The flag of Acadia is a 2:3 ratioed symbolic flag representing the Acadian community of Canada. It was adopted on 15 August 1884, at the Second Acadian National Convention held in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, by nearly 5,000 Acadian delegates from across the Maritimes.[1]
It was designed by Father Marcel-Francois Richard, a priest from Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick. Richard’s flag was a French tricolour, with a gold star in papal colours added to the blue band, representing devotion to the Virgin Mary and serving as a distinctive emblem of Acadian identity.[2][3]
At the convention, Richard drew on military metaphors to argue that the Acadian movement required a visible emblem. He stated: “At the great 1881 convention held in Memramcook, we joined together in an orderly army set for battle, not to wage war on our brothers who share our religion, but to defend ourselves against any threat made to our nationhood,” concluding that such an army required “a national flag”.[4] The flag was first raised publicly the following day, on 16 August 1884.[5]
The Musée acadien at the Université de Moncton preserves the earliest known convention flag. Research by the museum states it consisted of a commercially manufactured French tricolour to which the star was added, a task traditionally attributed to Marie Babineau, in time for the closing session of the convention.[6]
During the Second Convention, some delegates proposed “La Marseillaise” as the Acadian anthem, but Richard along with Pascal Poirier ultimately declared the adoption of "Ave maris stella" in 1884.[7]
Design
The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, white and red, with a gold star in the upper hoist-side canton of the blue band. The star is widely known as Stella Maris (“star of the sea”), a traditional title of the Virgin Mary, and is used as a rallying symbol of Acadian identity.[8]
The flag’s creation is often treated as part of the broader Acadian Renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and its final form reflects both political and religious considerations of that period.[9]
Notable use
The Canadian Heraldic Authority’s register entry for the Société Nationale de l'Acadie (15 August 1995) describes the Acadian flag as “the national flag of Acadia”.[10]
In 2004, during l’Année de l’Acadie, the Acadian flag was raised at Province House and displayed throughout the year’s Acadian celebrations.[11]
In Nova Scotia, special “Acadian flag” number plates were established by regulation in 2011 (effective 2012).[12]
Gallery
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At the Congrès mondial acadien (2019)
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Acadian flag in Chéticamp
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Displayed at the Acadian Memorial in Dieppe
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Acadian Festival in Caraquet
See also
Sources
- ^ "The Origins of the Acadian Flag and National Holiday: the Memramcook and Miscouche Conventions". Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique française. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "RICHARD, MARCEL-FRANÇOIS". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ Meunier, Patrick-Olivier (2016). "Le premier drapeau acadien du Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton". Conserveries mémorielles. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "The Origins of the Acadian Flag and National Holiday: the Memramcook and Miscouche Conventions". Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique française. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ Meunier, Patrick-Olivier (2016). "Le premier drapeau acadien du Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton". Conserveries mémorielles. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ Meunier, Patrick-Olivier (2016). "Le premier drapeau acadien du Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton". Conserveries mémorielles. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "The Origins of the Acadian Flag and National Holiday: the Memramcook and Miscouche Conventions". Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique française. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ Biddiscombe, Perry (1990). "Le Tricolore et l'étoile: The Origin of the Acadian National Flag, 1867–1912" (PDF). Acadiensis. 20 (1): 120–147. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ Biddiscombe, Perry (1990). "Le Tricolore et l'étoile: The Origin of the Acadian National Flag, 1867–1912" (PDF). Acadiensis. 20 (1): 120–147. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Société nationale de l'Acadie". Governor General of Canada – Canadian Heraldic Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Acadian Heritage Recognized at Province House". Government of Nova Scotia News. 5 April 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Acadian Flag Number Plates Regulations (N.S. Reg. 325/2011)". Nova Scotia Registry of Regulations. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
External links
