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The national 'flag of Argentina' dates from 1812. It is a triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue, white and light blue. In 1818, a yellow Sun of May was added to the center.
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 (Spanish: ''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 Ceremony Flag is the civil, state and war flag and ensign, while the Ornamental Flag is an alternate civil flag and ensign.

Contents

Official description

Shape and size

Colours

Sun of May

History

Creation

Changes

Influence of the Argentine Flag on the flags of other Countries

Anthems to the flag

Aurora (Sunrise)

Salve Argentina (Long live Argentina)

Mi Bandera (My Flag)

Myths about the flag

External links

Official description

Shape and size

From 1978, the flag's official proportions are 9:14, and its official size is 0.9 by 1.4 metres. It features three stripes alternating cerulean blue - white. Each stripe is 30 centimetres in height. In the center stripe there is an emblem known as the Sun of May (Spanish: ''Sol de Mayo''), a golden sun. The Sun is modeled after the symbol of Inti, the Incan god of the Sun. Flags with proportions of 1:2 and 2:3 are also in use.

Colours

The colours are subject to discussion, and there is no official position on colour usage. The Spanish word ''celeste'' (cerulean blue) is used to describe the colour of the blue stripes. Cerulean blue's is defined by Pantone as N21-01, which equals "155, 196, 226" in RGB notation.

Colour	RGB	HTML	HSV	Lab	CMYK	Sample
Cerulean Blue	156, 196, 226	#9BC4E2	201, 31, 89	77, -9, -20	37, 12, 3, 0
Cerulean Blue (Websafe)	153, 205, 255	#99CCFF	210, 40, 100	80, -3, -31	35, 10, 0, 0
White	255, 255, 255	#FFFFFF	0, 0, 100	100, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 0
Golden Yellow	255, 205, 51	#FFCD33	45, 80, 100	85, 8, 76	1, 19, 89, 0
Black	0, 0, 0	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0	75, 68, 67, 90

Sun of May

The sun, called the Sun of May, 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.
In 1978 the sun colour 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 $5/6th$ the height of the white stripe. The sun's face is $2/5th$ of its height). It features 32 rays, 16 undulated and 16 straight, in alternation and from 1978 it must be embroidered in the "Official Flag Ceremony".

History

Creation

According to tradition, during the Argentine War of Independence General Manuel Belgrano was commanding a battle near Rosario.
He noticed that both the Crown's forces and the independence forces were using the same colors (Spain's yellow and red). After realizing this, Belgrano created a new flag using the colors that were used by the ''Criollos'' during the May Revolution in 1810. However, recent research and studies would indicate that the colors were chosen from the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon the royal family of Spain, and that during the May Revolution the color used by the criollos was a red piece of cloth, as pointed by the popular historian Felipe Pigna. Also, apparently the original flag was quite different from the current one: it had two vertical stripes, one blue and the other one white.
The flag was first flown, for the soldiers to swear allegiance to it, on 27 February 1812, on the ''Batería Libertad'' (Liberty Battery), by the Paraná River.
On that day, Belgrano said the following words

: "Soldados de la Patria, en este punto hemos tenido la gloria de vestir la escarapela nacional; en aquél (señalando la batería Independencia) nuestras armas aumentarán sus glorias. Juremos vencer a nuestros enemigos interiores y exteriores y la América del Sud será el templo de la 'Independencia' y de la 'Libertad'. En fe de que así lo juráis decid conmigo: ¡Viva la Patria!" "Señor capitán y tropa destinada por la primera vez a la batería 'Independencia': id, posesionaos de ella y cumplid el juramento que acabáis de hacer".

: "Soldiers of the Fatherland, we have heretofore had the glory of wearing the national cockade; there (pointing to the 'Independence' battery) 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 life to the Homeland!" (after the oath) "Lord Captain and troops chosen for the first time for the battery 'Independence': go, take possession of it and fulfill the oath you have just sworn".

Belgrano dispatched a letter addressed to the First Junta, informing them of the newly created flag. The Junta, fearing the Spanish Crown, sent a warning to Belgrano not to fight under the flag, but by the time the reply had arrived, Belgrano had moved on, and was flying the flag on the battlefield.
The letter contained the following passage:

: "''Siendo preciso enarbolar bandera y no teniéndola la mandé hacer blanca y celeste conforme a los colores de la escarapela nacional; espero que sea de la aprobación de V.E.''"

: Translation: "It being necessary to hoist a flag, and not having one, I ordered one made, white and light blue in the colours of the national cockade; I hope Your Excellencies will find it worthy of approval."

The flag was hoisted for the first time in Buenos Aires atop the Saint Nicholas of Bari Church on August 23, 1812 (where nowadays the ''Obelisco'' is located).
After the declaration of independence on July 9, 1816, the flag was adopted as a symbol by the Argentine National Congress.

Changes

On February 25, 1818, a sun was added to the battle flag. The sun was copied after the one that the first Argentine coin featured in 1813. It was subsequently decided to be part of the regular flag afterwards, and thus the sun no longer represents war.
On June 8, 1938, president Roberto Ortiz sanctioned a law declaring June 20 "Flag Day", a national holiday (the date was decided after the anniversary of Belgrano's death). 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 been customarily conducted in its vicinity since then.
In 1978 it was specified, among other measurements, that the Official Ceremony Flag should be 1.4 meters in width and 0.9 meters in height, and that the sun must be embroidered.

Influence of the Argentine Flag on the flags of other Countries

The Argentine commander Louis-Michel Aury (also spelled ''Luis Aury'') used the Argentine flag as a model for the blue-white-blue flag of the first independent state in central America, which was created 1818 in Isla de Providencia, an island off the east coast of Nicaragua. This state existed until approximately 1821, before Colombia took over control of these islands. Somewhat later (1823) this flag was again the model for the flag of the United Provinces of Central America, a confederation of the current central American states of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which existed from 1823 to 1838. After the dissolution of the Union, the five countries became independent, but even today all of these states except Costa Rica use flags of blue-white-blue stripes. The Argentine flag also inspired the flags of Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru.

Anthems to the flag

Aurora (Sunrise)

:

Alta en el cielo, un águila guerreraAudaz se eleva en vuelo triunfal.Azul un ala del color del cielo,Azul un ala del color del mar. Así en el alta aurora irradial.Punta de flecha el áureo rostro imita.Y forma estela el purpurado cuello.El ala es paño, el águila es bandera. Es la bandera de la patria mía,del sol nacida que me ha dado Dios. Es la bandera de la Patria Mía,del sol nacida que me ha dado Dios.

High in the sky, a warrior eagleaudacious it rises in its triumphal flightA blue wing of the color of the skyA blue wing of the color of the seaThus in the high irradial aurora.The tip of an arrow the golden face imitates.And the purple neck leaves a wake.The wing is cloth, the eagle is flag. It is the flag of my homeland,born from the sun that God gave me.It is the flag of my homeland,born from the sun that God gave me.

By: H. C. Quesada, L. Illica, H. Panizza.

Salve Argentina (Long live Argentina)

:

Salve, Argentina,bandera azul y blanca.Jirón del cieloen donde impera el Sol.Tú, la más noble,la más gloriosa y santa,el firmamento su color te dio. Yo te saludo,bandera de mi Patria,sublime enseñade libertad y honor.Jurando amarte,como así defenderte,mientras palpite mi fiel corazón.

Hail, Argentina,Blue and white flagPart of the skyWhere the sun reignsYou, The Most NobleThe Most Glorious and SaintThe sky gave you its coloursI salute youFlag of my motherlandGrand symbolof freedom and honourSwearing to love youas well as to defend youfor as long as my faithful heart beats

By: Leopoldo Corretjer.

Mi Bandera (My Flag)

:

Aquí está la bandera idolatrada,la enseña que Belgrano nos legó,cuando triste la Patria esclavizadacon valor sus vínculos rompió.Aquí está la bandera esplendorosaque al mundo con sus triunfos admiró,cuando altiva en la lucha y victoriosala cima de los Andes escaló.Aquí está la bandera que un díaen la batalla tremoló triunfaly, llena de orgullo y bizarría,a San Lorenzo se dirigió inmortal.Aquí está, como el cielo refulgente,ostentando sublime majestad,después de haber cruzado el Continente,exclamando a su paso: ¡Libertad!¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!

Here is the idolatred flag,the flag that Belgrano left to us,when the sad enslaved Homelandbravely broke its bonds.Here is the shiny flagthat surprised the world with its victory,when arrogant and victoriuosly during the fightclimbed the top of the AndesHere is the flag that one daytriumphantly rised in the middle of the battleand, full of proudness and gallantry,went immortally to San LorenzoHere it is, like the shining sky,showing sublimate majestyafter having crossed the continentshowting in its way: "Freedom!"" Freedom! Freedom!"

Lyrics: Juan Chassaing
Music: Juan Imbroisi

Myths about the flag

The popular interpretation of the flag is that it represents the sky, clouds and sun. However, there are several theories stories about the colors of the flag. One says that the blue symbolizes the clothing of the Virgin Mary and the white symbolizes silver (the name "Argentina" comes from the Latin word for silver, ''argentum''). Another story states that the colors are based on those of the House of Bourbon, and a third suggests that they are derived from the Río de la Plata (literally "River of Silver").
It is not known with certainty that Belgrano created the flag, but during the wars of independence against Spain, he was the first to use it, even though the ''criollo'' government didn't approve it.
Another popular belief is that the version with the sun is a war flag while the sunless version is not, but while this was originally the case after the approval of Congress in 1818, it was changed afterwards.

External links

★

★ More information (in Spanish)

★ All anthems to the Argentine flag

★ Belgrano's soldiers' oath

★ Argentina Flag Products at CaribbeanFlags.com