Flag of Aruba
Aruba's national flag (
) was adopted on
March 18,
1976. The design consists of a field of light blue (called "
Larkspur" or "
U.N. blue"), two narrow parallel horizontal yellow ("Bunting Yellow") stripes in the bottom half, and a four-pointed white-
fimbriated red ("
Union Jack red") star in the
canton.
The design elements have multiple symbolic meanings:
* The blue field represents the sky, the sea, peace, hope, Aruba's future and its ties to the past.
* The two narrow stripes "suggest the movement toward
status aparte". One represents "the flow of tourists to sun-drenched Aruba, enriching the island as well as vacationers", the other "industry, all the minerals (gold and phosphates in the past, petroleum in the early 20th century)".[
1] In addition to sun, gold, and abundance, the yellow is also said to represent
wanglo flowers.
* The star has particularly complex symbolism.
**It is
vexillologically unusual in having four points, representing the four cardinal directions. These refer in turn to the many countries of origin of the people of Aruba. They also represent the four main languages of Aruba:
Papiamento,
Spanish,
English, and
Dutch.
**The star also represents the island itself: a land of often red soil bordered by white beaches in a blue sea.
**The red also represents blood shed by Arubans during war, past Indian inhabitants, patriotic love, and
Brazil wood.
**The white also represents purity and honesty.
March 18 is a
public holiday in Aruba, known as
Flag Day.
*
Aruban Flag on government website
www.aruba.com*
How Aruba's Flag Was Chosen by Sarah Bollinger
