Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th in the United States, commemorating the adoption of our flag in 1777 on that day, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. This date is also significant to the US Army; it is the day that Congress adopted “the American continental army” in 1775.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday – it is at the President’s discretion to officially proclaim the observance. Some states have taken it a upon themselves to declare the date a state holiday. Fairfield, Washington, has possible the oldest continually running Flag Day Parade beginning in 1909 or 1910. Parades are also held in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and New York.
Flag Days are not exclusive to the US, and are celebrated in many countries around the world. In the UK and Ireland, “Flag Day” refers to when a charity raises funds by collecting in the street and door-to-door, donors being given a small flag or badge to wear showing that they have supported the charity. In India, the term refers to when armed forces raise funds by collecting donations nationally, as a sign of solidarity among the general public towards the welfare of the personnel, and in return, distributing token flags.
