Brazil Flag Colors

The Brazilian flag has a green base with a large yellow diamond in the center. Within this yellow diamond, you will see a blue circle with white stars of varied sizes. A white banner runs across the circle. The banner carries the words 'Ordem e Progresso'. What do these words mean? What do the Brazil flag colors symbolize? Here's some information on interesting facts about the Brazilian flag.

History of the Brazilian Flag

After Brazil became a republic on November 15, 1889, a design was proposed by Ruy Barbosa, the Minister of Finances and Taxation. Since this design was very similar to the American flag, it was used only for 4 days. On November 19, 1889, the then acting president, Deodoro da Fonseca vetoed the design. He suggested that the new flag should resemble the imperial flag. Only some changes were made. The royal crest was replaced by a blue globe with stars and the motto was introduced in the new design. Thus, the new Brazil flag retained some parts of the imperial flag. The aim was to reassert the continuity of the national unity during the transition from a monarchy to a republic.

Colors of the Brazilian Flag

Let's find out more about the colors of the Brazilian flag during monarchy. On the imperial flag, the green represented the Imperial House of Braganza of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, and the yellow represented the Habsburg Imperial Family of Empress Leopoldina, Pedro I's first wife. The center of the old imperial flag bore the Imperial Coat of Arms. Though the same colors are used in the modern flag, but now they have different meanings. The colors used in the flag are white, yellow, green and blue. The green symbolizes the lush green forests of Brazil. Yellow represents the gold or the wealth of the country. The blue globe symbolizes the Rio de Janeiro nocturnal sky view on 15th November, 1889. The stars on the flag symbolize individual Brazilian states. The white banner running across the blue globe carries their motto. The phrase, 'Ordem e Progresso', which means 'order and progress', was inspired by August Comte's motto of positivism. Every Brazilian state is represented by a specific star on the flag. Therefore, the number of stars increase when new states are formed. The stars of the Brazilian Flag include the constellations of Southern Cross, Scorpius, Canis Major, Hydra, Polaris Australis etc.

Brazilian Flag Etiquette

Here are some facts on Brazil flag display and the protocol that must be followed while dealing with the flag. Some of the places where the flag has to be permanently flown include the Presidential Palaces, Supreme Federal Court, National Congress, Ministries and Courts. The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously. In case of declaration of official mourning, the flag must be flown at half-state. It must first be raised to the top of the flagpole and then lowered halfway. When it is hoisted with flags belonging to other countries, it should be hoisted first and lowered last. Respect must always be shown to the National flag. It should never be allowed to drag on the ground. In case, flags of other countries are also flown with the Brazilian flag, they must be placed to the left of the Brazilian flag. The Brazilian flag should never be used or stored in a manner that makes it prone to damage. A damaged or faded flag must be removed and replaced with a new flag.

These were some facts about the symbolism behind the colors of the Brazilian flag. Hope you found the facts about the history of the Brazilian flag interesting.