O Flag Day, celebrated annually on November 19, it is a tribute to the Brazilian flag, which was created shortly after the Proclamation of the Republic, on November 15, 1889. Thus, Flag Day started to be celebrated only after the Proclamation of the Republic. How the new Brazilian flag was presented on the day November 19, 1889, that date was chosen as Flag Day.
Historical context
The new Brazilian flag was a direct result of Proclamation of the Republic, which happened on November 15, 1889. This event resulted in the fall of the monarchy, which was replaced by the republican form of government. The Proclamation of the Republic was a movement led by the Brazilian Army, which, after a coup, removed the ministerial cabinet and forced the royal family to leave Brazil.
The Brazilian Army was dissatisfied with the monarchy since the end of the Paraguay War. The military did not consider itself sufficiently valued by this form of government and demanded, for example, improvements in the job promotion system. There were also dissatisfactions with some measures, such as prohibiting military personnel from expressing political opinions.
The current Brazilian flag was inspired by the flag of the imperial period
This dissatisfaction led the army to conspire against the monarchy. In the week of the coup that deposed D. Pedro II, the Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca he was convinced by those close to him to join the movement against the emperor. On November 15, Deodoro led a force that forced Visconde de Ouro Preto to resign from his cabinet position. The proclamation took place at the end of the day, when José do Patrocínio, councilor in Rio de Janeiro, proclaimed the Republic.
Also access: See five fun facts about Brazil's independence
the Brazilian flag
With the Proclamation of the Republic, it was necessary to replace the national symbols that referred to the monarchy. Thus, on November 19, four days after the proclamation, the new flag was presented and officially adopted as the national flag. The new brand was adopted from the Decree No. 04, signed by the provisional president Deodoro da Fonseca. This decree contains1:
The Provisional Government of the Republic of the United States of Brazil:
Considering that the colors of our ancient flag recall the glorious struggles and victories of the Army and the Navy in defense of the Motherland;
Considering, therefore, that these colors, regardless of the form of government, symbolize the perpetuity and integrity of the Homeland among other Nations:
Decree:
Art. 1st – The flag adopted by the Republic maintains the tradition of the old national colors – green and yellow – as follows: a yellow diamond on a green field, with the sphere in the middle blue sky, crossed by a white zone, obliquely and descending from left to right, with the caption – Order and Progress – and dotted by twenty-one stars, between which that of the constellation of Cruzeiro do Sul, arranged in its astronomical situation, as to the relative distance and size, representing the twenty States of the Republic and the Municipality Neutral; all according to the model drawn in annex 1.
The basic style of the National Flag (the yellow diamond in the middle of a green frame) was already part of the flag of the Empire and was defined by the French painter Jean-Baptiste Debret. With the Proclamation of the Republic, some specific transformations took place in the flag:
The yellow diamond has been resized.
The Empire Weapons symbol was replaced by a blue republican sphere.
In the sphere, a positivist motto, “Ordem e Progresso” was added in green letters within a white band.
In the blue sphere, stars were added, representing the Brazilian states. The position of each star was defined by law and corresponds to the sky of Rio de Janeiro, observed on November 15, 1889 at 8:30 am.
The authors of the National Flag were Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, Miguelwe read, ManuelPereirakings and Deciusvillages. The last modification made to the Brazilian flag happened on May 11, 1992, when new stars were added, corresponding to the states of Amapá, Roraima, Rondônia and Tocantins.
The structure of the Brazilian flag is defined by the Law No. 5,700 of September 1, 1971, which determines issues relating to national symbols2. This law stipulates the mandatory details in the composition of the National Flag, such as the position of the diamond and the sphere, the size of the white band, the position of the stars, etc.
The colors displayed on the flag, as we know, are the green, yellow, blue and White. The choice of these colors dates back to factors related to Portuguese history. Let's see the origin of these colors:
Green: makes mention of peoples who inhabited Portugal more than two thousand years ago. Green became a symbol of the Portuguese struggle for freedom and came to be used as a national color by the Portuguese during the wars against the Moors.
Yellow: came to be used in the coat of arms of Portugal soon after the conquest of the Algarve (region to the south of the country) in 1250. You can also mention the color of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a dynasty of which D was a part. Leopoldina, wife of D. Peter I.
BlueandWhite: were adopted, at first, in Portugal from the 11th century. Blue and white became popular in Brazil after being adopted as the colors of some Hereditary Captaincies.
Curiosities
The phrase on the flag, “Order and Progress”, was inspired by a phrase by the positivist Augusto Comte. The phrase was: "Love as a principle and order as a basis, progress as an end."
Unlike what many people think, Flag Day it's not a holiday national.
Brazilian law provides that, on November 19, a flag incineration ceremony that are in bad condition.
The National Flag is considered a national symbol. The other three national symbols are: AnthemNational, weaponsnationals and StampNational.
The National Flag is permanently hoisted at Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília. On the first Sunday of each month, a flag-changing ceremony is held.
When several flags are hoisted together with the National Flag, this is the first to go up and the last to go down from the pole.
The stars on the flag correspond to each of the Brazilian states and the Federal District.
The only star above the white band corresponds to the state of Pará.
Brazilian law prohibits the use of the National Flag as clothing.
The Anthem to the Flag was created by olavo bilac and presented in 1906.
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1 LIGHT, Milton. The History of National Symbols. Brasília: Federal Senate, 2005, p. 73-74. To access, click on here.
2 Law No. 5,700, of September 1, 1971. To access, click on here.
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-da-bandeira.htm
