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Flag Day

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Flag Day

The fifty Stars, one for every American state, the thirteen Stripes, representing the first state-colonies, and their “Red, White and Blue” colors constitute the most important visual symbol of the United States – the American flag, or “Old Glory”, Also called the Star-Spangled Banner, it is reprinted time and time again on clothes, posters, leaflets, home decorations or notebooks. It is omnipresent in the worldwide culture, usually connected to vintage fashion, but always implicating the spirit of American freedom. And freedom is precisely what the United States celebrates on Flag Day, which is observed on June 14.

This holiday is a commemoration of the Flag Resolution of 1777, when the Continental Congress adopted a new symbol for the thirteen American colonies, rejecting the old British Union Jack. The date stands for the metaphorical movement towards cultural and political independence of the States.

First voices supporting the idea of a Flag Day rose in the second half of the 19th century in America. In 1861, George Morris gave this fresh proposition to the authorities of the city of Hartford. Four years later, teacher Bernard J. Cigrand organized the first official observance of Flag Day at his school. In 1888, from the initiative of William T. Kerr, American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania was established. It is Philadelphia, PA that is sometimes referred to as the city of Flag Day’s inception, due to its inhabitant Elizabeth Duane Gillespie’s efforts in 1893.

Among these prominent figures who struggled for the appreciation of the flag, there finally appeared an American President, Woodrow Wilson, who in 1916 officially proclaimed the holiday as valid in the United States. It was not until 1949, however, that President Harry Truman confirmed Flag Day as an existing public observance. In 1966, the US authorities proclaimed a new form of celebration; Flag Day on June 14 was supposed to be a part of the National Flag Week.

The most common celebrations of Flag Day include parades that are usually more peaceful and less crowded than during other American holidays, such as Thanksgiving or President’s Day. Citizens are encouraged to display the Stars and Stripes on their houses, as do all federal institutions. Proud Americans organize patriotic events or ordinary family barbecues, using the flag as the party theme. The US Army commemorates important military birthdays, and the Scouts conduct flag retirements (burnings). Other ceremonies throughout different organizations and institutions in the country include flag-raising, musical salutes and awards for deserving citizens. The National Flag Day Foundation celebrates the holiday with all customs above, but on the second Sunday in June.

Flag Day is not a federal nor a public holiday, which means that no institutions or offices are bound to be closed. Despite the endeavors of National Flag Day Foundation, the symbolic significance of the flag is fading away in the US. Not all communities recognize Flag Day as a legitimate celebration of justice and liberty – mainly Native Americans do not agree with such interpretation. Nowadays, Old Glory is highly commercialized and abused in popular culture, which reduces its value as a political symbol, but reinforces the assumption of freedom, for example to massively reproduce the image of the flag.

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