November 9 is celebrated as National Flag Day in Azerbaijan.
Sea-news.az recalls that National Flag Day was established pursuant to an Executive Order signed by President Ilham Aliyev on November 17, 2009, titled “On the Establishment of National Flag Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” On December 4 of the same year, the Milli Majlis (Parliament) officially designated November 9 as a public holiday.
The tricolor state flag of Azerbaijan was originally adopted on November 9, 1918, during a session of the Government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
Lowered following the fall of the Republic in April 1920, the tricolor flag was restored 70 years later — on November 17, 1990 — by a decision of the session of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, convened under the initiative and leadership of Heydar Aliyev.
On February 5, 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan formally re-adopted the tricolor as the National Flag of the Republic.
Furthermore, on October 18, 1991, through the Constitutional Act “On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the Republic of Azerbaijan, as the legal successor to the ADR, officially restored its national state symbols, including the National Flag.
On June 8, 2004, the legal framework governing state symbols was enhanced with the enactment of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the Rules for the Use of the State Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
The National Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan consists of three horizontal bands of equal width. The top band is blue, the middle band is red, and the bottom band is green. The blue color represents the Turkic heritage of the Azerbaijani people, the red signifies the commitment to building a modern society and fostering democracy, and the green symbolizes alignment with Islamic civilization. A white crescent and an eight-pointed star are centered within the red band on both sides of the flag.
National Flag Day is included in the list of official non-working public holidays in Azerbaijan.
