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Next week (on Friday February 27th) the Dominican Republic will celebrate Dominican Independence Day, and so in anticipation of that day, here we thought we’d bring you 6 interesting facts about the Dominican flag… A much more interesting topic than you would expect!
What you should know:
1- It was first made in the year 1838 and at this time it didn’t have the shield.
2- The flag has 3 colours: white, blue and red:
*The colour red represents the blood shed by the fighters who fought against the Haitians for the Independence of the Republic.
*The colour blue represents the beautiful blue sky.
*The white cross represents the purity and union of the country.
3- The shield that was then added is the only one in the world with the Holy Bible in it. It is also the only one that includes God in its motto “DIOS PATRIA LIBERTAD.”
4- The flag was first flown on the 27th of February 1844 – the day we were freed from slavery and became independent. It is also the day the country was named “REPÚBLICA DOMINICAN”.
BUT did you know?
The following are some regulations under Act 360 of 1943, which concerns the correct use of the Dominican flag.
1. The Dominican flag should never touch the floor.
2. The Dominican flag should not be flown in bad condition (torn, dirty etc.).
3. The front side of the Dominican flag is the one in which blue is in the top left corner and the bottom right corner.
4. It is duty of every Dominican to display the Dominican flag during national holidays such as the 27th of February and the 16th of August for example.
5. When the Dominican flag is flown next to another flag, the Dominican flag should always been flown to the right hand side of the other flag – from the viewpoint of the observer.
6. The Dominican flag has been modified just once, in 1844. Not only was the shield with the motto “DIOS PATRIA LIBERTAD” added, but also the colors were deepened and the second blue and red rectangles were interchanged. The diagram below shows the changes.
If you’re interested in Dominican history click here to read a short history of the Dominican Republic.