Flag of Cuba

The flag of Cuba was adopted on May 20, 1902 and consists of five alternating stripes of blue and white, starting and ending with a blue one. At the hoist is a red triangle with a white five-pointed star in the center.

Meaning of the flag of Cuba

• The blue stripes represent the different military departments into which the Spanish colony of Cuba was divided;
• white stripes symbolize the purity of the people;
• red color symbolizes the blood shed for the country's independence and liberation;
• the triangle is a symbol of Christian Divine Providence. It is also associated with freedom, equality and brotherhood, as well as perfect harmony;
• the star has a Masonic interpretation. Each of the five points stands for one of the elements of the Masonic institution, such as beauty, virtue, strength, mercy, and wisdom.

History of the Cuban flag

Cuba has had only one national flag throughout its history, but there were many attempts to create flags before independence. Even after the transformation of Cuba into a socialist state, the flag did not undergo any changes that would indicate communist symbolism. From 1535, Cuba belonged to the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and its flag, the Burgundy Cross, was used even after the support of the House of Austria, introduced in 1777 by the Cuban Captaincy.

In 1810, the lawyer Joaquín Infante proposed a flag for Cuba consisting of three horizontal stripes of equal size - green, blue and white. In 1823, the flag of Bolivarian Cuba was used, which looked like a red rectangle on a blue background with a yellow sun in the center. From the beginning of the 19th century, Cuba was perceived as a potential addition to the United States, and the Cuban Rose conspiracy of 1847-1848 by Spanish-Venezuelan military officer Narcisco Lopez proposed the forcible annexation of Cuba to the United States. There were three variants of the flag design, and the final version was based on blue and white stripes with a red sun.

The Ten Years' War was the longest-running Cuban conflict for independence, and it began in 1868 under the leadership of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. The flag at that time consisted of a blue lower stripe and a red and white upper part with a white five-pointed star on the red half.

After ten years of war for independence, Cuba surrendered for peace, but the struggle continued to unfold. In 1895, an uprising led by José Martí began, aimed at gaining independence. The United States intervened in the conflict and, after the war with Spain, seized Cuba and other colonies. Although Cuba gained its independence in 1902, it remained under US influence.