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Use | National flag and state and naval ensign ![]() ![]() |
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Proportion | 5:8 |
Adopted | February 27, 1812 (original), 1861 (current version), November 2010 (standardization) |
Design | A horizontal triband of light blue (top and bottom) and white with a Sun of May centered on the white band. |
Designed by | Manuel Belgrano |
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Use | Civil flag and ensign ![]() |
Proportion | 5:8 or 9:14 |
Adopted | February 27, 1812 |
Design | A horizontal triband of light blue (top and bottom) and white (center). |
Designed by | Manuel Belgrano |
The national flag of the Argentine Republic , often referred to as the Argentine flag (Spanish : bandera argentina), is a triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reasons for those colors. The flag was created by Manuel Belgrano, in line with the creation of the Cockade of Argentina, and was first raised at the city of Rosario on February 27, 1812, during the Argentine War of Independence. The National Flag Memorial was later built on the site. The First Triumvirate did not approve the use of the flag, but the Asamblea del Año XIII allowed the use of the flag as a war flag. It was the Congress of Tucumán which finally designated it as the national flag, in 1816. A yellow Sun of May was added to the center in 1818.
The full flag featuring the sun is called the Official Ceremonial Flag (Spanish : Bandera Oficial de Ceremonia). The flag without the sun is considered the Ornamental Flag (Bandera de Ornato). While both versions are equally considered the national flag, the ornamental version must always be hoisted below the Official Ceremony Flag. In vexillological terms, the Official Ceremonial Flag is the civil, state, and war flag and ensign, while the Ornamental Flag is an alternative civil flag and ensign. There is controversy of the true colour of the first flag between historians and the descendants of Manuel Belgrano between blue and pale blue.
It is one of the five flags that use the ratio 5:8, the others being Guatemala, Palau, Poland, and Sweden.
Popular belief attributes the colors to those of the sky, clouds and the sun; some anthems to the flag like "Aurora" or "Salute to the flag" state so as well. However, historians usually disregard this idea, and attribute them to loyalty towards the House of Bourbon. [1]
After the May Revolution, the first times of the Argentine War of Independence, the Triumvirate claimed to be acting on behalf of the Spanish King Ferdinand VII, who was prisoner of Napoleon Bonaparte during the Peninsular War. Whether such loyalty was real or a trick to conceal independentism is a topic of dispute. The creation of a new flag with those colors would have been then a way to denote autonomy, while keeping the relations with the captive king alive.[ citation needed ]
The sun is called the Sun of May because it is a replica of an engraving on the first Argentine coin, approved in 1813, whose value was eight escudos (one Spanish dollar). It has 16 straight and 16 waved sunbeams. [2]
In 1978 the sun color was specified to be golden yellow (amarillo oro), to have an inner diameter of 10 cm, and an outer diameter of 25 cm (the diameter of the sun equals 5⁄6 the height of the white stripe. The sun's face is 2⁄5 of its height). It features 32 rays, alternately wavy and straight, and from 1978 it must be embroidered in the "Official Flag Ceremony".[ citation needed ]
From 1978, the flag's official proportions are 9:14, and its official size is 0.9 by 1.4 meters. It features three stripes alternating sky blue, white and sky blue. Each stripe is 30 centimeters high.[ citation needed ] In the center stripe there is an emblem known as the Sun of May (Spanish : Sol de Mayo), a golden sun. Historian Diego Abad de Santillán claimed that the Sun of May was a representation of the Inca sun god Inti. [3]
Flags with proportions of 1:2 and 2:3 are also in use.[ citation needed ]
The colors are officially defined using the CIE 1976 standard:
Scheme | Sky blue | Yellow | Brown |
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CIE (L*, a*, b*) | 67.27, -6.88, -32.23 | 74.97, 29.22, 81.58 | 44.53, 27.16, 22.48 |
*Black and white are as normal. *Source: http://manuelbelgrano.gov.ar/bandera/normas-iram/ Archived 2022-10-16 at the Wayback Machine |
The following are given for computer, textile, print and plastic use:
![]() Colours scheme | Sky Blue | Yellow | Brown |
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RGB | R: 116, G: 172, B: 223 | R: 246, G: 180, B: 14 | R: 133, G: 52, B: 10 |
Hexadecimal | #74ACDF | #F6B40E | #85340A |
CMYK | C: 100%, M: 68%, Y: 0%, K: 37% | C: 0%, M: 18%, Y: 100%, K: 0% | C: 16%, M: 0%, Y: 10%, K: 24% |
Pantone (textile) | 16-4132 TC | 14-1064 TC | 18-1441 TC |
Pantone (print) | 284 C / 284 U | 1235 C / 116 U | 483 C / 483 U |
Pantone (plastic) | Q 300-4-1 | Q 030-2-1 | Q 120-2-4 |
Number | 75AADB | FCBF49 | 843511 |
The Spanish word celeste (sky blue) is used to describe the colour of the blue stripes.
The first flags used in the territory of modern Argentina were those associated with the Spanish crown. The last formally used Spanish flag was a red and yellow one, established by King Charles III in 1785 and used mainly for naval and military purposes.
When the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata became independent in the May Revolution of 1810, they continued to use Spanish flag. This was due to the political position that the new government was acting on behalf of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, who was then a prisoner of Napoleon during the Peninsular War. The yellow and red flag that flew over the seat of government in the fort of Buenos Aires is currently kept in the National Historical Museum. This flag does not maintain the proportions imposed by Charles III, as the three stripes are the same width. [4] The Spanish flag was finally abandoned after the formal declaration of independence on 9 July 1816, being replaced by the blue and white flags created in 1812 by General Manuel Belgrano.
The light blue and white colors were used on the cockade before they were used on the flag. The origin of the colours of the cockade and the reasons for their election cannot be accurately established. Theories include the symbolism of the House of Bourbon, especially the ribbon of the Order of Charles III. Another version speaks of the colors of the then unofficial Buenos Aires coat of arms, where blue meant the sky and silver, later changed to white, meant the waters of La Plata. Another possible source of colours is the plume of the Los Patricios during the British invasion of 1806 and 1807. [5]
On 26 February 1812, General Manuel Belgrano wrote to the government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata to propose the creation of a national flag, arguing that the colors of the recently adopted national cockade should also be reflected in the banners flown by patriot forces. In his letter, he noted the problem of using flags identical to those of the enemy, and proposed adopting distinctive symbols that would reflect the new political reality. Without waiting for a formal response, Belgrano inaugurated the following day an artillery battery called "Independencia" on Espinillo Island in the Paraná River, near present-day Rosario, and presented the new flag in a ceremony. Local tradition has it that the first flag was sewn by María Catalina Echevarría de Vidal and raised by Cosme Maciel, a civilian sailor. In a second letter sent the same day, Belgrano informed the government of the events, describing the raising of a flag made in white and light blue, matching the cockade. On that day, Belgrano said the following words:
Soldiers of the Fatherland, we have heretofore had the glory of wearing the national cockade; there (pointing to the Independence battery), on the Independence Battery, where our Government has recently had the honor of bestowing it upon, shall our weapons enlarge their glory. Let us swear to defeat our enemies, internal and external, and South America will become the temple of Independence and Freedom. In testament that you so swear it, say with me: LONG LIVE THE FATHERLAND! (after the oath) "Captain, sir, and troops chosen for the first time for the Independence Battery: go, take possession of it and fulfill the oath you have just sworn today." [6]
The exact color scheme of the first flag remains a subject of debate, due to the fact that, in describing the flag in a non-intuitive way, he first mentioned white. Some historians suggest that this first flag was with two stripes with white above light blue. In his first letter, Belgrano described the location of the first raising of the flag as the "Libertad" artillery battery. In a letter dated July 18, 1812, he corrected that the flag was flown at the Independencia battery, not the unfinished Libertad battery.
In early March 1812, the First Triumvirate ordered General Manuel Belgrano to abandon the new white and light blue flag, since they were still acting in the name of Ferdinand VII. Belgrano, who continued the campaign of the Army of the North, was unable to receive this order. After reaching San Salvador de Jujuy, Belgrano celebrated the second anniversary of the revolution on 25 May 1812. On that day, Canon Juan Ignacio Gorriti blessed the white and light blue flag in the cathedral. Belgrano then ordered his soldiers to swear allegiance to this banner, which he called the "national flag".
Soldiers of the Fatherland, we have heretofore had the glory of wearing the national cockade; there (pointing to the Independence battery), on the Independence Battery, where our Government has recently had the honor of bestowing it upon, shall our weapons enlarge their glory. Let us swear to defeat our enemies, internal and external, and South America will become the temple of Independence and Freedom. In testament that you so swear it, say with me: LONG LIVE THE FATHERLAND! (after the oath) "Captain, sir, and troops chosen for the first time for the Independence Battery: go, take possession of it and fulfill the oath you have just sworn today." [7]
It is not known whether it was the same flag that first flew in Rosario or a different one, since military tradition dictated that flags remain with military units, not commanders. On May 29, Belgrano sent a letter informing the government of the ceremony. In response, he was reprimanded by the Triumvirate for using the new flag without authorization. In his response on July 18, Belgrano explained that he was unaware of the previous ban and repeated that the flag was white and light blue. Despite this, the Army of the North continued to use the flag, including in the victorious Battle of Tucumán on 24 September 1812.
In early February 1813, during the Army of the North’s advance toward Salta, General Manuel Belgrano received orders from the Assembly of Year XIII to have his troops swear allegiance. On 13 February 1813, after crossing the Salado River, later known also as the "River of the Oath". Belgrano led a solemn ceremony in which the troops swore obedience to the Assembly under the white-and-light-blue flag. In that ceremony, the flag was carried by Major General Eustoquio Díaz Vélez, preceded by Colonel Martín Rodríguez and Belgrano himself, escorted by granaderos playing music.
On February 20, 1813, the Battle of Salta was fought, in which Belgrano achieved a complete victory. After the battle Eustoquio Díaz Vélez placed the flag on the balcony of the Cabildo, and the trophies captured from the royalists were placed in the Chapter House. Díaz Vélez, appointed by Belgrano as military governor of the province of Salta del Tucumán, was the first official to use the blue-and-white flag.
While stationed in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy on 23 May, Belgrano presented the residents with a white cloth bearing the coat of arms of the Assembly of the Year XIII, which is today known as the flag of the Civil Freedom. [8]
The Army of the North used light blue and white flags until its destruction at Ayohuma in modern-day Bolivia at 14 November 1813. After the defeat, two of the flags used in this campaign were hidden in a chapel in the village of Macha to avoid capture by royalist forces. These flags remained hidden until their accidental discovery in 1885. Both banners consist of three horizontal stripes of white and light blue, with one having a white stripe between two blue stripes and the other having a blue stripe between the white stripes. One was returned to Argentina and is currently located at the National Museum of History in Buenos Aires, while the other remained in Bolivia and is kept at the Casa de la Libertad in Sucre, Bolivia. [9]
In 1814, José Gervasio Artigas, leader of the Provincia Oriental (now Uruguay), began to organize the League of the Free Peoples. Artigas adopted a modified Belgrano flag with two narrow red stripes placed within blue fields. The blue stripes symbolized the banks of the Río de la Plata, while the red symbolized the struggle for federalism.
Later, Artigas changed the two red stripes to one diagonal one, to clearly distinguish his flags from similar flags of his opponents. The final design was not created directly by Artigas but by José María de Roo, a customs official from Montevideo and an expert in heraldry. De Roo likely served as a consultant to Artigas, though the exact nature of their collaboration and the extent of Artigas's influence on the design remain unclear [10] [11] The new flag was first raised at Artigas's military camp in Arerunguá on 13 January 1815. In Montevideo it was flown for the first time on 26 March by order of the military governor of Montevideo, Colonel Fernando Otorgués, and in Entre Ríos on 13 March. Over time, the flag spread throughout the League. [12]
At the Congress of Tucumán, which proclaimed independence on 9 July 1816, the flag created by Manuel Belgrano was officially recognized as the symbol of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata on 20 July 1816. At that point, the use of Spanish flags was abolished. The congress was attended by delegates from most of the former Viceroyalty (including Tarija and other northern territories, now part of Bolivia, but without delegations from provinces allied with the League of Free Peoples). A decree of 20 July, signed by Francisco Narciso de Laprida and Juan José Paso as Deputy Secretary, established that the previously used light blue and white flag would remain the national flag, used exclusively by armies, warships, and fortresses as a secondary flag. It also stated that once the most appropriate form of government had been determined, the final design of the main national flag would be established.
In early 1817, José de San Martín ordered his soldiers to take an oath to the flag of the Andes before setting out on an expedition to Chile.
On 9 July 1817, the privateer Hipólito Bouchard set off on a two-year voyage under his command. Bouchard, flying the flag of the United Provinces, fought a battle with Malay pirates in the Makassar Strait. After crossing into the Pacific, he attacked royalist forces from Monterey to El Realejo. The flag was used again in Central America a few years later by Manuel José Arce, becoming the basis for the flag of United Provinces of Central America. [13] [14] [15] Another privateer who used the Argentine flag in Central America was Louis-Michel Aury, who occupied Providencia and Santa Catalina Islands.
On 25 January 1818, Juan Martín de Pueyrredón formally established the national flag, with the Sun of May as its central symbol. The May Sun added to the flag is based on the design of Argentina's first coin. It is a yellow-gold disc with a human face surrounded by 32 alternating rays – 16 straight and 16 wavy. Shortly thereafter, the official shade of blue was changed to heraldic blue, which remained in legal definitions until the color light blue was reestablished in the early 20th century. The session noted that "white and blue shall be the exclusive colors of this state, and on them shall be placed a golden embroidered sun." For naval purposes, a war flag was designated with two blue stripes, one white stripe, and a golden sun surrounded by stars. However, this flag was never used, as it was invalidated seven days later.
With the rise to power in Buenos Aires of Brigadier General Juan Manuel de Rosas in 1829, the official shade of the national flag was modified to turquoise blue. The change stemmed partly from Rosas’s interpretation of the flag specifications approved by the Congress of Tucumán in 1813, and partly from his wish to differentiate it from the lighter blue commonly associated with the Unitarians, his opponents in the civil war. Although formally only governor of Buenos Aires Province, Rosas authority extended over the Argentine Confederation, a political union in which the provinces retained significant autonomy but delegated foreign affairs to Buenos Aires. [16]
In 1836 four Phrygian caps were placed in each corner, and the Sun of May was depicted in red, a color used by the federalists since the time of Artigas. The changes introduced by Rosas were not recorded in any law or decree, so it is presumed that they were simply Rosas's personal decision. Rosas also never established a special flag for the province of Buenos Aires. Federalist supporters often used these variants, both in official and military contexts. [17] In combat, the Federal Army frequently carried dark blue versions of the Argentine flag, sometimes inscribed with slogans such as “¡Viva la Confederación! ¡Mueran los salvajes unitarios!” (“Long live the Confederation! Death to the savage Unitarians!”). In addition, some regiments used a red-and-white bicolor flag. By the late 1840s, especially in the northern provinces, where dissatisfaction with Rosas was growing but still respecting his dominance, flags bearing the slogan “¡Libertad, Constitución o Muerte!” (“Liberty, Constitution, or Death!”) appeared. In turn, units of the Grand Army commanded by Justo José de Urquiza used flags bearing the slogan “¡Constitución Federal o Muerte!” (“Federal Constitution or Death!”). [18]
Justo José de Urquiza, governor of Entre Ríos, assumed national leadership as president of the Argentine Confederation after defeating Rosas at the Battle of Caseros on 3 February 1852. Urquiza retained the Phrygian caps introduced under Rosas, but their orientation was changed so that each cap faced the corner of the flag in which it was located. These changes symbolized continuity with the Confederation while also marking a shift away from Rosas's personalist domination.
During the Confederation era, Unitarian exiles in Montevideo continued to use light blue national flags and their own naval flags. These flags remained in use until 1852.
On 11 September 1852, the Unitarian Party carried out a bloodless coup in the province, which led to the creation of the State of Buenos Aires. The state effectively controlled only the coast of La Plata. Although Buenos Aires was then an independent state, with its own diplomatic relations, it tried to reintegrate with Argentina. The State of Buenos Aires used a flag consisting of two light blue stripes and a white one in the middle, where the Greater Coat of Arms of Argentina was located. It was replaced by the national flag with the unification of the country in 1861. Since then, no provincial flag has been used in Buenos Aires until the adoption of the current design. Buenos Aires warships continued to use the naval ensign previously used by the Unitary Party. This was the original light blue Argentine flag with an additional thin white stripe at the top. [19] [20]
Buenos Aires and the Confederation clashed at the Battle of Pavón, which was won by the Unitarians in 1861. After this victory, Buenos Aires was reincorporated into the national structure, and Bartolomé Mitre assumed office as president of the united Argentine Republic in 1862. His rule ushered in a more centralized government, with Buenos Aires as its political and economic center.
In 1869, President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento authorized the display of flags on homes and buildings during national holidays, a practice that had previously been prohibited. [21]
On September 24, 1873, during the unveiling of the Belgrano Monument in Buenos Aires, Sarmiento delivered his "Discourse on the Flag." In it, he rejected the former Confederate flags, calling them the invention of barbarians, tyrants, and traitors, and declared that they could not be considered the Argentine flag. The debate over the flag's colors resurfaced in 1878. Bartolomé Mitre argued for maintaining the Unitarian light blue and white, while Mariano A. Pelliza and C. Frigeiro argued that the original color of the 1818 flag was turquoise.
On April 25, 1884, President Julio Argentino Roca issued a decree that again restricted the use of the sun flag to government institutions. A year later, a blue and white flag was approved for the diplomatic corps. In 1895, President José Evaristo Uriburu established light blue and white as the official colors, a decision confirmed by President Figueroa Alcorta's decree of May 24, 1907. Further regulations were introduced in 1943 under the administration of Pedro Pablo Ramírez. Decrees 1027, 5256, and 6628, issued on June 19, August 13, and August 26 of the same year, defined the design of the official national flag, the image of the sun, and the manner of wearing the sash. It stipulated that the national flag must always display the sun when flown by government offices, while private individuals were required to use it without the sun.
On June 8, 1938, president Roberto Ortiz sanctioned national law no. 12,361 declaring June 20 "Flag Day", a national holiday. The date was decided as the anniversary of Belgrano's death in 1820. In 1957 the National Flag Memorial (a 10,000 m2 monumental complex) was inaugurated in Rosario to commemorate the creation of the flag, and the official Flag Day ceremonies have customarily been conducted in its vicinity since then.
According to the Decree 10,302/1944 the article 2 stated that the Official Flag of the Nation is the flag with sun, approved by the "Congress of Tucumán", reunited in Buenos Aires on 25 February 1818. The article 3 stated that the flag with the sun in its center is to be used only by the Federal and Provincial Governments; while individuals and institutions use a flag without the sun. [22]
In 1985 the Law 23,208 repealed the article 3 of the Decree 10,302/1944, saying that the Federal and Provincial Governments, as well as individuals have the right to use the Official Flag of the Nation. [23]
In November 2010, the exact design specifications for the flag were standardized and promulgated via presidential decree, specifying the exact colors, proportions, and aspect ratio. [24]
Alta en el cielo, un águila guerrera | High in the sky, a warrior eagle |
Lyrics by Luigi Illica and Héctor Cipriano Quesada, music by Héctor Panizza, it is sung during flag raising ceremonies.
Salve, argentina | Hail, Argentina |
Aquí está la bandera idolatrada, | Here is the idolized flag, |
As Flag Day is celebrated on June 20, the following pledge is recited to students nationwide on this day by their respective school principals or grade level advisers. In large towns where students are gathered en masse, the pledge is taken by the local town or city executive, preceded by words of advice and honor to the memory of its creator, Manuel Belgrano, using the following or similar formulas:
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Versions of this include references to Belgrano and to all who fought for the country during the Argentine War of Independence and other wars that followed.
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The Glorious Reveille may be sounded by a military or a marching band at this point, and confetti may be showered upon the students.
In the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and civil uniformed services the pledge is similar but with a different formula and response of ¡Si, juro! (Yes, I pledge!)
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In the Argentine Federal Police, the words y su Constitución Nacional (and its Constitution) may be inserted.
Por iniciativa de una comisión de profesores, que sólo tuvo en cuenta a Mitre, el 13 de mayo de 1935 el Consejo Nacional de Educación resolvió autorizar por primera vez el festejo del Día de la Escarapela: por expediente 9602-9-935 lo fijó en honor a French y Beruti el 20 de mayo, lo que reafirmó el mito de 1810.