A national flag represents a nation or a country.
A flag is the piece of cloth that is tied to a mast and that serves as a symbol of a country, an institution or another type of entity. Flags can also be used to communicate some type of information or signal .
For example: "The Argentine flag is light blue and white" , "At the end of the match, the tennis player approached the stands and took a Spanish flag to show off at the awards ceremony" , "We have to create a company flag to display in the entrance to the building» , «The flag indicates that bathing is prohibited» .
National, subnational and supranational flags
The most common shape of flags is rectangular , but it is possible to find square, triangular, trapezoidal flags, etc. National flags are those that represent a nation or country and are displayed in its national territory and in its embassies on foreign soil.
Within a country, however, there may be other flags that identify subnational entities . In this way, we can find flags that represent a neighborhood, a municipality, a city, a province, a department, etc.
Various international associations or entities, such as the UN or the EU , also have flags that distinguish them. The same can be said for certain private entities, such as sports clubs or companies.
patriotism
The term is inescapably related to patriotism . It is said that those people who love the land in which they were born and feel identified with its customs embrace its flag, defending traditions and publicly demonstrating that they are proud of their country.
In the definition of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the concept is linked to love for the country or the conduct of a patriot, which indicates a deep courage to face whatever is necessary in the name of the flag. Patriotism would be reflected in the development of honest work and collaborating for the common good.
It is said that a true patriot is one who manifests his values (solidarity, equality and fraternity) that focus on collaborating with the common good. Unfortunately, this term has spread throughout different countries, becoming something clearly negative because it promotes xenophobic attitudes and similar discrimination with all those people who do not belong to the same country. Patriotism is an ideal that generates closedness and instills appreciation for one's own and contempt for others, something that contradicts its principles, which are the construction of the common good.
The writer Julio Cortázar , an absolute enemy of chauvinism, says that one of the positive paths for humanity is miscegenation; that when the fusion of races is greater, jingoism, nationalism and other synonyms, absolutely absurd and senseless attitudes, can finally be eliminated.
Flags can serve as signs.
The signal flags
Signal flags , on the other hand, are raised to convey a certain message.
These flags are used in the maritime sector and in rescue groups that operate on the coast, among other areas. Thus, a light blue flag can indicate that the sea is calm, while a red flag indicates that, due to the waves, it is dangerous to enter the water.
a musical group
In terms of music, there is a musical group called Sin Bandera , formed in 1998 by Noel Schajris and Leonel García .
The name of the band responds to the idea of its creators to present a group that would transmit messages of unity, where nationalities did not matter. Just like love, music has no flag, so they wanted to offer themes that represent this idea: through music we can "become one."