Flag Day in Bolivia Date in the current year: August 17, 2024

The national flag of Bolivia was created on August 17, 1825, eleven days after the country declared its independence from Spain. However, it took Bolivia more than two decades to get its independence recognized. As a result, the national flag was officially adopted on October 31, 1851. Nevertheless, it is the anniversary of its creation that is celebrated as Flag Day in Bolivia.

The national flag of Bolivia is a rectangular tricolor consisting of three horizontal stripes of equal width. The top red stripe symbolizes the blood shed by the people who struggled for and protected the independence of Bolivia, the middle yellow stripe represents the wealth and resources of Bolivia, and the bottom green stripe is a symbol of the richness of Bolivian nature, as well as hope, a foundational value of Bolivian society. In the center, there is the Bolivian coat of arms.

Although Bolivia is a landlocked country, it has a naval ensign flown by navy vessels on lakes and rivers. It consists of a blue field with the state flag and the Wiphala (see below) in the canton surrounded by nine small yellow five-pointed stars representing the nine departments of Bolivia. The tenth five pointed-star is larger and is situated in the fly. It symbolizes the access to sea that Bolivia lost in the 1884 War of the Pacific.

The Wiphala is a square emblem that represents a number of native peoples of the Andes. It is composed of a 7x7 square patchwork in seven colors of the visible spectrum, arranged diagonally. Each of the colors has a symbolic meaning: red for the Earth, orange for culture and society, yellow for energy, white for time, green for natural resources, blue for the heavens, and violet for Andean self-determination. In 2009, the Wiphala was recognized as the dual flag of Bolivia.

Although Bolivian Flag Day isn’t a public holiday, it is celebrated with patriotic parades held in many cities and towns across the country. On the occasion of Flag Day, schoolchildren memorize and recite poems dedicated to the national flag.