National Flag Day
Monday, August 24, 2026
Every 25 April is National Flag Day in Eswatini. This holiday looks back to the raising of Eswatini’s flag and the lowering of the British flag in 1968, when Eswatini gained its independence. The flag itself, however, was introduced by King Sobhuza II in 1941. In 2027, National Flag Day falls on Sunday 25 April. The holiday will be on Tuesday 25 April in 2028. What is now Eswatini was long the home of native Africans, but it came under the domination of the Boer Republic and then of the British Empire in the 1800’s. An official British protectorate, however, was not declared over Eswatini until the early 1900’s. The independence movement sprang up in the 1960’s and managed to succeed by 1968. The flag of Eswatini is very colourful and very unique. It has two blue stripes, standing for peace, a red stripe, standing for blood shed in the nation’s wars, and two thin yellow stripes, representing this small nation’s rich natural resources. A shield appears in the middle of the flag, representing the protection of Eswatini’s people, while two spears stand for the power of Eswatini’s royal house. The fact that the shield is part black and part white symbolises black and white populations of Eswatini living together in peace. Major Flag Day activities in Eswatini include official flag-raising ceremonies, parades, and patriotic speeches.
History
This holiday looks back to the raising of Eswatini’s flag and the lowering of the British flag in 1968, when Eswatini gained its independence. The independence movement sprang up in the 1960’s and managed to succeed by 1968. It has two blue stripes, standing for peace, a red stripe, standing for blood shed in the nation’s wars, and two thin yellow stripes, representing this small nation’s rich natural resources
How It's Celebrated
This holiday looks back to the raising of Eswatini’s flag and the lowering of the British flag in 1968, when Eswatini gained its independence. The holiday will be on Tuesday 25 April in 2028. What is now Eswatini was long the home of native Africans, but it came under the domination of the Boer Repu