Half-mast


Half-mast or half-staff is the placement of a flag below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salute.
The tradition of flying the flag at half-mast began in the 17th century. According to some sources, the flag is lowered to make room for an "invisible flag of death" flying above. However, there is disagreement about where on a flagpole a flag should be when it is at half-mast. It is often recommended that a flag at half-mast be lowered only as much as the hoist, or width, of the flag. British flag protocol is that a flag should be flown no less than two-thirds of the way up the flagpole, with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the pole. It is common for the phrase to be taken literally and for a flag to be flown only halfway up a flagpole, although some authorities deprecate that practice.
When hoisting a flag that is to be displayed at half-mast, it should be raised to the finial of the pole for an instant, then lowered to half-mast. Likewise, when the flag is lowered at the end of the day, it should be hoisted to the finial for an instant, and then lowered.

Half-mast in countries, regions and institutions

Australia

The flag of Australia is flown half-mast in Australia:
  • On the death of the sovereign – from the time of announcement of the death up to and including the funeral. On the day the accession of the new sovereign is proclaimed, it is customary to raise the flag to the peak from 11a.m.;
  • On the death of a member of a royal family;
  • On the death of the governor-general or a former governor-general;
  • On the death of the head of state of another country with which Australia has diplomatic relations – the flag would be flown on the day of the funeral;
  • On ANZAC day the flag is flown half-mast until noon;
  • On Remembrance Day flags are flown at peak until 10:30am, at half-mast from 10:30am to 11:03am, then at peak the remainder of the day;
  • On the death of a distinguished Australian citizen. Flags in any locality may be flown at half-mast on the death of a notable local citizen or on the day, or part of the day, of their funeral. Recent examples include the death of naturalist Steve Irwin, actor Heath Ledger, esteemed international opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland, and former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. In the case of cricketer Phillip Hughes, who died after being struck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield cricket match, the Australian flag was flown at half-mast at Cricket NSW headquarters on 27 November 2014 – the day of his death, as well as on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
  • At times of natural disaster such as bushfires or tragedy. For example, in the days immediately following the Black Saturday bushfires, many flags of all types were flown at half-mast in spontaneous acknowledgement of the enormous loss of life; the then prime minister announced that the Australian flag would be flown at half-mast on 7 February, in remembrance of the victims. On 19 July 2014, the Australian flag flew half-mast across the country in tribute to the lives lost in the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 incident. On 16 December 2014, flags on all NSW government buildings, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, flew at half-mast after the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis.
  • On the death of international political friends to the country. Recent examples include President of Vanuatu Baldwin Lonsdale or former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
In Australia and other Commonwealth countries, merchant ships "dip" their ensigns to half-mast when passing an RAN vessel or a ship from the navy of any allied country.

Bangladesh

The flag of Bangladesh flew at half-mast on the International Mother Language Day 21 February, to pay homage to the martyrs of the Bengali language movement in 1952, which took place to establish Bangla as the state language of the then East Pakistan.

Brazil and Sri Lanka

The flag of Brazil is flown half-mast when national mourning is declared by the president. This usually happens when a personality dies, or in the occasion of a tragedy.
Similarly, the flag of Sri Lanka is nationally flown at half-mast on a national day of mourning.

Cambodia

The flag of Cambodia flew at half mast upon the death of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk for seven days, from 15 to 22 October 2012.

Canada

The term half-mast is the official term used in Canada, according to the Rules For Half-Masting the National Flag of Canada. The decision to fly the flag at half-mast on federal buildings rests with the Department of Canadian Heritage. Federally, the national flag of Canada is flown at half-mast to mark the following occasions:
Occasion or dateProtocol or significance
The death of the sovereignFrom the time of notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or memorial service, but the flag is flown at full-mast on the day which the accession of the new monarch is proclaimed
The death of any member of the royal family, a former governor general, the sitting chief justice of the Supreme Court, sitting ministers of the Crown, or a former prime ministerFrom the time of notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or, if there is to be a memorial service, from the time of notification of death until sunset the following day and from sunrise to sunset on the day of the service
The death of a police officer in the line of duty.The flag could be flown at half-mast from a couple of days to weeks, depending on the ranking of the officer.
28 April of each yearMarking the Day of Mourning for People Killed or Injured in the Workplace
23 June of each yearMarking the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism
Last Sunday in September of each yearMarking Police Officer's National Memorial Day
8 November of each yearMarking National Aboriginal Veterans Day
11 November of each yearMarking Remembrance Day
6 December of each yearMarking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Certain events are also marked by flying the national flag at half-mast on the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill. These include:
DateSignificance
9 April of each yearMarking Vimy Ridge Day
VariesThe annual memorial service on Parliament Hill to remember deceased parliamentarians

File:Half Masted Bagotville.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The flag of Canada, the flag of Québec, and the flag of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets are half-masted on board Bagotville Cadet Summer Training Centre, following the train derailment and explosion in Lac Mégantic, Québec.
On occasion discretion can dictate the flying of the national flag at half-mast, not only on the Peace Tower, but on all federal facilities. Some examples include 11 September 2001, 11 September 2002, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Mayerthorpe tragedy, the death of Pope John Paul II, the 2005 London bombings, the death of Smokey Smith, the state funerals of former U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, the death of Jack Layton, the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks, and the 2022 Saskatchewan stabbings.
There are, however, exceptions to the rules of half-masting in Canada: if Victoria Day or Canada Day fall during a period of half-masting, the flags are to be returned to full-mast for the duration of the day. The national flag on the Peace Tower is also hoisted to full mast if a foreign head of state or head of government is visiting the parliament. These exemptions, though, do not apply to the period of mourning for the death of a Canadian monarch. The Royal Standard of Canada also never flies at half-mast, as it is considered representative of the sovereign, who ascends to the throne automatically upon the death of their predecessor. Each province can make its own determination of when to fly the flag at half-mast when provincial leaders or honoured citizens pass away.
To raise a flag in this position, the flag must be flown to the top of the pole first, then brought down halfway before the flag is secured for flying. When such mourning occurs, all flags should be flown at that position or not be flown at all, with the exception of flags permanently attached to poles.
File:Joseph Shepard Federal Building.jpg|thumb|The flag of Canada at half-mast outside the Joseph Shepard Building in Toronto, following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 2021
A controversy surfaced in April 2006, when the newly elected Conservative government discontinued the practice, initiated by the previous Liberal government following the Tarnak Farm incident, of flying the flag at half-mast on all government buildings whenever a Canadian soldier was killed in action in Afghanistan. The issue divided veterans' groups and military families, some of whom supported the return to the original tradition of using Remembrance Day to honour all soldiers killed in action, while others felt it was an appropriate way to honour the fallen and to remind the population of the costs of war. In spite of the federal government's policy, local authorities have often decided to fly the flag at half-mast to honour fallen soldiers who were from their jurisdiction, including Toronto and Saskatchewan.

China

The National Flag Law provides for a number of situations on which the flag should be flown at half-mast, and authorizes the State Council to make such executive orders: