Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has called on the UAE people and government entities to raise the nation’s flag on November 1 at 11am.
On his twitter page, Shaikh Mohammad tweeted: “Dear brothers and sisters, the UAE will soon celebrate the Flag Day. Our flag is a symbol for our unity and pride. I call on the people of the UAE and government entities to raise the nation’s flag on November 1 at 11am.”
The UAE Flag Day is an annual occasion which falls on November 3, in conjunction with the anniversary of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s assumption of office as the leader of the country.
الإخوة والأخوات..تحتفل دولتنا بيوم العلم قريبا..رمز سيادتنا ووحدتنا..فخر مسيرتنا..ورايتنا التي ستعانق الفضاء..ندعو مواطنينا ومؤسساتنا ووزاراتنا لرفعه موحدا في الأول من نوفمبر الحادية عشر صباحا في وقت واحد..معبرين عن مصير واحد..وبيت واحد..وانتماء لا يزيده الزمن الا ثباتاً ورسوخا.. pic.twitter.com/14Gqwy51Zr
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 20, 2018
It is marked with the flag being hoisted across all government departments and buildings across the emirates.
Government departments, organisations, private sector companies, schools, colleges and individuals will join in celebrating the UAE’s Flag Day with a plethora of activities in which Emiratis and residents come together to signify their shared love of the country.
The UAE flag can be placed on light-posts during national holidays. The flag should be hung horizontally with the red part on top. It is forbidden for any other flag to be hung on the same street.
As for The UAE Presidential Flag, with the presidential emblem at its centre, it should not be used or hoisted under any circumstances on the outside or inside of federal buildings. This is because the flag represents the president, and he is the only person authorised to raise it.
Flag raising rules
According to the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, the UAE flag law states: “Any person who publicly drops, damages or in any way insults the Union flag, the flag of any member emirate in the Union on the flag of any other country as a result of disgust or contempt of the powers of the Union, the emirates or the relevant countries, shall be punished by prison for a period of no more than six months and a fine of no more than Dh1,000.”
While the UAE’s flag is made up of the traditional pan-Arab colours, what those colours represent is important in a special way to Emiratis.
Red: Red represents hardiness, bravery, strength and courage. The vertical red band can also be interpreted as binding all the other meanings together in unity.
Green: Green represents hope, joy, optimism and love. It can also symbolise the country’s prosperity.
White: White represents peace and honesty while also symbolising the generosity and humanitarian works carried out in the UAE. White is the purest colour, and is interpreted by some to symbolise cleanliness.
Black: Contrary to popular belief, the black band does not represent oil. It stands for the defeat of enemies, and also strength of mind.
