Let your flag fly! 150 million American flags are sold each year. Flying a flag lets you show your patriotism and helps your home be visible from a distance.
Yet you shouldn’t buy your country flags yet. You need to know about flag etiquette so you don’t offend people or get your flag damaged. Etiquette can be trickier than you think.
Can you fly your flag on a pole or hang it up? What do you need to do when you are flying several flags together? What must you never do with the American flag?
Answer these questions and you can become a master of flag etiquette in no time. Here is your quick guide.
Fly Flags on Poles
You can fly the American flag on a vertical pole or a pole attached to a wall. If you are flying several international flags together, each flag should go on its own flagstaff. You can fly a state or local flag on the same halyard, but the American flag should be on top.
All flags should be of a similar size to each other. You can use online retailers like iamericasflags.com for buying flags.
The flag should never be in a position to touch the ground. You should raise it as high as possible and adjust the position of the flagstaff so the flag doesn’t droop. While you are handling the flag, you should use both hands so the flag doesn’t hit the ground.
You can fly a country flag at half-staff when a tragedy befalls the country of the flag. The president or the head of state may issue a proclamation asking all residents to fly flags at half-mast. The flag should never be flown upside down unless the country is in deep distress.
Hang Country Flags
You can hang flags from a wall. As with flying flags from poles, you must be careful not to allow any part of the flag to touch the ground. It is okay if it touches the wall, but it cannot touch plants or picture frames against or along the wall.
You can hang the flag horizontally or vertically. The blue field of the American flag should be in the upper-left corner.
Do not puncture the flag in order to hang it. You can use adhesive tape or rope to secure the flag, but make sure it will not tear or get bunched up as you take it down.
If you are hanging several flags together, you should put them on different parts of your wall. They should not touch each other in any way.
Display Your Flags
Country flags are simple yet effective statements of patriotism. You can fly your flag on a pole, but you should never fly two countries’ flags on the same pole. Your flag should never touch the ground.
You can hang your flag off of a wall as long as the blue field is in the upper-left corner. You should never poke holes in your flag or tear it, and two flags should never touch each other.
Displaying flags is just one way to show love for America. Read more guides to Americana by following our coverage.