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. The flag was created by Manuel Belgrano, in line with the recent 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. 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 (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.
Reasons for the colors
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 such idea, and attribute them to either the devotion of Virgin Mary or loyalty to the House of Bourbon.
Virgin Mary is usually represented dressed in white and with a light blue piece of cloth. She was the patron of the Commerce Consulate of Buenos Aires, directed by Manuel Belgrano, and it is though that the Consulate used a white and light blue flag. Belgrano himself had strong catholic beliefs. The soldiers of Juan Martín de Pueyrredón may have also used white and light blue ribbons for self-identification during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, which were taken from the sanctuary of the Virgin of Luján.
Another interpretation attributes the colors to those of the House of Bourbon. Since the May Revolution, the first times of the Argentine War of Independence claimed to be acting in behalf of the Spanish King Ferdinand VII, who was prisoner of Napoleón Bonaparte during the Peninsular War. Whenever 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. |
