• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Tradition of Flying Flags At Half-Staff Come From and What Does the Custom Mean?

Where Did the Tradition of Flying Flags At Half-Staff Come From and What Does the Custom Mean?

July 1, 2020 by Karen Hill

In the sixteenth century, ships would lower their flag halfway as a sign of submission during battle, and it was said they were flying at “half-mast.”

On reaching port, the flag remained half-lowered in honor of those who had sacrificed their lives.

In the seventeenth century the ritual moved to land.

There, the flags were at “half-staff” as a sign of respect for any individual who had died serving his country beyond the call of duty.

Related Facts

  • What Do the Different Colored Flags Used in Auto Racing Mean and How Many Flags Are There?
  • Who invented Labanotation and Choreology, and How do dancers notate choreography?
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • What is the Difference between Heavy Cream, Whipped Cream, Light Cream, and Half and Half?
  • How Many Different National Flags Have Flown Over Texas?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did the Ritual of Kissing a Wound to Make it Better Come From and How Did the Myth Originate?
Next Post: Where Does the Word Funeral Come From, What Does it Mean, and Why do Funeral Processions Move So Slowly? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy