Flag of Acadia

The flag of Acadia was adopted on August 15, 1884, at the Acadian National Convention Miscouche (Prince Edward Island) by the Acadian people of Canada. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Motto: Parva Sub Ingenti (The small under the protection of the great) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Charlottetown Largest city Charlottetown Lieutenant-Governor J. Léonce Bernard Premier Pat Binns (PC) Area 5,660 km² (13th) • Land 5,660 km² • Water 0 km² (0%) Population (2004) â... The Acadians (French: Acadiens) are the original French settlers of parts of the northeastern region of North America comprising what is now the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. ...

The Acadians are French-speaking people who live in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The northern region of New Brunswick is now commonly called Acadia. Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Area 72 908 km² (11th) • Land 71 450 km² • Water 1 458 km² (2. ... | TotalArea = 55,283 | LandArea = 53,338 | WaterArea = 1,946 | PercentWater = 3. ... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ...

It was designed by Father Marcel-Francois Richard, a priest from Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick. The Musée acadien at the Université de Moncton has the original flag presented by Father Richard to the 1884 Convention. It was sewn by Marie Babineau.

According to Perry Biddiscombe,

The Tricolour represents the Motherland of the Acadians. The yellow star, the Stella Maris, is the symbol of Mary, Acadian national symbol and patron of the mariners. It is set on the blue stripe, because blue is the colour of Mary. The yellow colour of the star represents the Papacy. ¹

Father Richard selected the French flag as the basis of the Acadian one to underline the adherence of the Acadians to the French civilization: "I wish that Acadia has a flag reminding not only that its children are French, but also that they are Acadians".

Father Richard saw the star in the blue band as "the distinctive emblem of our Acadian nationality", representing the star of the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, patron of the Acadians. The star also represented the starfish that guides the sailor "through storms and reefs". ²

The gold colour of the star was chosen by Father Richard because it is the colour of the Pope, in order to show both the adherence of the Acadians to the Roman Catholic Church and the role of the Church in the history of Acadia.

Sources

¹ Perry Biddiscombe: "Le Tricoloure et l'etoile; The Origin of the Acadian National Flag", Acadiensis: Journal of the history of the Atlantic region, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1990, pp. 120-147

² The Cajuns website

External links

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation On-line
• Acadian.org website article about the flag