| Republic of Panama | |
| Nickname: | Bandera de Panamá |
| Proportion: | 2:3 |
| Use: | 111111 |
| Design: | Divided into four rectangles. Going clockwise from the top-left: a blue star, a red rectangle, a red star, and a blue rectangle. |
| Designer: | María de la Ossa de Amador |
| Type: | National |
| Use2: | Presidential standard |
| Design2: | The national flag with the Coat of arms of Panama charged on the center. |
The national flag of Panama was made by María de la Ossa de Amador and was officially adopted by the "ley 48 de 1925".[1] The Panamanian flag day is celebrated on November 4, one day after Panamanian separation from Colombia, and is one of a series of holidays celebrated in November known as the Fiestas Patrias.[2]
The first flag proposed in 1903 consisted of thirteen horizontal stripes of alternating red and yellow, with a blue canton containing two golden suns, joined by a narrow line to depict North and South America joined by the Isthmus of Panama (see the depiction below). However, this was not accepted by the Panamanian leader, Manuel Amador Guerrero, whose family designed a new flag.
The stars and quarters are said to stand for the rival political parties, and the white is said to stand for the peace in which they operate. Blue was the color of the Conservatives and red was the color of the Liberals.[3]
The wife of Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla designed the first serious proposal for a Panamanian flag.[4] Bunau-Varilla's design was based on the flag of the United States, possibly on account of that country's hand in Panamanian independence. Retaining the thirteen stripes, she changed the white stripes to yellow, emphasizing the Panamanian connection to Colombia and Spain (whose flags both prominently feature red and yellow). Bunau-Varilla replaced the stars in the blue canton with two interconnected yellow suns; the suns represent North and South America, and are connected because of Panama's position connecting the two continents.[5] Bunau-Varilla's proposal was rejected by Manuel Amador Guerrero and his fellow revolutionaries because it was too similar to the U.S. flag, and they, therefore, gave the task of designing a flag to Guerrero's son.
The original Panamanian flag was made by María de la Ossa de Amador, the first First Lady of Panama, on November 1, 1903. Manuel Amador Guerrero's son, Manuel Encarnación Amador, generally recognized as a skillful draftsman, sketched the flag and showed it to María de la Ossa de Amador, who, after much difficulty in avoiding the Colombian army, eventually produced three copies of the flag, with help from her sister-in-law Angélica Bergamonta de la Ossa and niece, María Emilia de la Ossa Bergamonta. All three flags were flown in Panama City upon independence, and distributed widely. The original flag differs from the present flag in that the upper left quadrant was blue. After independence, when blue was chosen as a color of one of the political parties, the quadrants were shifted to make the top left quadrant white.[6] [7]
The Panamanian government officially described the flag in law on December 15, 1949, as follows:
This flag was to reflect the political situation of the time:[8] [9]
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games listed the Pantone colours of the flag as red: 186 and blue: 300.[10]
The Panamanian flag can only be hoisted if it is in good condition and it must be hoisted after seven in the morning and lowered before six in the evening. The rope of the flagpole must be white and braided with a thickness of 1/4 inch, and the flagpole must have a height of six times the width of the flag, except when the flag has a special dimensions. In the following places it must always be flown:
When the flag is hoisted, the most due respect must be shown, also at the time of its lowering; people with hats or caps should remove them from their heads and cross their right hand over their chest with the hat on it and women should place their right hand over their heart. It should always be vigorously hoisted and ceremoniously lowered. In case of adverse weather conditions, the flag must be lowered immediately and taken to a safe place where it will be folded. At the time of lowering the flag, it must not touch the ground or anything below it.
When hoisting or lowering in a formed group, three people must be placed in front of the pole on the side corresponding to the upper ring of the support:
The flag and the anthem are different symbols and therefore each one has a different protocol. The flag is never raised at the time of singing the national anthem, it must always be raised before singing it. The bugle call or drum roll is optional, at the time of hoisting, according to decree 244 of 1971.
Every Monday, at 7 in the morning including on national holidays, in both private and official schools the civic act is carried out, it must have the following elements:
The act itself consists of the following steps:
The oath to the Panamanian flag was devised by Ernestina Sucre (founder of the Girl Guides) and was adopted by Law 24 of 1959 and confirmed by Law 34 of 1949 in the single text that reflects the reforms of Law 2 of 2012.[11] [12] The oath must always be recited after the flag has been raised.
It is said as follows, raising the right hand at a 90º angle and showing the palm of the hand:
It is allowed by law that residences be decorated with pennants, banners, banners and others that are variants of the colors of the national flag. On the following occasions, decoration with the national flag or pennants, banners and the like is allowed:
The national flag by law, its use in places of nightlife, brothels, in advertising messages, commercial signs, commercial products and animals is prohibited.
Foreign citizens are allowed to use their national flag on the aforementioned occasions, also at the time of celebrations of their respective nations, as long as the Panamanian flag is placed with the same respect, size and quality as foreign flags. .
To fold the flag two people are necessary. After removing the hooks from the rope and stretching the flag out, it is shaken to remove any foreign body that rests on the flag (I). It is then inspected for any damage or fading of the colors. It is folded in half, leaving the blue and white cantons with the red star facing up (II); then it is folded in half again so that the corner with the blue star and the red corner are facing upwards (III). Finally, it is folded in the shape of a right triangle, starting with the red corner (IV), proceeding until it is completely folded. In the end, the white canton should cover the entire exterior of the flag (V).[13]
The national flag has rules and regulations regarding its use in different events worldwide. Among these are the following:[13]
The national flag is placed at half mast as a symbol of respect of the Panamanian people for a loss or tragic event that is occurring. To place the flag at half mast, it is fully hoisted and then lowered until it reaches half, when lowering it, it is done in reverse, hoisting the flag to the mast and then ceremoniously lowering it. The flag will be flown at half mast at the following times:[13]
According to the laws that govern the use of national symbols, the flag is subject to improper use, disrespect or irreverence in the following cases:[13]
When the national flag reaches the end of its period of use (faded colors, tears), it will be removed from functions and burned in a solemn ceremony.
The flags must be burned in a public and open place so that anyone who wishes to pay their last respects to the national flag can attend. In addition to this, the following elements must exist:[13]
To the cremation ceremony, each Government will invite the people, institutions and forces that it deems appropriate, such as:[13]
When finished, the ashes are collected and buried with due respect.
Source:[14]