Every Day Should Be A Holiday?

When the ridiculously-named Courtney Taylor-Taylor sang (as lead singer of the Dandy Warhols) that every day should be a holiday, he probably didn’t realize that his wish could so easily be fulfilled.

Simply come to Argentina, where every day really is a holiday. Of sorts.

OK, so I’m exaggerating somewhat, but there are so many national holidays and assorted celebratory days here, that it’s not far from the truth. In Argentina, it seems, every dog has his day, or feriado. From conventional days like Love Day (Dia del Amor, 14th November) and National Tango Day (Dia Nacional del Tango, 11th December), to wild and wacky ones like Train Tracks day (Dia del Riel, 18th July) and Day of the Noodle Maker (Dia del Obrero Fideero, 22nd May), they’re all here.

Hell, I’ve even heard that there is a National Day of the Mullet in the works. [Note: I was talking to myself at the time]

Yes, it’s “National Flag of Argentina Day”

ARGENTINE PIGEONS ARE FIERCELY PATRIOTIC

Still, today is a real holiday, and the streets are deadly quiet, as per most national holidays here. We all have the day off for Dia de la Bandera (National Flag Day, in Argentina), which is officially on the 20th June, but always gets put on the third Monday of June, so that we get to enjoy a long weekend. Read on to learn a little more about the Argentine National Flag.

Manuel Belgrano, Creator of the National Flag of Argentina

MANUEL BELGRANO’S STATUE AND FLAG IN PLAZA DE MAYO, BUENOS AIRES

Manuel Belgrano. I like the bloke. He is close to my heart, because you can find him on the Argentine 10 peso note, and I like money. So obviously I slightly prefer both Juan Manuel de Rosas and Julio Argentino Roca, despite their brutal tendencies, them being on the 20 peso and 100 peso notes respectively.

Anyway, Belgrano was, as we sometimes say here in Buenos Aires, a Don.

No, that doesn’t mean he was a onetime supporter of the now sadly defunct Wimbledon F.C. (shock English FA Cup Winners in 1988, thanks to a great Lawrie Sanchez header, and a Dave Beasant penalty save – the first ever English cup final penalty save at that. OK, sorry for the ’soccer’ aside, I’m a little obsessed).

Instead, I mean Don, as in an all round good chap, because Belgrano was indeed a man of many talents – national flag designing was just the tip of the iceberg.

For a start, his full name was Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano, and my full respect has to go out to any man that gets through life with a mouthful of a name like that hanging over him. But not only that, Buenos Aires born Belgrano was a successful lawyer, politician, economist and military leader.

Belgrano and the Dia de la Bandera de Argentina

Most importantly of all, Belgrano was a commander in the Argentine Wars of Independence, making himself a national hero in the process. It was during this time, in 1812, that Belgrano created the national flag of Argentina, for his troops to fight under.

To cut an increasingly long story/blog-post short, Belgrano later died of dropsy on June 20th, 1820, which is why we celebrate the Dia de la Bandera here in Argentina on the anniversary of his death each year. Except of course, that the date is changed slightly to allow for a lazy long weekend.

I’m sure Manuel doesn’t mind about the date change. After all, he has all those lovely 10 peso notes to console himself with…

YOU TOO WOULD LOOK THIS SMUG IF YOU WERE ON THE TEN PESO NOTE

Pablo at D for Disorientation also has a couple of great posts on Flag Day too, from the perspective of a Rosarino (Rosario being where Belgrano first hoisted his newly designed flag back in 1812).