Argentina’s National Flag Day | Spanish Language Blog

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On June 20th, Argentineans celebrated el Día de la Bandera Nacional (Flag Day) and commemorated the death of its creator, Manuel Belgrano, one of the most important independence leaders, who died on June 20th, 1820.

Flag Day celebrations in Argentina have a special venue: el Monumento Nacional a la Bandera (National Flag Memorial), located in the city of Rosario (Santa Fe Province) where the flag was first raised over two artillery batteries on the famous Paraná River.

National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina. Image taken from Pixabay.

Argentina’s flag features three stripes of the same width alternating the colors celeste, blanco y celeste (sky blue, white, and sky blue). The white stripe displays a golden sun right at the center, which is called Sol de Mayo (Sun of May), sporting thirty-two rays.

Image taken from Pixabay

Why was this powerful heraldic figure used? It has been said it stands for Inti, the Incan god of the sun. Also, it was engraved on Argentina’s first coin in 1813. As for the “May” part, it recalls the May Revolution of 1810. This marked the starting point for independence of the countries composing the former Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

Popular belief attributes the colors of the flag to that of the sky and the sun, as the flag’s anthem and salutation suggest. However, historians dismiss this idea and claim that the colors are reminiscent of the Argentinean cockade, worn by locals during the Argentinean War of Independence.

What follows is Saludo a la bandera, sung during the flag raising in official ceremonies.

 

 

    Saludo a la bandera                                                    Salutation to the Flag

    Salve, argentina                                                                   Hail, Argentine

    bandera azul y blanca.                                                         Blue and white flag

        Jirón del cielo                                                                      Shred of the sky

en donde impera el Sol                                                           Where the Sun reigns

      Tú, la más noble,                                                                You, the Most Noble

      la más gloriosa y santa,                                                   The Most Glorious and Holy

    el firmamento su color te dio.                                               The sky gave its color to you

 

    Yo te saludo,                                                                           I salute you

    bandera de mi Patria,                                                       Flag of my motherland

    sublime enseña                                                                     Sublime ensign

    de libertad y honor.                                                           of freedom and honour

    Jurando amarte,                                                                Swearing to love you

    como así defenderte,                                                        as well as to defend you

    mientras palpite mi fiel corazón.                             for as long as my faithful heart beats

 

Practice your listening skills with this rendition of Saludo a la bandera:

 



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