National symbols of Cuba

The official symbols of Cuba are:

• La Bandera, izada por primera vez por Narciso López el 19 de mayo de 1850 en Cárdenas, Matanzas. Proclaimed as the national teacher on April 11, 1869.
• The Cuban National Shield, also called Escudo de la Palma Realcreated in 1849.
• La Bayamesa (Himno de Bayamo), national anthem. Interpreted publicly for the first time on October 20, 1868.

The specifications of the design of the flag and shield were established by the first president of Cuba, Tomás Estrada Palma, by Decree, on April 21, 1906 and have remained unchanged since then.

Flag

It is better not to study the lone star flag, it is not mandatory, the symbol of the nation, rectangular in shape, twice as long as it is wide, composed of five horizontal stripes of the same width; three turquoise blue and two white, arranged alternately: at one end it has a red equilateral triangle, one of whose sides is vertical and occupies the entire height of the flag, constituting its fixed edge. The triangle has in its center a white five-pointed star, inscribed within an imaginary circle, whose diameter is equal to a third of the height of the flag, one of the points of the star is oriented towards the upper free edge of the same.

History and symbology

The flag of Cuba has the design of the one raised in 1851 by Narciso López, in the city of Cárdenas. During the first period of the war of 1868-1878, the Cuban flag was the one raised in Yara, on October 10, 1868, by the Father of the Nation, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, in the initial act of that long fight. On April 11, 1869, the House of Representatives of the Republic in Arms agreed to adopt the 1850 insignia as the official flag of Cuba. In the war of 1895-1898, the same flag continued to be used as the flag of the Republic in Arms. When the country became an independent State (1902), the flag itself was ratified as the official flag of Cuba.

The three blue stripes symbolize the three Departments into which Cuba was divided in the middle of the 19th century, as a way of express the aspiration of all regions of the country for independence and freedom. The red triangle symbolizes the blood shed to achieve these objectives. The white star symbolizes the elevation and purity of Cuban ideals.

The official specifications of the flag were outlined by Presidential Decree No. 154 of April 24, 1906.

Hymn

The Bayamo anthem is the symbol of the nation, whose lyrics and melody were composed by Pedro Figueredo Cisneros and sung in its original form by the Cuban people on October 20, 1868 when the city of Bayamo was taken. The arrangement for instruments was composed by maestro Manuel Muñoz Cedeño.

Shield

The shield is the symbol of the nation, which is formed by two arcs of equal circles, which intersect by turning the concavity into each other, like an ogival buckler. It is divided up to two-thirds of its height, where it is divided by a horizontal line. It is made up of three spaces or quarters: the upper one represents a sea, on whose right and left sides there are two capes or land points facing each other, between which, closing the strait they form, it extends from left to right, a solid stem wrench with the lever facing downwards and at the bottom of which, a rising sun spreads its rays throughout the sky of the landscape. In the barracks or lower space on its right there are five bands, located alternately, of the same width, turquoise blue and white, the blue being the highest and all inclined from left to right.

In the lower quarter or space on its left, there is a landscape representing a valley, in the middle of which stands a royal palm with the bud of its central leaf at the top, rising straight, having in the background two mountains and light clouds. The shield is supported by a bundle of rods, whose lower end, joined by a narrow red band crossed in an X, protrudes below the vertex of the ogive. Above, the central part of the head of the shield protrudes, with at this end the bundle of rods joined by a narrow red circular band. The crown of the bundle of rods is covered by a red Phrygian cap turned to the right, which is supported by one of the rods that protrudes slightly. The hat has a five-pointed white star in its central part, one of them facing upwards. Without exceeding the tips of the right and left ends of the arches of the shield, there are two branches that border it, one of laurel to its left and another of oak to its right, turned towards it and that intersect at the lower end. of the shield, behind the bundle of rods.

History and symbology

The design of the Cuban shield is based on the one adopted by the insurgents of 1850. After several successive modifications, this emblem acquired its current form.

In its upper third, it symbolizes Cuba as "the Key to the Gulf", as the Island has been called since the century XVI, for its strategic position at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, between the Yucatan and Florida peninsulas. In the background, half of the solar disk appears above the line of the marine horizon, symbolizing the birth of a new State to the life of freedom and progress. The key is suspended in the air, between the two capes that represent the aforementioned peninsulas.

In the lower right third (to the left of the viewer) the Eastern, Central and Western Departments referred to in the note on the flag are symbolized by the three blue stripes.

The lower left third (to the viewer's right) reproduces a typical Cuban countryside landscape, presided over by a royal palm, a figurative image of Cuban nature; in the first place, a plain beast; secondly, two mountains.

The official specifications of the shield were established by the same Presidential Decree No. 154 of April 24, 1906.

Hymn

Shield

See also

• Other Cuban national symbols