27 February 1812 marks a fundamental milestone in Argentine history. On the banks of the Paraná River, in the present-day city of Rosario, Manuel Belgrano hoisted the Argentine National Flag for the first time, a patriotic symbol that was born in the context of the struggle for independence.

Belgrano had been entrusted with the task of fortifying the shores of the Paraná. Faced with the need for a flag to identify his troops and reinforce patriotic sentiment, he had one made in light blue and white, inspired by the national cockade. His gesture symbolised unity and the struggle for freedom in Argentine territory.

The flag created by Belgrano received its official recognition on 25 July 1816, when the Congress of Tucumán, after the declaration of independence, established by law the adoption of a flag with the colours ‘light blue and white’, in homage to the first flag hoisted in 1812. On 25 February 1818, the Inca sun was incorporated into the central white stripe.

The National Flag: commemoration and uses

The official flag of the Nation has its colours distributed in three horizontal bands, two light blue and one white in the middle, in the centre of which there is a gold-coloured sun with thirty-two alternating flaming and straight rays, which reproduces the one that was engraved on the first Argentine coin.

In 1938, the National Congress passed Law 12.361, establishing 20 June as Flag Day. Subsequently, Decree 1584/2010 established the irremovability of the commemoration of this date in memory of the passing to immortality of General Manuel Belgrano.

Law 23.208 of 1985 established the right of use as Official Flag of the Nation for:

- The National Government.

- The provincial governments.

- The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

- The municipalities and communes.

- Official departments.

- Private individuals and civil institutions.

The tradition of the Grenadiers and the National Flag at Casa Rosada

For more than a century, the Regiment of Horse Grenadiers has been in charge of guarding the National Flag at the Casa Rosada. This tradition was established by presidential decree on 15 July 1907, during the administration of José Figueroa Alcorta, who entrusted them with the responsibility of serving as presidential escorts.

According to historical records, on 5 August of that same year, the Grenadiers performed their first guard duty at the Government House and assumed the protocol of hoisting and lowering the National Flag on the mast of the Plaza de Mayo. The ceremony, carried out daily by seven grenadiers of the Ayacucho Squadron together with the command horn, is an event that symbolises respect and solemnity towards the patriotic
colours.

It should be noted that the current flagpole in the Plaza de Mayo is the old federal flagpole, which was originally located behind the Government House. With the construction of the presidential heliport, it was moved to its current location to continue with this traditional ceremony.

The flag raising and lowering times vary according to the time of year: in summer, the flag is raised at 07:15 and lowered at 19:00, while in winter, the flag is raised at 07:30 and lowered at 18:00. This act is a daily reminder of the commitment to the history and values of the nation.

213 years after the first hoisting of our national flag, we remember Manuel Belgrano and his legacy of freedom and justice, which is still alive in the hearts of the Argentineans. Today we commemorate that historic event that united us as a people under the same symbol: the colours of our homeland.