June 13 marks the anniversary that St. Maarten Flag was ratified by the Island Council.
The national flag of Sint Maarten, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, occupying the southern half of the island of Saint Martin, has its own flag. Officially adopted on June 13, 1985, the flag was designed by Roselle Richardson.
During the month of August in 1983, the island government issued a notice, inviting all residents of Sint Maarten to submit a design for a flag. There were 115 entries submitted. The design by 17-year-old Roselle Richardson was chosen. What an honour!
The design of the flag has all the colours and symbolisms we love. Here is the description:
The flag is a horizontal bi-colour of red and blue with the coat of arms of Sint Maarten on a white chevron.
The red symbolizes solidarity and courage; this is what the island people identify with.
The white symbolizes purity and faith, peace and friendliness – towards each other as well as our visitors.
The blue symbolizes the environment, the land, beaches, seas and skies, which we should all be instrumental in looking after.
The Coat of Arms consists of an orange-bordered azure shield prominently displaying the white Court House in Philipsburg, as well as a bouquet of yellow sage (the national flower) in the upper left, and the silhouette of a Dutch-French friendship monument in the upper right; the shield is surmounted by a gold rising sun in front of which is a dull grey pelican in flight; a gold scroll below the shield bears the motto: SEMPER PRO GREDIENS (Always Progressing) in letters of blue.
Flag Day used to a Day of Observance. Residents and the general public were encouraged to stand still and carefully watch and examine with special attention the symbol that exemplifies the highest sense of patriotism. June 13 is not a public holiday, so most people do not acknowledge this day as a special day.
The first time the new St. Maarten flag was hoisted was on November 11, 1985. This is the day everyone celebrates the flag – St. Maarten Day. The merging of St. Maarten Day and Flag Day annually has made everyone aware with a sense and spirit of patriotism.
Today, we should all think about the meaning of this flag. It is after all the flag of all who live on the island. We should take the meaning of the symbols into our hearts and minds.
Children and teens, this island is our island, and one we will all be living on long after the adults have moved on. It is our duty to see that the island is clean for us to live on for many years to come. There are many things we can do to respect our flag. We may need to remind some adults of the following:
We need to be respectful to one another; look out for our neighbours as well as strangers; allow people to pass safely on the roads; don’t overtake one car to rush ahead and then find that you will sit in traffic anyway; don’t blow the horn impatiently; be respectful of cyclists and pedestrians.
Do not fight with anyone by fist, word or letter.
Do not fight over property; respect that what belongs to the other person does not belong to you.
Do not fight over friendship or love with fist or tongue; respect is gained not won.
We need to be both considerate and polite to others, smile or greet them respectfully; say please and thank you. Do not say “I want” – say “May I have?”
We need to be respectful to our land and seas:
No more throwing garbage out the windows or on the ground.
No more leaving piles of dirty picnic stuff like plastic plates and empty bottles all over the place.
Say NO to one-time use of plastic sacs and take a big fabric bag from home to carry shopping in.
Clean up our yards and gardens by taking garbage to the dumpster; don’t just throw it into the road!
How do we show full respect to our flag?
It is hard work, but being clean, kind and considerate to the island and to other people’s lifestyle, you will find that fun, laughter, love and respect will be enjoyed by you and those around you.
Happy Flag Day!
