 | What is the design of the Louisiana state flag? |
| | | The design is a field of azure containing an image of the Seal of Louisiana |
| What does the image on the seal symbolize? |
| | | The image on the seal depicts a pelican feeding her nest of three chicks. Beneath the picture of the pelican is the state motto of "Union, justice, and confidence" |
| What does the pelican symbolize? |
| | | According to the ancient laws of heraldry a pelican is a symbol of piety and virtue associated with the Holy Eucharist, also called Holy Communion |
| | | In heraldry, as in the Louisiana flag, a pelican does not have the large pouched beak of the natural bird |
| | | As a Christian symbol the pelican also represents charity and self-sacrifice because it was believed that in times when food was scarce, the noble Pelican would feed its young by piercing it’s own flesh and taking blood from itself to feed it’s chicks. The term used to describe this action is ‘vulning’ |
| | | The pelican is therefore depicted ‘vulning’ with three drops of blood on her chest |
| What are the colors and what do the colors mean, or symbolize, in heraldry? |
| | | The color blue symbolizes vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice |
| | | The color white is a symbol of peace and honesty |
| What is the shape and flag ratio? The 'Hoist' is the width and the 'Fly' is the length. |
| | | The ratio is 2:3 meaning it is 2 units tall for every 3 units wide. |
| What is the history of the Louisiana State Flag? |
| | | Many different flags flew over the state: |
| | | 1519: The coat of arms of the explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda |
| | | 1542: The Spanish Flag of Leone & Castile as flown by explorer Hernando de Soto |
| | | 1682: The French Fleur-de-Lis introduced by explorer Sieur de La Salle |
| | | 1763: The British Union Jack when by the Peace of Paris Great Britain acquired its Louisiana territory from France |
| | | 1769 Spanish Governor Alejandro O'Reilly finally established firm control of Louisiana for Spain which then flew the Bourbon Spanish flag. |
| | | 1803: The French Tri-Color was briefly flown when Spain officially returned the Louisiana territory to France |
| | | 1803: U.S. Flag of 15 Stars "The Star Spangled Banner" when the US purchased the territory of Louisiana from Napoleon |
| | | 1810: West Florida Lone Star adopted by American citizens in the area of present day Louisiana known as the Florida Parishes. |
| | | 1812: Louisiana formally became the 18th state to join the union. |
| | | 1861: Independent Louisiana after seceding from the Union and before joining the Confederacy, Louisiana flew the flag of an independent nation for 2 months. |
| | | 1864: Confederate Flag |
| | | 1912: The Louisiana Flag was adopted by the Legislature and modified in 2006 |
| When was the Louisiana State Flag officially adopted by the state's legislature? (Most US flags were designed in 19th & 20th centuries) |
| | | The modified version was officially adopted May 7, 2006 |
| What is the Pledge of Allegiance and Salute? |
| | | The Pledge of Allegiance is as follows: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the state of Louisiana and to the motto for which it stands: A state, under God, united in purpose and ideals, confident that justice shall prevail
for all of those abiding here."
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| | | The salute should be made by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. |
| The Louisiana state flag is kept and used as required by the code specified in the constitution of the state. |
