Flag and University Day is a significant holiday celebrated in Haiti on May 18th every year. Also known as 'Haitian Flag Day', it is a day where Haitians honor and take pride in their national flag, a symbol of independence and freedom. The holiday also celebrates the country's education and its universities, acknowledging the importance of education in nation-building.
On this day, Haitians from across the globe gather together to mark their shared heritage and reflect upon the values of freedom, courage, and resilience that their national flag represents. Festive ceremonies take place in schools, universities, and government buildings. Flag-raising ceremonies, parades, cultural performances, and patriotic speeches are central to these celebrations. These are often accompanied by people sporting clothing bearing the flag’s colors - blue and red.
But Flag and University Day extends beyond honoring the national flag. This holiday also commemorates the country's higher institutions of learning, acknowledging the critical role universities have in shaping the nation's future through knowledge and innovation. Many educational institutions organize special events to commemorate this day, including academic seminars, symposiums and sporting events, thereby fostering unity and pride among the student community and general public.