How Texas Residents Display Their Pride On Flag Day
This Friday is Flag Day and many of us will be flying old glory in honor of the special day. So how exactly did "Flag Day" come to being and why? So many of us especially in Texas take great pride in displaying our flags.
The fact is that Flag Day is a holiday and it's celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The Flag Resolution stated, "That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union is thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
As Flag Day nears, many of us will be flying our flags and I too will be flying Old Glory alongside our Texas flag. Interestingly enough in a recent survey conducted by Free Bets, the Texas flag was ranked as the "2nd most recognizable" flag worldwide. So what state flag is more recognizable than the Texas flag? California was ranked "most recognizable" flag in the survey. Source: FreeBets.com
The study was done by people identifying flags photos the Texas “Lone Star” was correctly identified by 87.6% of those surveyed. Famed for its iconic white star and the red, white, and blue bars, the Texan flag certainly sticks out as the most memorable.
Furthermore, the history of the Texas flag as to why it was chosen to represent the Republic of Texas. The design of the flag and the one star represents Texan solidarity after we declared our independence from Mexico. The color of the stripes on our Texas flag each has its own meaning. Blue stands for loyalty, white is for our purity, and red is for the bravery of Texans.
One final thought on flag misnomers is that the Texas flag is the only State flag that can be flown at the same height as the American flag, that is wrong! All state flags can fly at the same height as Old Glory. So this Flag Day fly your flags with Texas pride.
Here are some of the guidelines set forth by the American Flag Code:
- The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.
- The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.
- The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
- The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
- The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
- The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
- The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.
- The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
- When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
- The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
- When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner. (If you have a flag that needs to be destroyed contact our local Texas Trails Council of Scouting. The local boy scout chapter practices the honorable way to dispose of a flag.)
source: USA.Gov/Flag