Flag of Panama

Bunau-Varilla proposal Reconstruction of the Bunau-Varilla design The wife of Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla designed the first serious proposal for a Panamanian flag. Bunau-Varilla's design was based on the flag of the United States, possibly on account of that country's hand in Panamanian independence. Retaining the thirteen stripes, she changed the white stripes to yellow, emphasizing the Panamanian connection to Colombia and Spain (whose flags both prominently feature red and yellow). Bunau-Varilla replaced the stars in the blue canton with two interconnected yellow suns; the suns represent North and South America, and are connected because of Panama's position connecting the two continents. Bunau-Varilla's proposal was rejected by Manuel Amador Guerrero and his fellow revolutionaries because it was too similar to the U.S. flag, and they, therefore, gave the task of designing a flag to Guerrero's son. María de la Ossa de Amador proposal The original Panamanian flag was made by María de la Ossa de Amador, the first First Lady of Panama, on November 1, 1903. Manuel Amador Guerrero's son, Manuel Encarnación Amador, generally recognized as a skillful draftsman, sketched the flag and showed it to María de la Ossa de Amador, who, after much difficulty in avoiding the Colombian army, eventually produced three copies of the flag, with help from her sister-in-law Angélica Bergamonta de la Ossa and niece, María Emilia de la Ossa Bergamonta. All three flags were flown in Panama City upon independence, and distributed widely. The original flag differs from the present flag in that the upper left quadrant was blue. After independence, when blue was chosen as a color of one of the political parties, the quadrants were shifted to make the top left quadrant white. ==Description==

The Panamanian government officially described the flag in law on December 15, 1949, as follows: This flag was to reflect the political situation of the time: • The blue was intended to represent the Conservative Party; • The red to represent the Liberal Party; • The white was intended to stand for peace and purity; • The blue star stands for the purity and honesty of the life of the country; • The red star represents the authority and law in the country, and together the stars stand for the new republic. Color scheme The official colors of the Panamanian flag were established by decree 337 of 2017 on December 22, 2017. The colors are: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games listed the Pantone colours of the flag as red: 186 and blue: 300. ==Protocol==

Daily use Headquarters. The Panamanian flag can only be hoisted if it is in good condition and it must be hoisted after seven in the morning and lowered before six in the evening. The rope of the flagpole must be white and braided with a thickness of 1/4 inch, and the flagpole must have a height of six times the width of the flag, except when the flag has a special dimensions. In the following places it must always be flown: The oath must always be recited after the flag has been raised. It is said as follows, raising the right hand at a 90º angle and showing the palm of the hand: Using the flag on other sites It is allowed by law that residences be decorated with pennants, banners, banners and others that are variants of the colors of the national flag. On the following occasions, decoration with the national flag or pennants, banners and the like is allowed: Placement The national flag has rules and regulations regarding its use in different events worldwide. Among these are the following: • On balconies it is used as follows: • Horizontal: It is placed the way it is hoisted on a pole. • Vertical: it is placed with the corner of the blue star to the upper left side of the observer. • In the parades and parades : in the days of national holidays, of achievements of great importance for the republic or in the funerals of an illustrious Panamanian (with the remains present), the national flag will be placed at the head of the parade and of each delegation to participate in it, this one with an escort. The pole must not have an inclination greater than 45º. • In case other flags go next to it, the flag will go in case of being an even number of flags in the right center; if there is an odd number of flags, it will go to the center of these. In case of carrying flags behind it, they will go with the same size and quality as the Panamanian flag. • When it is placed with other flags : in case of being placed with an even number of flags, it is placed in the left center of the observer. In case of being placed with an odd number of flags, it must be placed in the center of the group. When the Panamanian flag is displayed with a flag of another nation with crossed flagpoles, the Panamanian flag must be to the left of the observer and its flagpole over the other flagpole. The flag must reach the highest point of the mast first when flown alongside flags of other nations; when lowering it must arrive last. • At funerals : when used to cover a coffin, it should be placed so that the ties are at the head of the deceased and the white quarter with the blue star on the left side. • It should always go to the right of altars and a speaker. • Two Panamanian flags must never be crossed. • The flag does not bow to anyone or anything, on any occasion. Flag at half mast The national flag is placed at half mast as a symbol of respect of the Panamanian people for a loss or tragic event that is occurring. To place the flag at half mast, it is fully hoisted and then lowered until it reaches half, when lowering it, it is done in reverse, hoisting the flag to the mast and then ceremoniously lowering it. The flag will be flown at half mast at the following times: • Death of the President of the Republic. • Death of a former President of the Republic. • Death of the Vice President or Ministers of State. • Death of a high-ranking official of the national government. • Death of a Member of the National Assembly. • Death of a Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice. • Death of an illustrious Panamanian (winner of a national or Panamanian order that has excelled internationally). • Death of an illustrious person worldwide. • When a natural disaster of great magnitude occurs to a friendly nation. Sacrileges According to the laws that govern the use of national symbols, the flag is subject to improper use, disrespect or irreverence in the following cases: • Being cut or burned in a protest • To be used in commercial articles incorporating it into a brand or commercial or political slogan. • Appear in an advertising guideline that associates it as part of the product. • Being raised in places of nightlife or its placement in places of dubious reputation or liquor outlet. • When incurring in one of these situations and depending on the degree of disrespect given to the national flag, the Law establishes sanctions after they are reported to the Mayor's Office of the place where the abuse occurred. Destruction When the national flag reaches the end of its period of use (faded colors, tears), it will be removed from functions and burned in a solemn ceremony. The flags must be burned in a public and open place so that anyone who wishes to pay their last respects to the national flag can attend. In addition to this, the following elements must exist: • An oven to incinerate the flags • A tray to collect the ashes • A hole in the ground to deposit the ashes • The flags that will be burned • The oven is the main element of the ceremony, it must be open and made of heat-resistant material (usually they are built from oil tanks split in half), with a hole at the bottom to let the ashes out; The oven must have an expanded steel mesh to separate the flags from the fuel and the legs of the oven must be iron , 1/4 inch wide and 24 inches long. Under the rules of flag cremation, only mangrove wood can be used for fuel and can only ignite itself without the aid of fossil fuels . To the cremation ceremony, each Government will invite the people, institutions and forces that it deems appropriate, such as: • Representatives of the institutions that will cremate their flags • A representative of the Girl Guides • Civic club representatives • A representative of the community where the event is held • Before proceeding with the cremation, a speech is made about the national flag and its importance in the institutions that will cremate their flags; after this, the oath to the flag is recited. • The previously folded flags are cremated. When finished, the ashes are collected and buried with due respect. == Historical national flags ==

File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg| Cross of Burgundy, The first Spanish flag. Used as the flag of the Spanish Empire (1492–1898) and used until 1793. File:Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg|, Flag of Spain (1786–1821) File:Flag of Gran Colombia.svg| The third flag of Gran Colombia, between 1821 and 1830. File:Flag of New Granada (1830-1834).svg| Provisional flag of the Republic of New Granada, effective between 1830 and May 9, 1834 File:Flag of New Granada.svg|Flag of the Republic of New Granada and the Grenadine Confederation, effective between May 9, 1834, and July 26, 1861. File:Flag of Federal State of Panama.svg| Flag of the Panama State, 1855–1863. File:Flag of Sovereign State of Panama.svg| Flag of the Sovereign State of Panama, 1863–1886. File:Flag of Colombia.svg| Flag of the United States of Colombia and the current Republic of Colombia, used from November 26, 1861, until November 3, 1903. File:Flag of Panama (1903).svg| Original flag design, according to Manuel E. Amador. It was the first post-independence flag of Panama, during November 1903. File:Flag of Panama Canal Zone.svg| Flag of the Panama Canal Zone (1903–1979), U.S. territory File:Flag of Panama.svg|Current flag of the Republic of Panama: arose from the modification of the first model and began to be used before the oath of December 20, 1903, and ratified among others by Law 64 of 1904. Source: ==Other flags==

File:Naval Jack of Panama.svg| Naval jack of Panama == Flags of subdivisions ==

Provinces File:Bandera de la Provincia de Bocas del Toro.svg|Bocas del Toro File:Bandera de la Provincia de Chiriquí.svg|Chiriquí File:Bandera de la Provincia de Coclé.svg|Coclé File:Bandera de la Provincia de Colón.svg|Colón File:Bandera de la Provincia de Darién.svg|Darién File:Bandera de la Provincia de Herrera.svg|Herrera File:Bandera de la Provincia de Los Santos.svg|Los Santos File:Bandera de la Provincia de Panamá Oeste.svg|Panamá Oeste File:Bandera de la Provincia de Veraguas.svg|Veraguas Province-level Indigenous Regions File:Bandera de la Comarca Guna Yala.svg|Guna Yala File:Bandera de la Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé.svg|Ngäbe-Buglé File:Flag of Nasi Tjer Di Indigenous Region.png|Naso Tjër Di ==See also==