Flag Day is commemorated every year in Peru on June 7, on the anniversary of the Battle of Arica.
This tribute to the flag of Peru was established by Supreme Decree of April 30, 1924; Although before, by Supreme Decree of November 8, 1905, the oath of fidelity to the Flag that conscripts had to take in a public and solemn manner had been decreed.
It should be noted that this date is established as a national holiday. In addition, state organizations, as well as public and private schools, carry out the corresponding ceremonies that day; In Lima the main ceremony takes place in front of the monument to the hero Francisco Bolognesi in the square named after him, with the presence of high authorities from the government and the army.
Historical tradition remembers that the Peruvian flag was tenaciously defended by the Peruvian combatants and that at the last moment Colonel Alfonso Ugarte wrapped himself in it and, mounted on horseback, threw himself into the sea from the top of Morro de Arica to prevent it from falling into the hands enemies. It is in memory of all the Peruvians who fell in Arica that Flag Day is celebrated.
Flag Day is, therefore, a date of deep historical and patriotic significance for Peruvians, remembering the sacrifice of those who fought in the Battle of Arica and celebrating the evolution of a national symbol that represents the unity and identity of Peru. .
