Argentina flag
The three horizontal stripes of the Argentine flag are of equal width. The top and bottom stripes are blue. In the central part there is a white stripe, in the very middle you can see «May sun», which has sixteen long wavy rays. The sun on the flag got its name from the May Revolution of 1810.
Historians believe that the blue and white colors of the flag are associated with the fact that the young state had rather close ties with representatives of the Bourbon dynasty. The Bourbons lived in Spain, and the nation, thus, proved loyalty to this particular country, and not to Napoleonic France, which attacked Spain. You can also draw an analogy with the worship of the sun god, which was present in the culture of the Incas. From this position, the blue stripes symbolize the sky and clouds..
The author of the concept of the state flag was the military Manuel Belgrano. Thus, he tried to separate the military forces of Argentina from Spain. Prior to this, both armies used flags using yellow and red colors. The banner was first hoisted on February 27, 1812. This event took place in the town of Rosario during the battles for freedom and independence. The original flag did not depict the sun, it appeared in 1818.
The official adoption of the banner took place on July 20, 1816. In this case, there are two options for the flag. The first version with the sun is considered official ceremonial, and the one where the sun is absent - festive. Both options are official, but the flag for the ceremonies must be higher than the festive flag. The flag has the shape of a rectangle. Its aspect ratio is nine to fourteen. In 1897, the first film of Argentine cinema was released - «Argentine flag», then this national flag first appeared on the screens.
There is also a version that the blue color on the flag is a symbol of the La Plata River, and white reflects silver. Another version - blue and white mean shades of the Virgin Mary's clothes.
Until 1985, the rules for using the state banner were stricter. According to these rules, the ceremonial flag could be hoisted over the provincial, national and government buildings of national importance. Ordinary people could only hang out a festive version of the flag, which does not have an image of the sun. Such a decree was adopted in 1943. Now there are no such rules. Every year on June 20, the country celebrates Flag Day.
