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May 2, celebrating Polish identity: Polish National Flag Day, Polish Diaspora Day

On the flag of the Republic of Poland, no inscriptions or drawings can be placed. The flag should never touch the floor, ground, pavement, or water. Polish National Flag Day and Polish Diaspora Day combine the manifestation of attachment to national colors and symbols.

A few dozen days after the outbreak of the November Uprising, the deputies and senators of the Kingdom of Poland, gathered at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, took the first resolution in the history of Poland establishing national colors. “The Senate and the House of Representatives, after hearing the proposals of the Sejm Commissions and considering the need to give a uniform sign under which all Poles should unite, decided and constituted: The national cockade will be the colors of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, that is, the color white with red”—we read in the resolution of February 7, 1831. This act was interpreted as a completion of the decision to restore Polish sovereignty, which was the decision to dethrone Tsar Nicholas I as King of Poland.

Over the course of several dozen years, until the restoration of independence, the white and red colors (or sometimes red and white) were recognized as national colors by Poles in the three partitions and among emigrants around the world. Among other things, the confirmation of the traditionally established national colors was the act adopted by the deputies at the Legislative Sejm on August 1, 1919.

The Polish national colors, unlike the flags of many other countries, did not have a day commemorating their history and promoting their use. “The holiday was established on the model of other countries, primarily the United States, where it was first established in memory of the adoption of the first American flag in 1777,” explained Andrzej Bebłowski from the Polish Vexillological Society to PAP in 2018. There were two reasons why the holiday date was chosen. One, historical, is related to the fact that on May 2, 1945, the Polish flag was hung in Berlin on the Reichstag and on the Victory Column. The second is practical. The establishment of the holiday justified leaving the national flags hung on May 1, which ‘waited’ for the Constitution Day on May 3.

Although the Polish flag is composed of two horizontal stripes—white and red—specifying the shades of these colors is not that easy. From the “Act of January 31, 1980, on the coat of arms, colors, and anthem of the Republic of Poland and on state seals,” we learn that the colors are presented in the form of trichromatic color coordinates. This means that white is not pure snow white, and the color red is, in turn, crimson, i.e., dark red. However, it is worth noting that over the years, the color of red has changed slightly. The first description of the flag from 1921 introduced crimson (although a shade slightly lighter than the contemporary one), but from 1927 on, for over 50 years, vermilion was in force, i.e., red falling into the color orange.

The order of the national colors is indeed significant. The sign in the coat of arms, i.e., the eagle, is a more important part of it than the background. That’s why the color white is on top and red is at the bottom. This is visible in speech, as we say that the flag is white and red. However, if the colors are hung vertically, white is placed on the left side of the plane viewed from the front. In rosettes (cockades), the color white should be inside, and red should be outside.

National colors also have a symbolic meaning. As Andrzej Bebłowski pointed out in a conversation with PAP, “the color white symbolizes gentleness, friendship, prosperity, and the color red - blood, i.e., the struggle for sovereignty, the struggle for independence.” During World War II, the white and red colors were also a symbol of the nation’s resilience and the will to win; they aroused hope for freedom. The lengths of the sides of the flag should represent the proportions of 5:8. This ratio results from the “Act of August 1, 1919, on the emblems and colors of the Republic of Poland” and is still in force. “For example, if the flag is 1 meter high, it must be 1.6 m wide. If this is not the case, then white and red constitute national colors, but not the flag. What’s more, according to the act, for the name of the flag, the rectangle must be placed on the mast,” we read in the materials posted on the website of the ‘Independent’ Office.

There are two types of the Polish state flag. The first is a rectangle in white and red. The second is a flag with the emblem of the Republic of Poland on the white stripe. According to current law, flags with the emblem can only be used by official representations of the country abroad, civil airports and airplanes, port captains, as well as Polish sea ships as a flag.

The national colors of the Republic of Poland differ from the state flag of the Republic of Poland in that they do not have specified proportions. Therefore, they can be of any length and width. However, it should be remembered that the width of both stripes must be equal. According to the constitution, the national colors are legally protected.

The state flag deserves respect. When displayed publicly, it must be clean and have clear colors; it cannot be crumpled or frayed. The flag should never touch the floor, ground, pavement, or water. The flag is also not used to honor any person; it is not bowed before any other flag or sign. In addition, no inscriptions or any kind of drawings can be placed on the state flag of the Republic of Poland. The penal code contains provisions on the protection of national symbols. Public insult, damage, or removal of the flag or emblem is punishable by a fine, restriction, or deprivation of liberty.

In Poland, the state flag of the Republic of Poland always takes precedence over all other flags. If more flags are displayed on masts, then the state flag of the Republic of Poland is raised (hoisted on the mast) first and lowered last. In the case of more than one flag in a row, semicircle, or circle, the order depends on their place in the following hierarchy: the state flag of the Republic of Poland, the flag of another country, the flag of the voivodeship, the flag of the county, the flag of the commune (city, urban-rural commune, rural commune), the European flag, the flag of an international organization (e.g., UN, NATO), the service flag (e.g., Police, Border Guard, State Fire Service, Polish Post, city guard), the flag of an institution, company, organization, university, school, sports club, etc., the flag of a national group, the occasional flag.

Together with Polish National Flag Day on May 2, Poland also celebrates Polish Diaspora Day, established by the Sejm on March 20, 2002. The holiday was established to “recognize the centuries-old achievements and contributions of Polonia and Poles abroad in regaining independence for Poland, loyalty and attachment to Polishness, and assistance to the Country in the most difficult moments, in order to confirm the bond with the Motherland and the unity of all Poles, both living in the Country and living abroad.”

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 20 million people of Polish origin live outside of Poland. These are people who have left the country or were born outside of Poland but feel a connection to their Polish heritage and ties to Polishness: descendants of emigrants from the 19th century and refugees fleeing wars; subsequent generations of former Polish citizens who remained in the Borderlands or deep within the Soviet Union; former anti-communist oppositionists with families; and economic migrants who left Poland after 1989.
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