National Flag of Indonesia

Hi guys!

Today, August 17^th, 2025, is the 80^th anniversary of Indonesia!

To commemorate it, and due to the current turmoil surrounding the flag, I’ll be showing what our national flag is like and what it represents.

National Flag of Indonesia

Now, many of you might already know that Indonesia’s national flag is a red over white flag. You might notice that it is almost identical to Monaco’s, though the size proportion differs a bit: Indonesian flag has a 2:3 ratio whereas Monaco’s has a 4:5 ratio.

Other than being called ‘bendera merah-putih’ (‘red-white flag’), it is also called ‘Sang Merah Putih’ (‘The Red and White’, referring to the color) or ‘Sang Saka Merah Putih’. The term ‘saka’ is said to be the abbreviation of ‘pusaka’, meaning relic or heritage. It originally refers to the Bendera Pusaka which was used during Indonesia’s independence proclamation ceremony, held on August 17^th, 1945. This particular flag was made by Madam Fatmawati, a wife of our first president, Soekarno. During the annual flag ceremony held in the palace, this flag ‘attend’ through its box, witnessing its duplicate being used instead….

Anyway, no one really knows who exactly designed this flag. The colors themselves – red and white – were taken from the banner used during the Majapahit Era in 13^th century Java.

Flag of Majapahit

Some even said that these colors came from Austronesian mythology, with the color red representing Mother Earth and white representing Father Sky.

Whatever the history may be, the current national flag of Indonesia holds its own meaning. Philosophically, red is said to represents bravery along with the human body, whilst white symbolizes purity and the human soul.

There are specific dates and places where the flag has to be raised, for example during the ceremony commemorating national education day (May 2^nd) or youth pledge (October 28^th). On August, the month when our independence day took place, the flag should also be raised for a full month. Other red-and-white flags and attributes can also be commonly found during this month, with many F&B places also offering limited-time foods and beverages in these colors. Other than that, places like the presidential palace, schools, governmental and private offices, and border posts have to raise the flag every day.

The flag may also be used as coffin cover for high-ranking government and military officials. When in mourning, the flag is raised at half-mast

A Half-mast Flag

 There are some songs dedicated to our national flag. One national anthem is called ‘Berkibarlah Benderaku’, which can be translated as ‘fly, my flag’ or something along that line, just a bit more poetic. It was made in 1947 by Madam Soed with the help of Indonesia’s national radio at that time, Joesoef Ronodipoero. Here’s the full lyric, though during ceremonies usually only the first two verses are sung.

Berkibarlah Benderaku

Berkibarlah benderaku

Lambang suci gagah perwira

Di seluruh pantai Indonesia

Kau tetap pujaan bangsa

Siapa berani menurunkan engkau

Serentak rakyatmu membela

Sang merah putih yang perwira

Berkibarlah slama-lamanya

Kami rakyat Indonesia

Bersedia setiap masa

Mencurahkan segenap tenaga

Supaya kau tetap cemerlang

Tak goyang jiwaku menahan rintangan

Tak gentar rakyatmu berkorban

Sang merah putih yang perwira

Berkibarlah slama-lamanya

And here’s the rough translation of the lyric.

Fly, My Flag

May you fly, my flag

The symbol of purity and gallantry

In all beaches of Indonesia

You are still the nation’s beloved

Who dares lower you

At once your people shall defend

The courageous red white

May you fly forever after

We are people of Indonesia

Ready whenever

Pouring every ounce of power

So that you can keep shining

My soul shall not dither to defend against obstacles

Without fear, your people sacrificed

The courageous red white

May you fly forever after

The meaning is…quite patriotic, you can say^^

If you want to hear the song, just type the Bahasa Indonesia title and many videos/audios will come up.

That’s all for today’s post. To be honest, I almost forgot to upload it today, but here we are.

See you next time~