Origins and early usage The integration of a star into Galician national symbology predates the modern
estreleira. Prior to the
Spanish Civil War, intellectual and artist
Castelao incorporated a white or silver star, alongside a sickle, into his secular proposal for the Galician coat of arms. The earliest documented physical use of the blue and white flag featuring a red star dates to 1936. According to Galician writer
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín, the standard was carried by the
Batallón Galego (Galician Battalion) of the
Fifth Regiment, a military unit of the
Spanish Republican Army commanded by
Enrique Líster. Alternative historiographical claims from researchers affiliated with the
Communist Party of Galicia suggest that anti-Francoist guerrillas led by Antonio Seoane Sánchez and José Gómez Gayoso utilized a similar red-star flag during the 1940s, while the historic
Partido Galeguista utilized a variant with a yellow star.
Standardization by the UPG The modern configuration and widespread adoption of the
estreleira is attributed to the
Galician People's Union (UPG). During the 1960s, communist militants within the UPG standardized the addition of the red star to the Galician flag. This design choice aligned the Galician national liberation movement with international socialist aesthetics, drawing visual parallels to the flags of
Yugoslavia and
Cuba. == Modern usage and specifications ==