Two days ago, <\/span>September 7th<\/b>, was a national <\/span>feriado<\/span><\/i> (holiday) meant to celebrate Brazil\u2019s <\/span>dia da independ\u00eancia<\/span><\/i> (independence day). Our <\/span>pa\u00eds <\/span><\/i>(country) was declared<\/span> livre<\/span><\/i> (free) from our former colonizer Portugal by prince Pedro the first on that date in 1822. On this patriotic note, today\u2019s post will discuss the <\/span>Brazilian flag<\/b>, a symbol that represents our nation. <\/span><\/p>\n Palavras-chave | keywords: <\/span>bandeira<\/span><\/i> (flag), na\u00e7\u00e3o (nation), country (pa\u00eds), cor<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout history, Brazil has had doze (12) different flags before the current one, established in 1889, was adopted. Its<\/span> cores<\/span><\/i> (colors), <\/span>formas<\/span><\/i> (shapes) and <\/span>projeto<\/span><\/i> (design), though simple at first sight, can be a lot more intricate and complex than meets the eye! It was created by four individuals: a positivist professor, Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, Miguel Lemos (also a positivist), the astronomer Manuel Pereira Reis e and the pintor (painter) D\u00e9cio Vilares. But what does our flag mean? Here is some information that might be helpful:<\/span><\/p>\n The Brazilian flag<\/p><\/div>\n The Brazilian flag consists of a green background with a large horizontal yellow diamond and a star studded blue circle inside, across which there is a band that reads our national motto: \u201cOrdem e Progresso\u201d. The positions in which the <\/span>estrelas <\/span><\/i>(stars) are disposed \u00a0are supposed to reflect the Rio de Janeiro sky (the country\u2019s capital at the time) on the day of <\/span>Proclama\u00e7\u00e3o da Rep\u00fablica<\/span><\/i> (Proclamation of the Republic). The stars stand for our<\/span> vinte e seis<\/span><\/i> (26) states and the federal district, Bras\u00edlia. There is one single star above the white band which symbolizes the <\/span>estado<\/span><\/i> (state) of Par\u00e1, whose largest part of territory lies in the northern hemisphere.<\/span><\/p>\n It is said that the colors of the flag used to represent the royal families in Brazil, but this interpretation has been replaced by one that focuses more on our natural resources:<\/span><\/p>\n Verde – Green:<\/b> it depicts the Brazilian <\/span>matas<\/span><\/i> (woods) and florestas (forests), the greenery of the Amazon rainforest or the atlantic jungle, any of our vast and gorgeous tropical <\/span>paisagens<\/span><\/i> (landscapes).<\/span><\/p>\n Amarelo – Yellow: <\/b>it shows the mineral riches of our soil, since <\/span>ouro<\/span><\/i> (gold) has been one of the primary natural resources found in our <\/span>terras<\/span><\/i> (lands). <\/span><\/p>\n Azul – Blue: <\/b>it portrays the Brazilian <\/span>c\u00e9u<\/span><\/i> (sky), but it is also said to represent the many<\/span> rios<\/span><\/i> (rivers) that run through our territory. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Branco – White:<\/strong> the white band and stars are commonly believed to be a symbol of paz<\/em> (peace).<\/span><\/p>\n The phrase <\/span>Ordem e Progresso<\/span><\/i> (Order and Progress) inscribed at our flag was influeced by the French philosopher Augusto Comte, founder of positivist thinking, a very popular movement at the time. It was based upon his saying: “O Amor por princ\u00edpio e a Ordem por base; o Progresso por fim\u201d <\/span>(Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal). <\/span><\/p>\n If you want to learn more about the history of our independence and other events that led up to it, you can check out these previous posts:<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/september-7th-brazils-independence-day\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/o-grito-do-ipiranga-brazils-independence-day\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/brazilian-independence-day\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2017\/09\/bandeira-nacional-350x245.jpg\")
O projeto – The design<\/b><\/h3>\n
As cores – The colors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
O lema – The motto<\/b><\/h3>\n