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The current eight stars flag of
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
was introduced in 2006. The basic design includes a horizontal
tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...
of yellow, blue, and red, dating to the original flag introduced in 1811, in the
Venezuelan War of Independence The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...
. Further modifications have involved including a set of stars, multiple changes to the placement and number of stars and inclusion of an optional
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
at the upper-left corner.


Original flag

The flag is essentially the one designed by
Francisco de Miranda Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spani ...
for his unsuccessful 1806 expedition to liberate Venezuela and later adopted by the National Congress of 1811. It consisted of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red. Miranda's flag is also the inspiration for the flags of
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
and
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
. The flag of the short-lived
Republic of Spanish Haiti The Independent Republic of Spanish Haiti ( es, República del Haití Español), also called the Independent State of Spanish Haiti () was the independent state that resulted from the defeat of Spanish colonialists from Santo Domingo on November ...
was also based on Miranda's tricolore and resembles the current Venezuelan flag. This original design was first flown on 12 March 1806, at
Jacmel Jacmel (; ht, Jakmèl) is a commune in southern Haiti founded by the Spanish in 1504 and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsu ...
,
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...
, as Miranda's expedition prepared to make the final leg of its voyage to Venezuela. The flag was first flown over Venezuelan soil at La Vela de Coro, on 3 August. Until 3 August 2006, Flag Day was celebrated in Venezuela on 12 March. Since 2006 it has been celebrated on 3 August. Miranda gave at least two sources of inspiration for his flag. In a letter written to Count
Semyon Vorontsov Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov (or Woronzow, russian: Семён Романович Воронцо́в; 26 June 17449 July 1832) was a Russian diplomat from the aristocratic Russian Vorontsov family, whose siblings included Alexander Vorontsov ...
in 1792, Miranda stated that the colours were based on a theory of primary colours given to him by the German writer and philosopher
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...
. Miranda described a late-night conversation he had with Goethe at a party in Weimar during the winter of 1785. Fascinated with Miranda's account of his exploits in the
United States Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and his travels throughout the Americas and Europe, Goethe told him that, ''"Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colours are not distorted.”'' He proceeded to clarify what he meant by this:
''"First he explained to me the way the iris transforms light into the three primary colours ��then he proved to me why yellow is the warmest, noble and closest to
hite Hite or HITE may refer to: *HiteJinro HiteJinro Co., Ltd. (; ) is a South Korean multinational drink, brewing and distiller company, founded in 1924. It is the world's leading producer of soju, accounting for more than half of that beverage' ...
light; why blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, a distance that evokes shadows; and why red is the exaltation of yellow and blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of light into shadow''.
'' It is not that the world is made of yellows, blues, and reds; it is that in this manner, as if in an infinite combination of these three colours, we human beings see it. ��A country starts out from a name and a flag, and it then becomes them, just as a man fulfills his destiny."''
After Miranda later designed his flag based on this conversation, he happily recalled seeing a fresco by
Lazzaro Tavarone Lazzaro Tavarone (1556–1641) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerist period, active mainly in his native Genoa and in Spain. He was the pupil of the painter Luca Cambiasi. Tavarone accompanied Cambiaso to Spain in 1583, an ...
in the Palazzo Belimbau in
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
that depicted
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
unfurling a similar-coloured flag in Veragua during his fourth voyage. In his military diary, Miranda gave another source of inspiration: the yellow, blue and red standard of the Burgers' Guard (''Bürgerwache'') of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, which he also saw during his travels in Germany. The idea of the flag is documented in his 1801 plan for an army to liberate Spanish America, which he submitted unsuccessfully to the British cabinet. In it Miranda requested the materials for "ten flags, whose colours shall be red, yellow and blue, in three zones." The symbolism traditionally ascribed to the colours is that the yellow band stands for the wealth of the
land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
, the red for courage, and the blue for the independence from Spain, or "golden" America separated from bloody Spain by the deep blue sea.


Colours and symbolism

According to the current interpretation, the colours signify: * * *


19th-century changes

During the first half of the 19th century, seven stars were added to the flag to represent the seven signatories to the Venezuelan declaration of independence, being the provinces of
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...
,
Cumaná Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in South ...
,
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Barinas,
Margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight u ...
, Mérida, and Trujillo. File:Flag of Venezuela (1811).svg,
First Republic of Venezuela The First Republic of Venezuela ( es, Primera República de Venezuela) was the first independent government of Venezuela, lasting from 5 July 1811, to 25 July 1812. The period of the First Republic began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial ...

(1810–1812) File:Bandera_de_la_Guerra_a_Muerte.svg, Second Republic of Venezuela
(1813–1814) File:Bandera de Angostura (20 de noviembre de 1817).svg, Third Republic of Venezuela
(1817–1819) File:Flag of Venezuela (1830-1836).svg, (1830–1836) File:Flag of Venezuela (1836-1859).svg, (1836–1859) File:Flag of Venezuela (1817 and 1859).svg, (1859) File:Flag of Venezuela (1859-1863).svg, (1859–1863) File:Flag of Venezuela (1863-1905).svg, United States of Venezuela
(1863–1905) File:State flag of Venezuela (1863-1905).svg, State flag (1863–1905) File:Flag of Venezuela (1905-1930).svg, United States of Venezuela
(1905–1930) File:State flag of Venezuela (1905-1930).svg, State flag (1905–1930) File:Flag of Venezuela (1930–1954).svg, Civil flag (1930–2006) File:State flag of Venezuela (1930–1954).svg, State flag (1930–1954) File:Flag of Venezuela (1954–2006).svg, State flag (1954–2006) File:Flag of Venezuela.svg, Civil flag (2006–present) File:Flag of Venezuela (state).svg, State flag (2006–present)
After the Guayana campaign,
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...
added the eighth star to the national flag (the so-called Flag of Angostura) in the representation of the newly freed province. Bolívar issued the following decree: : Simón Bolívar. Supreme Leader of the Republic and Captain-in-chief of the Armies of Venezuela and Nueva Granada. Since the number of provinces that compose the Republic of Venezuela has increased with the number of stars on that the Venezuelan national flag has one more star as a symbol of the province of Guayana, in this way, from now on there will be eight stars on the flag. Signed by me, and stamped with the country's official stamp in the government palace in the city of
Angostura Angostura may refer to: Places Mexico * Angostura, Sinaloa, a city in north-west Mexico ** Angostura Municipality, Sinaloa, a municipality in Sinaloa, Mexico * Puerto de la Angostura, Coahuila, site of the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista between Amer ...
, 20 November 1817. Simón Bolívar.


1954 changes

The ''Law of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem'' added the
Coat of Arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
to the flag on February 19, 1954. The coat of arms was not incorporated into the Civil or Maritime Flag, which is intended for non-governmental purposes, such as civilian use, merchant craft, and international sports competition. Several opposition groups and Venezuelan exiles opposing the current government use the tricolor flag with seven stars adopted in 1954.


2006 changes

In 2006 the
President of Venezuela The president of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de Venezuela), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is the head of state and head of government in Ven ...
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
announced plans to add an eighth star to the flag of Venezuela to bring about a much-belated fulfillment to Bolívar's 1817 decree. The eighth star represents the
Guayana Province Guayana Province (1585−1864) was a former province of Spanish Colonial Venezuela and independent Venezuela, located in the Guyana region of northeastern South America. The province was part of the Spanish colonial New Andalusia Province and ...
, one of the Provinces of Venezuela at the time of the declaration of independence. The Coat of Arms was also changed to a white horse galloping left instead of cantering to the right, a bow and arrow, and a machete. Although the new flag was approved by the Venezuelan government, opposition spokesperson Óscar Pérez stated that they would not use the new flag. The new flag change is controversial for another reason, being that the eighth star represents two-thirds of modern-day
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, a country that Venezuela has ongoing tensions with over a border dispute of the entire region west of the
Essequibo River The Essequibo River ( Spanish: ''Río Esequibo'' originally called by Alonso de Ojeda ''Río Dulce'') is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana b ...
, which was ruled in Guyana's favour by an international tribunal.


Customs and regulations

As with most other national flags, the Venezuelan flag should be flown every day by the legally registered public institutions from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Private institutions, businesses, and citizens should fly the flag on national holidays or on days determined by the National Executive. Institutions which should fly the flag by obligation are: *The Federal Legislative Palace, when the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...
is in session and buildings in which a legislative council is being held, *Public national, state and municipal offices on national holidays and other days determined by special resolution of the relevant authorities, *Embassies, legations, consulates, and other national agencies abroad, on national holidays or when required by the protocol of the host nation, * Miraflores Palace, the residence and office building of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, daily, *Buildings of the
Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, fortresses and other military buildings, as determined by the law and pertinent regulations, *Venezuelan merchant ships, using the civil ensign, since they operate in a civil capacity. There is currently no regulation as to the dimensions of the flag, its use inside private or public institutions or by the public in general, its form and protocol. The conventions that currently exist have been freely determined. Nevertheless, educational institutions currently follow a protocol modeled on the regulations issued for the armed forces for use in raising the flag on special days. Out of respect for the flag, popular culture holds that upon raising the flag, the
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
should be played and all civilians present should stand still, straight, with closed hands at the sides and without any headgear, while military and police personnel out of formation must salute.


Folding the flag

Although there is no official regulation on the manner in which the flag should be folded, there is, as in other countries, a procedure with widespread acceptance in schools, scout groups, and military institutions. Its origins are not known, but there are several possibilities, such as the adoption of the custom from other South American nations, in which this singular way of folding a flag originated. In the Venezuelan case, there are two ways of folding the flag depending on whether it is a civil or state flag. *For the state flag, the flag is lowered and taken to the place where it will be folded. It is then held at all four corners by at least two people. The red stripe is folded over the blue and then the yellow over the red so that the yellow stripe and the national arms are on top and the blue stripe with stars on the bottom. The flag is then folded under in a triangular manner from the fly to the hoist such that at the end the remaining material is tucked into the last fold and the resulting triangle is all yellow with the national arms. *For the civil flag, the flag is also lowered in the same manner as above but the yellow stripe is folded first over the blue one, then the red one over the yellow stripe, with the blue stripe and stars facing down. The flag is then folded over in a triangular manner so that the resulting triangle is only blue with stars.


Flag anthem

The flag has its own anthem, which was composed in 1889 with music by Francisco Araldi and lyrics by Zolessi Geronimo, which reads:


Student oath to the flag

Similarly, a Flag Oath has also been written for students to be said on 3 August, which is as follows: This is followed by the following pledge for those in schools: Versions of this oath and pledge are used for the
National Armed Forces of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela The National Bolivarian Armed Forces ( es, Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana - FANB) of Venezuela are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy, and air force there ...
and the
Policia Nacional Bolivariana The Policía Nacional Bolivariana ( es, Bolivarian National Police, PNB) is Venezuela's national police force, created in 2009. Law enforcement in Venezuela has historically been highly fragmented, and the creation of a national police force wa ...
, but in this case, only the pledge is used during graduation and passing out parades.


See also

* List of flags of Venezuela *
Flag of Gran Colombia The flag of Gran Colombia was based on Francisco de Miranda's tricolour, which served as the national flag of the First Republic of Venezuela. The general design of the Gran Colombian flag later served as the model for the current flags of Colombia, ...


References


External links

*
Venezuela Historical flag


– Law of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem.
BBC Report on change of flag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Venezuela National symbols of Venezuela
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
Venzuela
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...