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman to create a new form of organization of States in Europe called a supranational Community. Following the experiences of two world wars, France recognized that certain values such as...

.
 Finland Midsummer's Day
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...

 
Day of Finland's flag ("Suomen lipun päivä" or "Finlands flaggas dag") celebrated annually since 1934.
 Faroe Islands April 25
 Greece October 27 "Ημέρα της σημαίας", (imera tis simeas), Day of the Flag
 Haiti May 18
 India December 7 Armed Forces Flag Day (Festival of the Tricolour) commemorate this day as an honour to the soldiers, airmen and sailors of India.
 Israel January 16 Magen David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...

 Day symbolizing the official adoption of the flag of Israel
Flag of Israel
The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. It depicts a blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes...

 on this day.
 Italy January 7 Festa del tricolore (Festival of the Tricolour) commemorates adoption of the flag of Italy
Flag of Italy
The flag of Italy is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white, and red, with the green at the hoist side...

 in 1797.
 Republic of 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.
 Mexico February 24
 Moldova April 27
 Norway May 17 Celebration of the Norwegian constitution, signed on May 17 in 1905. Now, the national day of Norway.
 Pakistan August 11 th The National Assembly adopted the Flag of Pakistan
Flag of Pakistan
The national flag of Pakistan was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, just three days before the country's independence, when it became the official flag of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was afterwards retained by the current-day Islamic...

 on this day.
 Peru June 7 Commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Arica
Battle of Arica
The Battle of Arica, also known as Assault and Capture of Arica Cape, was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru....

 and the sacrifice of Alfonso Ugarte
Alfonso Ugarte
Alfonso Ugarte was a Peruvian military commander during the War of the Pacific, between Peru and Bolivia against Chile. He ultimately rose to the rank of Colonel....

.
 Philippines May 28 Commemorates the day in 1898 when the flag was first carried into battle during the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...

.
 Poland May 2 Holiday introduced in 2004. Commemorates raising the flag on Siegessäule during the battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....

.
 Kingdom of Romania June 26 Holiday introduced in 1998. Celebrates the Decree no. 1 of the Wallachian Provisional Government, making the blue-yellow-red tricolour
Flag of Romania
The national flag of Romania is a tricolour with vertical stripes: beginning from the flagpole, blue, yellow and red. It has a width-length ratio of 2:3....

 the national flag.
 Russia August 22 Commemorates raising the flag of the contemporary design over the Russian Supreme Soviet building
White House, Moscow
The White House , also known as the Russian White House, is a government building in Moscow. It stands on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. Construction started in 1965 and ended in 1981. Originally called The House of Soviets, it was designed by the architects Dmitry Chechulin and P. Shteller...

  after a failed coup d'état attempt in 1991.
 Kingdom of Scotland November 30 St. Andrew's Day
St. Andrew's Day
St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day...

, the national day of Scotland.
 Sweden June 6 Day of the Swedish flag ("svenska flaggans dag") since late 19th century, also commemorated as National Day of Sweden since 1983.
 Turkmenistan February 19 Commemorates the adoption of the nation's first flag
Flag of Turkmenistan
The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on January 24, 2001.It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to those on the flag of the United Nations; a white waxing crescent moon, typical of...

 after gaining independence from the Soviet Union
 Ukraine August 23 National Flag Day ("День Державного прапора" ("Den Derzhavnoho prapora")) commemorates the day of the adoption of the Ukrainian flag
Flag of Ukraine
The flag of Ukraine is the national flag of Ukraine. The national flag was officially adopted for the first time in 1918 by a short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic. At that time the commonly used yellow–blue flag had already turned into blue and yellow and sported a trident in the upper left...

.
 United States June 14 Flag Day Commemorates adoption of the U.S. flag
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

, June 14, 1777.
 Åland Islands Last Sunday of April Commemorates adoption of the Åland flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...


See also

  • National Day
    National Day
    The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...

  • Republic Day
    Republic Day
    Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.-1 January in the Republic of Slovakia:This was the day of creation of the Republic of Slovakia. A national holiday since 1993...

  • Public holiday
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