The Seminaire de Theologie Eglise Episcopale d’Haiti does not have an official calendar posted anywhere. As a result, I often find out about holidays or special events at the last minute. However, I can always count on my English classes to make me aware of an upcoming holiday, especially if it falls on a day when we normally meet!
Last Friday, I was told that Monday, May 18 was Flag Day. I know the United States' Flag Day is June 14. I suspect every country does. However, to the best of my knowledge, it is a relative non-event in the states. In Haiti, however, it is a BIG deal. The greatest focus seems to be on the creator of the flag, Catherine Flon. On of my students her a national hero. She is not alone.
Catherine Flon, an Arcahaien (a town located outside of Port-au-Prince) seamstress and Goddaughter of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, sewed the first Haitian flag on May 18, 1803, the last day of the Congress of Arcahaie. After Catherine Flon sewed the bicolored flag, the Generals of the Haitian Revolution at the congress "solemnly swore an oath of fidelity to Liberty or Death on this flag which was to lead the slaves to victory and freedom. This oath has been named the Oath of the Ancestors.
Haiti’s Flag Day is synonymous with unity and liberty. Catherine Flon’s rendering of the first Haitian flag commemorates the tumultuous struggles and heroes of the past, Toussaint L'ourverture, Jean Jacques Dessaline, Alexandre Petion, and Capois La Mort.
The Evolution of the Haitian Flag
In the early days of revolt in St. Domingue, the slaves did not have a flag. However, they did notice that their former masters were using the French Flag. From 1791 to about 1793, the revolt became more widespread and gave rise to a number of large groups still fighting independently. In those times, each main leader would use any piece of cloth as a flag. Slowly the slave movement found some synergy and came to follow the leadership one main person: Toussaint Louverture. Realizing that you cannot fight three enemies at the same time, Toussaint and the army of revolted slaves fought successively for the Spanish against the French (1793-1794), for the French against Spain and England (1794-1802) and ultimately against France. As such, he carried the color of whichever European power he was fighting for. Eventually, he designed his own flag, a white piece of cloth with a Negro head to represent the blacks.
After Toussaint’s deportation, the Indigene Army went back to the French flag for a while. The French flag as we know it now is a product of the French Revolution. It was made up of Red and Blue, the colors of the City of Paris, and a band of white representing the monarchy. On the white portion of the flag was the emblem of the French Republic. The Revolution of St. Domingue was, in some ways, motivated by the French Revolution and for years, the masses main objective was to secure freedom and better treatment. To them, the French Flag represented the ideals of Liberty and Fraternity. They hoped that those same principles would be applied to them, non-whites. According to Thomas Madiou, a renowned historian of the 19th Century, they also saw in that flag a symbol of blacks, whites and mulattoes living in harmony. Therefore, carrying the French was an expression of their ideals.
As time went on though, a break with France seemed inevitable. To symbolize their resolve, they removed the French arms from the blue white and red flag they were using. As early as February 1803, Petion, leader of the mulattoes and Dessalines had decided to create a unique flag to represent their troops. Thus, starting with the French Flag made up of three blue, white and red bands placed vertically respectively; Dessalines removed the white and created the first unofficial flag with blue and red bands placed vertically. By so doing, he also wanted to impart on the French the message that they had lost that colony forever. To them the blue symbolized the mulattos and the blacks while the red symbolized their blood.
Symbolism of Today’s Haitian Flag
The meaning behind the Haitian Flag is as follows: the red symbolizes the blood and the sacrifices made by the heroes of the Haitian Revolution, and the blue is emblematic of hope and unity. The coat of arms of the Republic, placed in the center on a white square. It is a Palm tree surmounted by the liberty cap. Under the palms is a trophy with the motto: "L'union Fait La Force" (“In Unity We Find Strength”).
For most Haitians, the flag incarnates the spirit of freedom and rebellion against mental and physical slavery.
Flag Day is a major national holiday celebrated with great fanfare on the grounds of the national palace. All government officials worship at the Catholic Church in Archaie and then particioate in a large parade. Flag Day is also observed by Haitians in the Diaspora. In the United States, for example, teenagers give homage to the red and blue in some form for at least a week.
Haiti certainly has many, complex socio-economic challenges. However, the Haitian flag is a daily reminder of the first and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. It was a fight for independence that fueled a widespread movement for freedom throughout Latin American, the Caribbean, and Africa, and served as an inspiration to African-American leaders in the 1900's. The Haitian revolution has challenged the world's concept of supremacy by being the first independent Black nation in the world and the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere.
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