A whiteSaint George's Cross with the national coat of arms in the centre that divides the flag into four rectangles, blue and red at the top and red and blue at the bottom
As described by Article 21 of theDominican Constitution, the flag features a centeredwhiteSaint George's Cross that extends to the edges and divides the flag into fourrectangles; the top ones areblue (hoist side) andred, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue. Thenational coat of arms, featuring a shield with the flag, design and supported by abay laurel branch (left) and apalm frond (right), is at the center of the cross.[2] Above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the nationalmottoDios, Patria, Libertad (English: God, Homeland, Liberty). Below the shield, the wordsRepública Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is depicted in more recent versions as having its tips pointing upward). In the center of the shield, flanked by three spears (two of them holding Dominican banners) on each side, is aBible with a smallLatin cross above it and said to be opened to theGospel of John,chapter 8, verse 32, which readsY la verdad os hará libres (And the truth shall make you free).[2] It is one of 28 national flags to contain overtly Christian symbols.[6]
Spanish colonists had been the first Europeans to claim the island ofHispaniola, but theFrench had subsequently colonised the western part of it,Saint-Domingue, which later becameHaiti, whose flag contained horizontal stripes of red and blue. Haiti subsequentlycolonised Santo Domingo, the Spanish-speaking part of Hispaniola, and theHaitian colours became the basis of the colours of revolutionary flags in these Hispanophone areas, including the flag of the revolutionary organisationLa Trinitaria.
The flag was made to reflect theChristian ideals ofJuan Pablo Duarte, the father of the nation, with two white stripes of horizontal and vertical that join together to form a symmetrical cross, and in the centre agospel of John, a Latin cross, and the motto “Dios, patria, libertad” (“God, fatherland, liberty”). The first flags were made byMaría Trinidad Sánchez, María de Jesús Pina, Isabel Sosa andConcepción Bona. Juan Pablo Duarte designed it and it was first hoisted on February 28, 1844, the day after the beginning of theDominican Revolution against the Haitians.[7] The ultramarine blue was to represent God's protection over the nation. The vermillion red color represents the blood shed by the patriots in our nation's struggle for freedom. And the white cross in the center symbolizes the peace and unity of the Dominicans.[8]
The use of the Dominican flag is essentially regulated byLaw 210-19, which regulates the use of the national symbols of the Dominican Republic. This law stipulates the following:
The front side of the flag is the one in which the blue quarter is on the observer's left.
The flag will never touch the ground.
The flag will be flown every weekday on all official state buildings and offices, from sunrise to sunset.
The flag must not be displayed in poor condition (not torn, damaged, or dirty).
It is the duty of every Dominican to display the flag on national holidays (February 27 or August 16, for example).
When the flag is flown next to another, it must always be on the right (left of the observer looking at it from the front).
When the flag is flown vertically, the blue quarter in the upper corner, which is attached to the thick edge of the halyard, should be on the observer's left.
When the flag is placed horizontally on a wall, the flag shall be hung so that the upper blue quarter, which is attached to the right edge of the halyard, is to the observer's left.
The white space's width is equal to half the width of a blue or red area.
Folding the flag
Dominican flag on a coffin. When the Dominican flag is placed on a coffin, the blue quarter attached to the edge of thehalyard should be placed over the deceased's left arm.
When the flag is flown next to another, it must always be on the right (left of the observer looking at it from the front).Examples:(1) On a speaker's podium.(2) On a public building.
When the flag is displayed horizontally on a wall, balcony, etc., it shall be hung so that the upper blue quarter, (upper hoist) attached to the right edge of the halyard, is to the observer's left. When the flag is displayed vertically, the upper blue quarter, attached to the thick edge of the halyard, shall be to the observer's left.
Hoisting and Lowering of the Flag on Occasion of Mourning :(1) When the flag is to be flown at half-mast, it shall first be raised to the top and then lowered to the half-mast position.(2) When it is to be lowered, it shall be hoisted to the top and then lowered.
On days officially declared as national mourning, the flag is first raised to the top of the flagpole and then lowered to half-mast. The coffins of members of the Armed Forces and high-ranking public officials are covered with the National Flag. The celebration of Flag Day was first established in Official Gazette No. 5231 of May 1938, during the rule ofRafael Trujillo. It declared October 24th as Flag Day, Generalissimo Trujillo's birthday. Once the Trujillo Era ended, Law 6085 of October 22, 1962 (Official Gazette 8707 of November 3, 1962) established February 27, the Dominican Independence Day, as the national flag day.
The poet Gastón Fernando Deligne composed a poem in honor of the Dominican flag called"Arriba el Pabellón" (Up with the Flag). Note that stanzas 7, 8, and 9 discuss the meaning of the flag's colors:
Spanish El rojo de su gloriosa decisión dice al oído, Soy - dice - el laurel teñido con su sangre generosa.
Es el azul de su anhelo progresitas clara enseña color con que el alma sueña cuando sueña con el cielo.
El blanco póstumo amor a sus entrañas se aferra dar por corona a la guerra el olivo al redentor.
English The red of his glorious decision whispers in your ear, I am, it says, the laurel dyed with his generous blood.
It is the blue of your longing progressive, a clear banner of colour with which the soul dreams when it dreams of the sky.
The white posthumous love clings to its depths, giving as a crown to war the olive branch to the redeemer.
There is also a national anthem to the flag for schools.
TheCross of Burgundy was used by Spanish military units in the 15th to 18th centuries and is often used to represent the Spanish Empire.
1809-1821
Flag of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
TheFrench occupation of Santo Domingo threatened to distort the Dominicans' Spanish identity and customs. The Spanish rebelled against the French at theBattle of Palo Hincado, expelling them. Thus, Santo Domingo returned to Spain until 1821.
During the period of "España Boba", (meek Spain), Spain neglected Santo Domingo to attend to the territories of continental America that were seeking independence. Dissatisfied, theCreoles, led byJosé Núñez de Cáceres, separated from Spain and created the Republic of Spanish Haiti, later annexing it toGran Colombia . This state existed until 1822. This period is known as the "Independencia efímera" (ephemeral independence).
It was a historical period that lasted 22 years, in which Haiti governed the eastern part of the island, imposing itself on the new State of Spanish Haiti , which was divided into two departments: located in the northern portion, the Cibao and in the southern portion, the Ozama.
In 1861, after 17 years of independence, GeneralPedro Santana askedQueen Isabella II of Spain to regain control of the Dominican Republic, and Spain made the territory a province, thus implementing the union.
1865-1916
Flag of the Dominican Republic
1916-1924
Flag of the United States (1912-1948)
Following theDominican Restoration War, instigated by the United States ' interest in controlling Spanish America , the Dominican Republic experienced several years of internal civil wars, political instability, and irresponsible borrowing, first with European banks and then with American banks. Each Dominican government that came to power borrowed money and was overthrown, continuing this cycle over and over again. The Americans, fearing that the debt would not be paid, militarily invaded the Dominican Republic in 1916 and, once occupied, implemented several economic reforms.
^Green, Michael (March 20, 2015)."Flags, for God's Sake".brandingthenations.com.Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2020.
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