Today and tomorrow, August 14 and 15, is Paraguayan flag day. Or so several of my students have told me. Huh. Flag day? I don't really know what that means, and none of my students have been able to tell me anything. The only applicable thing anyone has been able to tell me is that there are a lot of holidays in this country, and so of them have been canceled by the current president. A quick web search has revealed nothing about the holiday. Presumably it is to celebrate the flag, but I can find any connection to today and the history of the flag. The flag was first adopted on November 27, 1842 (which makes it one of the older flags around). The coat of arms on the front represents the date of Paraguay's independence (May 14, 1811). So I still don't know why today. But in my digging around I have found out quite a few other little tidbits about the flag. Did you know that Paraguay is just one of three countries that has a different design on the front and back of their flag (along with Moldova and Saudi Arabia)? I've finally figured out what the colors are supposed to represent. Red for courage, equality and patriotism. White for unity, purity and peace. Blue for liberty, benevolence and truth. The circle on the front contains the coat of arms. The back side the treasury seal. On the back you'll also find the national motto: Paz y Justica (Peace and Justice). So I might not know why the holiday is today, but at least it explains why there is a flag hanging out in the courtyard of the school today. If you even run across anything that explains why August 14 and 15 is flag day here in Paraguay, please let me know!
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