Newsletter June 2008

On June 20th, Argentina celebrates National Flag Day, a national holiday dedicated to the Argentine flag and in commemoration of its creator, General Manuel Belgrano who died on this day in 1820.

According to legend, during the Argentine War of Independence, General Belgrano noticed that the royal forces and the independent forces were using flags of the same colors, Spain’s yellow and red. To better distinguish the two warring sides, a new flag was created using the same colors found in the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon of the royal family of Spain. The first flag was hoisted on two artillery batteries in opposite banks of the Paraná River in the Santa Fe province; these grounds have become the National Flag Memorial.

The celebrations of Flag Day include a public meeting, speeches by municipal and provincial authorities, attendance of the president and a parade consisting of members of the military, veterans of the Falklands War, the police force and civilian organizations and associations. After the declaration of independence on July 9, 1816 the flag was inaugurated as the national flag by the Argentine National Congress.

Source:

Wikipedia.org

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter May 2008
• Newsletter April 2008
• Newsletter February 2008
• Newsletter January 2008