It's one of the quietest signals in public life. You glance at the courthouse, the school, or the post office, and the flag isn't at the top of the pole. It hangs lower, and without a word, you know something sad has happened. But why lower a flag at all?
Here's the short answer. Flying a flag below the top of the pole is a long-standing symbol of respect and mourning. The tradition began in the 17th century. According to some sources, the flag is lowered to make room for an "invisible flag of death" flying above it. In the U.S., the president can order flags to half-staff to honor important figures and mark national tragedies.
Half-Mast or Half-Staff?
You'll hear both terms, and there's a difference. In American usage, half-staff is the official term on land. Under U.S. law and military tradition, half-mast is reserved for ships and naval stations, where flags fly from masts. Many other countries simply say half-mast for both.
Despite the name, the flag doesn't have to sit exactly halfway down. It's often recommended to lower it by about the width of the flag itself.
The Proper Way to Do It
There's a little ritual involved. When raising a flag to half-staff, you first hoist it all the way to the top of the pole for an instant, then lower it to the half-staff position. At the end of the day, you raise it to the top again for a moment before bringing it all the way down.
When Americans Lower the Flag
The U.S. Flag Code and presidential proclamations set out the occasions. The flag flies at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a current or former president, and for ten days after the death of a sitting vice president, chief justice, or speaker of the House. For a member of Congress, it's the day of death and the day after.
There are set dates, too. On Memorial Day, the flag flies at half-staff until noon. It's also lowered on Patriot Day, the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7. Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15 is another.
When a half-staff order is issued, state and city flags come down too, because they shouldn't fly higher than the U.S. flag. Governors can also issue their own half-staff orders.
Flags That Never Come Down
Some flags are never flown at half-mast. The Royal Standard, the British monarch's flag, stays at full height because there is always a sovereign on the throne. It once flew at half-mast for a few hours after the death of King Edward VII, until George V spotted the mistake.
That custom caused a stir in 1997, when no flag flew at half-mast over Buckingham Palace after Princess Diana died. Queen Elizabeth II broke with protocol and had the Union Flag flown at half-mast on the day of the funeral. Since then, the Union Flag has flown at the palace when the monarch isn't in residence.
The flag of Saudi Arabia is never lowered either, because it carries a declaration of faith, and a few other flags with religious text follow the same rule.
So the next time you see a flag hanging low, take a quiet moment. Whatever its exact origins, the message is clear and shared by people around the world: someone is being remembered.
