The flag at half-mast in Poland

In Poland a flag lowered to half-mast is a sign of national mourning. The law links it directly to the mourning declared by the President of the Republic of Poland. How the flag is lowered, what happens to other flags and how the black mourning ribbon is used are described in the guidance of the National Security Bureau in the booklet “Duma i szacunek”. This guide summarises the rules and the guidance. National mourning itself is described in the guide to flags in mourning.

What the Act says

Article 11 of the Act on the emblem, colours and anthem, in the wording given in 2005, provides:

• the President of the Republic of Poland may, by regulation, declare national mourning in the territory of the Republic of Poland; the regulation sets out in particular the reasons for and the duration of the mourning (paragraph 1);
• during national mourning, the state flag is lowered to half-mast (paragraph 2).

The President's regulations usually name the buildings of the seats of the supreme state authorities, other state bodies and units, and local government bodies and municipal units, adding that the flag is lowered “in particular” on them. Residents and businesses with a flag on a flagpole often lower it during this time too.

How the flag is lowered

According to the Bureau's guidance:

• a flag that was not already on the pole is first raised to the top and then slowly lowered to half-mast;
• when the mourning ends, the flag is raised to the top again and only then slowly lowered and taken down;
• outside national mourning, a flag on a flagpole flies at the very top.

“Half-mast” is not defined in centimetres in the rules. In practice it means a position clearly lower than the top, so that the lowering is visible. On a low pole with a large flag, the lowered flag can come close to the ground, which matters when choosing its size. The mechanics of a flagpole are described in the guide to flagpole mechanics.

Other flags during mourning

According to the Bureau, when the flag of the Republic of Poland flies together with the flags of other states or flags of other kinds, the other flags are taken down for the duration of the mourning. When the mourning ends, the state flag is raised to the top first, and then the flags taken down earlier are hoisted again. This also applies to the flag of the European Union and to the flags of voivodeships, districts and municipalities. The order of flags is described in the guide to flag protocol.

The kir

Not every flag hangs on a flagpole. A flag on a staff, for example in a bracket by the entrance, cannot be lowered to half-mast. According to the Bureau, flags on staffs are tied at the top with a kir as a sign of mourning – a black ribbon about as long as the flag is high. Flags on flagpoles are not tied with a kir, because lowering them to half-mast is the sign of mourning.

Mourning outside national mourning

According to the Bureau, the state flag is not lowered to half-mast outside national mourning. The guidance provides two exceptions:

• Military units and other uniformed services can lower the flag as a sign of mourning for a soldier or officer who died on duty.
• Other institutions can display a black flag instead of the state flag as a sign of mourning.

In practice, a voivode, district head, city mayor or municipal head sometimes declares mourning in their area, for example after a disaster. The Act on the emblem, colours and anthem makes no provision for such mourning, so its rules follow from the announcement of the body concerned.

Funerals with the flag

At an official funeral ceremony, according to the Bureau, the state flag is placed on the coffin so that the white is over the heart of the deceased. Before the coffin is lowered into the grave, the flag is folded and customarily handed to the closest relatives.