Official mourning in Spain: the flag on days of grief

Official mourning is the way the State, an autonomous community or a local council expresses grief over a disaster or a death. In Spain there are no fixed days of mourning in the calendar: each period of mourning is declared expressly, with its own duration, and its most visible sign is the flag at half-mast on public buildings. This guide covers how mourning is declared, what recent royal decrees say and how it shows on the flag.

How it is declared

Nationwide official mourning is declared by royal decree, on the proposal of the Prime Minister, and published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), often the day after the event. Recent texts consist of a single article that sets the start and end of the mourning and provides that during that time the national flag will fly at half-mast on all public buildings and Navy ships.

Recent examples

The reasons range from disasters and accidents in Spain to the deaths of public figures, including foreign ones, such as a pope or a former President of the European Commission.

Outdoors and indoors

Royal Decree 538/2020 was more detailed than others: the national flag flew at half-mast outdoors and with a crêpe ribbon on the finial of the staff indoors. The finial (moharra) is the metal tip of the staff; the crêpe is a black ribbon or bow. That is how mourning is marked on the flags of offices and assembly halls, which cannot be lowered.

Regional and municipal mourning

The autonomous communities, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the local councils also declare their own mourning, under their own rules. Article 3.2 of the Regulation on Military Honours provides that military units act in those cases as in national mourning, within the remit of the administration that declares it. Municipal mourning thus affects the town hall and the other public buildings of the municipality.

Mourning in the Armed Forces

The Regulation on Military Honours (Royal Decree 684/2010) contains the rules for military mourning:

• During national mourning no honours are rendered except funeral honours, and the flag stays at half-mast day and night (article 3.2).
• On days of official mourning, the flags of the units taking part in official ceremonies carry a black ribbon (article 39.3).
• For service members killed on duty, flags fly at half-mast for two days in the units they belonged to (article 40.3).
• On the death of the King or the heir to the Crown, flags and standards carry a black ribbon and the flag is flown at half-mast in the units as soon as the news becomes official; the extent of the mourning is set by rules issued by the Government (articles 42 and 43).

Private individuals and businesses

Royal decrees on mourning are addressed to public buildings and Navy ships. Private individuals, businesses and owners’ associations are not obliged to lower their flags, but may join in voluntarily. The guide to half-mast explains what “half-mast” means and how it combines with other flags.