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2torial
#0903:
Learn2
Fold an American
Flag
Don't get sloppy with Old Glory!
Flags are more than scraps of colorful cloth:
they're supposed to mean something--to
symbolize the country itself. Think what you will
about such sentiment, but many a nation takes its
symbolism seriously. The United States is no
exception: the simple act of folding the national
flag requires a unique ritual with its own rules
and regulations. If the end result isn't a neat
triangle (supposedly reminiscent of our
forefathers' tricorner hats), you've done it
wrong.
Flag-folding does take some practice, but the
task isn't exactly rocket science. As long as
you've got an awareness of flag etiquette (a few
simple rules) and a friend to help you out,
mastering the art of getting the flag in that neat
little triangle will have you looking like the best
girl scout or marine in town. (It's also an
impressive trick to flaunt come Fourth of July or
Veteran's Day.) This 2torial shows you how.
Know your flag! When the flag was first adopted
in 1777, the U.S. Continental Congress justified
the flag's attributes this way: "White signifies
Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor;
Blue signifies Vigilance, Perseverance and
Justice," with the stars forming "a new
constellation."
With a description like that, it's no wonder
that handling a simple cloth of red, white and blue
has such complicated procedures. So
it's a good idea to know some of the terminology
associated with the folding procedure:
Colors: a hueful name for the flag
itself
Color guards: the folks who raise, lower
and safeguard (and usually fold) the flag in a
flag-raising ceremony
Halyard: the rope used to raise and lower
the flag
Union: the upper inner corner of the
flag. For our purposes, it's the field of blue
covered by 50 white stars.
The actual hoisting, lowering and flying of the
American flag is another ball of yarn so complex
the flag's uses and abuses are outlined in Title 4,
United States Code, chapter 1, sections 1 and 2,
and Executive Order 10834. But most of the time we
just want to fold the darn thing correctly, so
we'll leave the superofficial stuff up to the
superofficials.
 Get
ready with your partner
Grab your partner and your flag. Yes, you'll
need a partner if you're going to do this right.
Stand facing your partner while you hold two
corners of the flag and he or she holds the other
two at about waist level. The flag should be
parallel to the ground, and the sides facing both
of you should be the shorter ones.
Careful--it's taboo to let the flag touch the
ground. If you're feeling a bit uncoordinated, or
you know your partner is a grade-A klutz, you may
want to practice with a flat sheet or blanket
first.
 Fold
widthwise twice
Raise the side of the flag that normally hangs
on the bottom, the side entirely covered by
stripes, over the side with the "union" on it. Grab
the new corner you have made along the crease so
that again the flag is parallel to the ground,
all-stripe side up.
Repeat this widthwise fold so that the union is
now on either side, half facing the ground and half
facing the sky.
 Corner
your flag
Now that you're holding your twice-folded flag,
notice that of the new rectangle shape you have
made, one long side is "open," and one is "closed."
The open side consists of the original perimeter of
the flag--you can still separate the folds into
individual layers of material. The crease on the
other side encloses the layers of fabric under it,
so it's "closed."
Now fold the flag in a series of triangles. To
do it scrupulously correct, you've got to start the
folding at a specific point. Start at the striped
end of your rectangle. Take the corner of the
closed side and bring it diagonally over to the
open side, forming a triangular flap.
 Continue
cornering
You've created a most unharmonious shape at this
point: a long, rectangular shape with a corner
lopped off. Take the pointy corner and fold it
down, over the other triangular fold, to create a
straight edge once again. Now repeat this folding
process, switching corners with each fold, until
just a blue square of the union is peeking out from
the triangular fold.
Only one person does this triangular folding;
your partner ceremoniously and patiently holds the
other end (ensuring that it doesn't touch the
floor!).
 Master
the Final Fold and Tuck
All you've got left is the final fold--the
tricky turn that some argue is at the crux of the
whole operation. Instead of you folding the thick
triangle of folded flag fabric over the last
remaining blue square, your partner--who has waited
for you so patiently--finally gets to do some
creasing. The person on the union end of the flag
will take the corner on the open leg and fold it
down along the edge of the other leg to form a
triangle. He or she then tucks the remaining blue
tab under the folds of the thick triangle until the
flag is a neat triangle and can't easily
unravel.
Store the flag in a safe place, and when you
want to raise it or use it again, unfold it using
these steps in the opposite direction. Now, sit
back and enjoy the fireworks!
-end-
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