Flag Day

Mystickal Realms Celebrates
Flag Day

For all the controversy it is interesting to point out that the United States did not even have a standardized flag until 1912! Called the "Stars and Stripes," or "Old Glory," the flag is one of the most complicated in the world. No other flag needs 64 pieces of fabric to make. The current flag has 13 red and white alternating stripes (representing the original 13 states) and 50 stars (each star represents one of the states of the Union) on a blue background.

The History of Flag Day

The flag of the United States of America today has 13 stripes - 7 red and 6 white - and 50 white stars on a blue field - five rows of 6 and four rows of 5. The stripes remind us of the 13 original colonies that gained us our liberty. The stars represent the states that are bound together into one country.

The flag of today grew out of many earlier flags raised in days gone by over American soil. From the time that America was discovered, different flags flew over different parts of the country; the flags of Spain, France, Holland, Sweden, and England.

The American flag has also changed designs more than any other flag in the world. An English flag, known as the Red Ensign, waved over the 13 colonies from 1707 to the Revolution. The Red Ensign was the merchant flag of England. It was red with a union in the upper corner combining the cross of St. George (red on white), patron of England, with the diagonal cross (white on blue) of St. Andrew, patron of Scotland.

The flag that became known as the Grand Union flag was raised over George Washington's headquarters outside Boston on January 1, 1776. The Revolutionary War had started the year before and the colonies needed a flag of their own. The Grand Union flag retained the union of the English flag. Six white stripes broke the red field into seven red stripes - a total of 13 stripes.

The first official flag of the new nation was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. The resolution was passed on June 14, 1777. That is the date we celebrate each year as Flag Day. The resolution specified "that the flag be 13 stripes alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Since the resolution did not state how the stars were to be arranged, flag makers arranged them in different ways, among them; rows, in a half circle, and in a full circle. The one adopted was made by Besty Ross who had an upholstery business which made flags for navy ships in Pennsylvania. A legend still persists that she showed George Washington how to make a five-pointed star and suggested thirteen stars in a circle for the first flag. Her descendants claimed that she offered the design. George Washington did design the Grand Union but an often-quoted remark attributed to him might not be true:

"We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separate it by white in stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her..."

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress proposed that the United States have a national flag instead of the British Union Jack. The 13 stars of the flag represented the 13 new states. During the War of 1812 between the British and Americans, lawyer Francis Scott Key was escorting a prisoner to freedom by ship when he saw an American flag surviving a battle in Baltimore Harbor. The flag inspired him to write the poem which provides the words for the national anthem. The actual flag now hangs in the Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.. Today the "Star-Spangled Banner" is sung at large public gatherings such as sports events. Many television stations play the anthem before the station closes down for the night.

There were few public ceremonies honoring the Stars and Stripes until 1877, when on, June 14, it was flown from every government building in honor of the centennial of the adoption of a national flag.Schools had unfurled American flags over their doors or outside the buildings long before this; but in 1890, North Dakota and New Jersey made a law that required their schools to fly the flag daily. The first official Flag Day was observed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1893. New York also proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day 1897. Other states were slow to follow. Some people thought that the day was too close to Memorial Day and Independence Day.

In August 1949, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. Since then the President proclaims the commemoration yearly, and encourages all Americans in the country to display the Stars and Stripes outside their homes and businesses. Individual states determine how they will observe the day. In Pennsylvania and American Samoa it is a public holiday. Usually the flag is flown from all public buildings, speeches are made in public places and ceremonies take place in towns or cities

Flag Facts & Etiquette

The Thirteen Stripes
The U.S. Flag has thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, each stripe representing one of the 13 original colonies of England.

The 50 Stars
The United States Flag has 50 stars, one for each state of the Union. The last star added was for the State of Hawaii, 1960.

Betsy Ross And The First Flag
George Washington and two other members of a secret committee of the Continental Congress asked Betsy Ross to sew the first American flag in late May or early June 1776. Betsy was about 24-years old when she completed the first flag with thirteen stars arranged in a circle (Betsy Ross flag). Visit Betsy Ross House and Betsy Ross Homepage to learn more. View other American flags before and after Betsy Ross here.

U.S. Flag Names
Stars and Stripes
Old Glory
Star-Spangled Banner

Holiday - Day Off
Very few Americans get the day off from work on June 14th, Flag Day. In the United States, changes in the standards of the average citizen and permissive legislatures have reduced patriotic holidays to just an extra day off; no more than part of a long weekend. For many years, the State of Pennsylvania, designated Flag Day as a state holiday but in June 2002, two state employees contacted VikingPhoenix.com to report this was no longer true.

How To Display the U.S. Flag
The flag of the United States should be flown every day when weather permits. If made of weather resistant material it can be flown around the clock in any weather if properly illuminated.

For guidance to the traditions and laws of flag display, contact your local veterans organizations and service organizations such as American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Elks Clubs or visit their web sites. For online information only, see The American Flag Display Guide.

Folding the Flag
Folding the Flag

Respect for the Flag
The United States Flag Code adopted by Congress provides the rules for honoring and displaying the flag. The code itself states: "The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing." For this reason you should give it your full respect.
United States Code TITLE 4 > CHAPTER 1 > Sec. 8.
[Excerpt] § 8.
Respect for flag
(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.

Proper Disposal of Old U.S. Flags
U.S. Flags should not be simply thrown into the trash. By long standing tradition, there is a simple and dignified procedure to dispose of U.S. Flags. The Elks, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion, and other veterans organizations provide instructions on the disposal of old, worn, and damaged U.S. Flags along with guidance on flag display.

Meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance
When you pledge allegiance to your flag you promise loyalty and devotion to your nation.
Each word has a deep meaning.

I pledge allegiance....I promise to be true
to the flag....to the sign of our country
of the United States of America....a country made up of 50 states, each with certain rights.
and to the Republic....a country where the people elect others to make laws for them
for which it stands....the flag means the country
one Nation under God...a single country whose people believe in a supreme being
indivisible....the country cannot be split into parts
with liberty and justice....with freedom and fairness
for all....for each person in the country--you and me.

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