Flag of Rumahoki

Delepasian Commonwealth
(1976–1996)
Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	30 September 1976
Relinquished	30 April 1996; 36 years ago

Rumahoki
Use	State flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	30 April 1996
Design	A vertical tricolour of yellow, white, and red, defaced with the imperial coat of arms.
	Variant flag of Rumahoki
Use	Civil flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	1852 (original version); 30 April 1996 (current version)
Design	A vertical tricolour of yellow, white, and red.

The flag of Rumahoki (Latin: Vexillum Rumahociae; Pelaxian: bandera de Rumajoqui; Reform Tainean: Drapau des Roumahauki) is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of yellow, white, and red, with the yellow at the hoist side, defaced with the imperial coat of arms. Its current form has been in use since 30 April 1996 as the national flag of Rumahoki.

The flag has its origins in the brief Delepasian Kingdom back in 1852 when the Pelaxian monarchy was deposed for the final time that same year, and continued to be relevant as one of the many flags associated with Delepasian exceptionalism, with the yellow representing faith, the white representing unity, and the red representing liberty. It was eventually included on the flag of the Delepasian Commonwealth on 21 May 1976, but its current form wouldn't be adopted until after the current constitution was in effect in 1996.

Description

Colours

The colours of the Rumahokian flag are indicated in the Constitution of 1996:

If the flag is hoisted horizontally, the yellow pale should be placed near the auction, with the white pale in a central position, and the red one outside, while if the banner is hoisted vertically the yellow pale should be place above.

Chromatic definition

The colours are precisely defined by the government on the specifications laid out in 1996:

yellow: (Yellow 116), called in the text "yellow-yellow-orange";
white: (Bright White), called in the text "bright white";
red: (Flame Scarlet), called in the text "red scarlet".

Colour scheme	Yellow	White	Red
Pantone	Yellow 116	Bright White	Flame Scarlet
CMYK	0-20-100-0	0-0-0-0	0-79-73-19
HSV	48-100-100	0-0-100	356-79-81
RGB	255-204-0	255-255-255	206-43-55
Hex triplet	#FFCC00	#FFFFFF	#CE2B37

Design

The official guide to protocol in Rumahoki states that the national flags measures 2m (6.6 ft) tall for each 3m (9.8 ft) wide, giving it a ratio 2:3. Each of the pales is one-third of the flag's width.

History

Early flags

Before the establishment of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas in 1497, there was no standard over whether or not a polity within Vallos should use a flag or corresponding banner. Most of the time, the royal banner of a polity's royal family was more than enough to indicate which polity they were from. Some of the more well-known banners used at the time were from the Latin realms due to Caphiria's influence on the subcontinent during the later years of the hegemony period and the subsequent second warring states period. Very few of the original royal banners survived the second warring states period as many of them were destroyed as some of the royal houses were either extinguished or deposed from power. Among the surviving examples during this period of time was the royal banners of the Romany Kingdoms which existed until their destruction in 1751 by the Loa Empire. The royal banners of these kingdoms revolved around the usage of heraldic pillars, the basis for the coat of arms of Navidadia, a land settled by the descendants of the Romany who have intermarried with the Mestizos of the viceroyalty.

Colonial-era flags

With the establishment of the viceroyalty by Mauricio Delepas in 1497, some new banners were introduced to represent Pelaxia's ultimate sovereignty over the area while also representing the viceroyalty in general. Ultimately, two new banners would emerge during this time to represent Los Rumas during the early years of the viceroyalty.

Colonial banner

Banner of Los Rumas, in use from 1497 until 1852

The colonial banner of Los Rumas made use of a new royal banner to represent the Pelaxian monarch's dominion over his side of Vallos. It was a yellow field with four red stripes, which would go on to become the field for the flag of New Isuria, charged with a coat of arms to represent the Pelaxian monarchy in Vallos.

The blazon of the viceregal coat of arms is composed as follows:

Quarterly, first quarter Vert a triple-towered castle Argent masoned Sable and ajoure Gules (for Las Joquis); second quarter Argent a saltire Azure (representing the patron saint of the new viceroyalty, Santiago); third quarter Or, four pallets Gules (for Los Rumas); fourth quarter Vert three roundels Argent (representing the viceroyalty's major export of silver, from which the original Rumian real gets its metallic composition from); enté en point Azure a sun in splendour, without face Or (for the Isurians); overall an escutcheon Azure, a lion rampant Or crowned and bearing an axe Or with blade Or (for the House of De Pardo and subsequent Pelaxian royal houses in Vallos).

The uncharged version of the flag is one of the oldest flags in Vallos still used in the present, often used as a cultural flag for the Delepasians. There are several theories advocating either a purely Isurian or a purely Pelaxian origin for the symbol, a historical debate that still exists to this day.

Cross of Santiago

Another prominent flag that was in use during the colonial era was the Cross of Santiago, which was introduced in 1563 after the consecration of the first cathedral building in the viceroyalty, and was based on the second quarter of the viceregal coat of arms. The flag was the primary symbol of the Catholic Church in Los Rumas. It introduced into Rumian vexillology a design that would become one of the primary viceregal symbols, often being shown alongside the colonial banner. The flag was usually embroidered on white or yellow cloth. This flag was officially used for the viceregal armed forces, but starting in the mid-18th Century the flag become a co-official state and civil flag of the viceroyalty alongside the colonial banner.

Later viceroyalty years

As the years wore on, the colonial banner experienced very little change since its introduction in the late 15th Century asides from the exact shading of the colours used in the banner's main field. Over time, the main field became darker and less vibrant, mostly due to the newer flags copying the designs of worn-out flags. By the end of the 18th Century, the yellow field was no longer a shade of yellow, and the red stripes were becoming closer to black than a red. The coat of arms, on the other hand, remained the same.

In an effort to replace both the colonial banner and the Cross of Santiago flags, a proposal was filed in 1820 specifying a yellow flag with four red bars charged with a blue saltire. Although this flag gained enough popularity to become an unofficial flag of the viceroyalty, the viceregal government refused to budge, claiming that the flag was "too complex and overwhelming". Nonetheless, the proposed 1820 flag would find use as the flag of New Isuria in 1852, a status which it would maintain to this day.

As more and more people of the viceroyalty began to embrace a new Delepasian identity. so too did further cries for a new flag to be adopted. The idea was that the viceroyalty should become its own country under a real union with Pelaxia, and thus there should be a less "colonially-inspired" flag to represent this hopeful change in status. This flag debate continued until after the abolition of the Pelaxian monarchy in 1852, causing the viceroyalty to suddenly become an independent country under the rule of a government-in-exile. Taking advantage of the calls for a Pelaxio-Delepasian dual monarchy, the government of the Delepasian Kingdom replaced the viceregal flags with a tricolour using the exact shading of the last colonial banner.

Post-viceroyalty years

With the collapse of the Delepasian Kingdom happening three months after the abolition of the Pelaxian monarchy, the new Delepasian polities began to create their own flags, many of them using a tricolour. The most notable of these flags was the flag of the Kingdom of Bahia. Because of Bahia's significance in being where Delepas landed on mainland Vallos in 1497, it comes to as no surprise that with the rise of Delepasian exceptionalism in the late 19th Century that the unofficial flag of the Delepasian people would be an uncharged version of the Bahian flag, thus displacing the tricolour of the Delepasian Kingdom.

Another notable flag that came to be associated with Delepasian exceptionalism was the Navidadian tricolour, which had incorporated elements of the Romany kingdoms to represent the Navidadians' descent from the Romany and the desire to reconquer their purported ancestral homeland at the expense of the Loa who lived in the area. This desire for revanchism led to what was known as the Navidadian System, and the laws that enforced it came to be known as the Loa Laws.

Delepasian Commonwealth

The three flags in the centre representing the former Viceroyalty of Los Rumas with the Pelaxian flag on the left, followed by the flag of Navidadia in the middle and the flag of the Delepasian Kingdom on the right. The Pelaxian flag is shown with the hoist on the right.

With the eventual unification of Delepasia becoming an inevitability with the advent of what would become the Pact of Eighteen, there were talks about what the new flag should be. Although it was agreed that the unofficial Delepasian flag would serve as the basis for this new flag, there was considerable debate over what should be the flag's charge. This would lead to an often violent controversy over whether or not the flag of Pelaxia should be included.

After about a month or two of highly intense debates, a compromise was reached that resulted in the adoption of the first flag for the unified Delepasia. and the design would be first hoisted on 30 September 1976. The design made use of the universally popular Bahian flag as the base as agreed upon at the beginning of the flag debate; it consisted of purple, white, and blue horizontal stripes. The charge that was added to the design was the inclusion of three smaller flags centred in the white stripe. The miniature flags were the flag of Pelaxia (mirrored) towards the hoist, the flag of Navidadia hanging vertically in the middle, and the flag of the Delepasian Kingdom towards the fly. The position of each of the miniature flags is such that each has equal status. However, to ensure that the hoist of the Navidadian flag is placed nearest to the upper hoist of the main flag, the Navidadian flag must be reversed. The Pelaxian flag, which is nearest to the hoist and is thus in a more favoured position, is spread horizontally from the Navidadian flag towards the hoist and is thus also reversed. Although placed horizontally furthest from the hoist, to balance the Pelaxian flag, the Delepasian Kingdom tricolour is the only one of the miniature flags which is spread in the same direction as the main flag. This compensates for its otherwise less favourable position. In this arrangement, each of the miniature flags enjoy equal precedence.

The choice of the Bahian flag also had another reason, which was to distance the flag from the colonial banners of the viceroyalty and to further Delepasian exceptionalism by having it as the dominant part of the flag. Following the end of Fernando Pascual's premiership after an accident and the beginning of Nicolas Torres's premiership in 1988, the overall design of the flag remained unchanged save for a change in the exact colours used on the flag despite heavy pressure from hardline Delepasian exceptionalists to replace Pelaxia's flag with the traditional flag of the Isurians.

Since 2022, public display of this flag in Rumahoki is considered hate speech (for being a potential symbol of the Navidadian System and Delepasian exceptionalism) and therefore prohibited, with exceptions for artistic, academic and journalistic purposes, as well as for museums & places of historical interest. To get around this ban, the far-right political party Delepasian Alternative has created a flag replacing the Pelaxian flag with the traditional flag of the Isurians, claiming that it is only a flag proposal for the country should they get into power.

Flag (1976–1988)
Flag (1988–1996)
Delepasian Alternative flag

1996 flag debate

The present flag of Rumahoki was first flown on 30 April 1996, the day when the 1996 constitution came into effect. The flag was the result of a flag debate dating back to 1995 to determine a suitable replacement flag for the increasingly-stigmatised Delepasian flag.

The choice of a new flag was part of the process of dismantling the Estado Social regime and the Navidadian System set in motion when the Velvet Revolution occurred in 1994. When a nationwide public competition was held in 1995, the National Symbols Council received more than 9,000 designs. Fifteen designs were shortlisted and presented to the public and the Constituent Assembly. Six designs were then shortlisted and put to a nationwide referendum which was held on 15 January 1996 with a second referendum held on 15 March that same year for the two finalists. The design chosen was based on the flag of the Delepasian Kingdom albeit with a more vibrant shade of yellow and red. This flag was made the civil flag of Rumahoki, and a version charged with the imperial coat of arms was made the state flag of Rumahoki.

Some of the rejected designs used elements of the colonial-era flags or made use of so-called "compromise designs" which tried to incorporate elements of Rumahoki's four main cultures which often led to cluttered designs. Only two of the "compromise designs" made it to the six-flag shortlist, and neither of them made it to the final referendum.

Protocol

As Rumahoki is a federal state, the flag of Rumahoki and the flags of the states or regions in principle occupy the same rank. Nonetheless, when flags are raised and lowered or carried in a procession, the national flag takes precedence over all the others. The order of precedence is as follows:

The national flag of Rumahoki
The flag of the corresponding state or region of Rumahoki
The flags of the corresponding provinces or counties of Rumahoki, in alphabetical order in the local language, if more than one is flown
The flags of the corresponding parishes or collectivities of Rumahoki, in alphabetical order in the local language, if more than one is flown
The flags of the corresponding local governments of Rumahoki, in alphabetical order in the local language, if more than one is flown

If there is a visiting head of state, that country's flag may be set second in precedence, all other flags dropping a rank. The flag of the Vallosian Economic Association, which has been hoisted ever since Rumahoki became a member of the VEA, is given precedence above the subdivision flags, but below the domestic national and foreign national flags.

During mourning periods, the flag may be flown in the following ways. The first method, which is the most common and well-known example, is known as half-masting, which is performed when the flag is hoisted to the top of the flagpole before being lowered to the pole's one-third position. Another method used, mostly for flags on very short poles, is to attach a black ribbon to a flag that is permanently affixed to a staff. The ribbon itself measures ten centimetres wide and it is attached to the mast so that the ends of the ribbon reach the bottom of the flag. During the funeral ceremony, the flag may be used to cover the coffins of government officials, soldiers and persons designated by an act of the Commander-in-Chief; these flags are later folded and presented to the next of kin before interment.

When unfurled in the presence of other flags, the national flag must not have smaller dimensions and must be situated in a prominent, honorable place, according to the relevant protocol.

Historical evolution

Yellow-white-red

Flag of the Delepasian Kingdom (1852)
Flag of pan-Delepasian nationalists (1868-1900)
Current civil flag (1996-present)
Current state flag (1996-present)

Other notable historical flags

Banner of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas (1497-1629)
Banner of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas (1629-1704)
Banner of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas (1704-1796)
Banner of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas (1796-1852)
Cross of Santiago flag (1563-1852)
Proposed viceregal banner (1820)
Flag of pan-Delepasian nationalists (1900-1976)
Flag of Delepasia (1976-1988)
Flag of Delepasia (1988-1996)

Other official Rumahokian flags

Standards of high institutional positions

The Rumahokian Emperor has an official imperial standard. The standard is essentially a flag form of the blazon of the nation's imperial coat of arms. It is one of the few aspects of the Delepasian Commonwealth to survive the Velvet Revolution.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armed Forces also has an official standard, which is a squared Rumahokian tricolour.

The Prime Minister's official standard is a modified version of the chief executive's official standard. It is charged with a red torch and a yellow star. The field is surrounded by a blue border.

Standard of the Emperor
Standard of the Commander-in-Chief
Standard of the Prime Minister

Government insignia

The government emblems each have a crowned star on a background of blue and white squares with a red border:

the emblem of the National Assembly of Rumahoki is simply the above with no additional charges;
the emblem of the Congress of the Commons has a red equatorial cross on the star to represent the lower house;
the emblem of the Congress of the Peerage has a red coronet on the star to represent the upper house.

Emblem of the National Assembly
Emblem of the Congress of the Commons
Emblem of the Congress of the Peerage

Army insignia

The flag of the Imperial Rumahokian Army is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of yellow, red, and blue, recalling the dynastic colours of the House de Bruce.

Flag of the Imperial Rumahokian Army

Air insignia

The ensign of the Imperial Rumahokian Air Force is a flag featuring two right-triangles, one yellow and one red, and a blue isosceles triangle.

Ensign of the Imperial Rumahokian Air Force

Naval insignia

The naval flags are cross-and-saltires of the colours yellow, white, and red. Blue is sometimes used in place of white for some naval flags:

the military ensign is a white cross over a yellow saltire over a red background;
the civil ensign is a red cross over a white saltire over a yellow background;
the state ensign is a yellow cross over a red saltire over a white background.