TheArgentinecockade (Spanish:escarapela argentina) is one of thenational symbols ofArgentina, instituted by decree on February 18, 1812 by theFirst Triumvirate, who determined that"the national cockade of theUnited Provinces of the Río de la Plata shall be of colours white and light blue [...]".^[1]

The National Cockade Day is on May 18,^[2] the date on which it is assumed that the cockade was first used by the ladies ofBuenos Aires during the events of the 1810May Revolution.

The origin of the colours of the cockade and the reasons for their election cannot be accurately established. Among the several versions, one states that the colours white and light blue were first adopted during theBritish invasions of the Río de la Plata in 1806 and 1807 by theRegiment of Patricians, the first urban militia regiment of theRío de la Plata. Supposedly, a group of ladies fromBuenos Aires first wore the cockade on May 19, 1810, in a visit to then-ColonelCornelio Saavedra, head of the regiment.

Between May 22 and 25 of the same year, it is known that thechisperos, or patriots, identified adherents to the May Revolution by giving them ribbons with those colours. An anonymous manuscript quoted by historian Marfany expresses that on May 21, a Monday, revolutionaries presented themselves as such with white ribbons on their clothes and hats. In Juan Manuel Beruti's memoirs,Memorias Curiosas, it is commented on the use of white ribbons on clothes and cockades with olive branches on hats.

It was also documented bySpanish functionary Faustino Ansay that when news of the revolution arrived toMendoza, its supporters started to wear white stripes. A report attributed to Ramón Manuel de Pazos says that on May 21, 1810,Domingo French andAntonio Beruti distributed said stripes as a sign of peace and unity between patriots and supporters of the Spanish government, but given the hostility of the latter, on May 25 they began spreading red stripes as a reference to theJacobins. Both colours were later adopted by the members of thecabildo ofTarija as they joined the revolution.

A version byBartolomé Mitre affirmed that French "entered in one of the shops of therecova and took several tracks of white and light blue stripes. [He] also placedpickets with orders of letting only patriots in and make them put on the distinctive [stripes]", although his statement might be biased due to the fact that blue was one of the colours of the party he was a member of, and which would be later known as theUnitarian Party. Mitre's words are perhaps what originated the erroneous^[3] belief that attributes the creation of the Argentine cockade to French and Beruti.^[4] In any case, it is known that in March 1811 the Patriotic Society created by people fromMariano Moreno's circle wore the white and light blue ribbons.

In a note dated February 13, 1812,Manuel Belgrano solicited thetriumvirate the use of the white and light blue national cockade, having to omit red since theSpanish troops and theroyalists had been using it as a distinctive colour against the revolution. A legend says Belgrano was inspired by the sky and the clouds when choosing such colours, but he took them from the ribbons and cockades that were already being used.^[5]

On February 18, 1812, the government decided to create the national cockade of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata with light blue at its outer border and centre, and white between both.

Belgrano then used the same colours to design thenational flag, to which his men first took oath on February 27. That day the triumvirate ordered Belgrano to take charge of the Northern Army (Ejército del Norte) and as a result of his immediate departure, he did not become aware that the government had rejected the new flag.^[6]

• National symbols of Argentina
• Cockades

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• CS1: long volume value
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Spanish-language text