Half-mast or half-staff (American English) 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.Bartram, G., A Guide to Flag Protocol in the United Kingdom , an extract from the book British Flags and Emblems, The Flag Institute. It is often recommended that a flag at half-mast be lowered only as much as the hoist, or width, of the flag.
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 (present-day Bangladesh).
Brazil
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.
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 () 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 date Protocol or significance The death of the sovereign From 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 minister From 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 year Marking the Day of Mourning for People Killed or Injured in the Workplace (coinciding with World Day for Safety and Health at Work) 23 June of each year Marking the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism Last Sunday in September of each year Marking Police Officer's National Memorial Day 8 November of each year Marking National Aboriginal Veterans Day 11 November of each year Marking Remembrance Day 6 December of each year Marking 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:
Date Significance 9 April of each year Marking Vimy Ridge Day Varies The annual memorial service on Parliament Hill to remember deceased parliamentarians
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.
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: On the death of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader), president, premier, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, chairman of the Central Military Commission, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and those who have made major contributions to the People's Republic of China, or to world peace or advancement of the mankind. For example, the flag was flown at half-mast after the deaths of Zhou Enlai (1976), Zhu De (1976), Mao Zedong (1976), Soong Ching-ling (1981), Hu Yaobang (1989), Li Xiannian (1992), Deng Xiaoping (1997), Yang Shangkun (1998), Qiao Shi (2015), Wan Li (2015), Li Peng (2019), Jiang Zemin (2022), Li Keqiang (2023), Wu Bangguo (2024), Zhu Rongji (2026) & Tung Chee Hwa (2026), as well as death of foreigners such as Joseph Stalin (1953), Patrice Lumumba (1961), Charles de Gaulle (1970) and Norodom Sihanouk (2012). When major disasters happen, such as when the flag was flown at half-mast from 19 to 21 May 2008, the three national mourning days for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, as well as at 4 April 2020 (Qingming Festival) as the national mourning day for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuba
In Cuba, flags were flown at half-mast in 2013 after the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and again after the death of Fidel Castro in 2016.
In recent years, the flag of Cuba has also been flown at half-mast by proclamation of the president of Cuba following deaths of foreign leaders.
Denmark The Danish flag () is nationally flown at half-mast in Denmark as a sign of mourning (for instance, upon the death of a current or former monarch of Denmark or of any member of the Danish royal family). It is performed by raising the flag briefly to the top of the mast and lowering it approximately one-third of the length of the flagpole. This tradition dates back to 1743, when Christian VI ordered in the naval's ceremonial regulations that instead of using black flags with white crosses for mourning, they should use the flag at half-mast as a sign of mourning.
On 28 August 2026, all flags across Denmark were flown half staff to mourn the loss of King Harald V of Norway.
Henningsen, H. "Dannebrog og flagføring til søs" page 60, Handels- og Søfartsmuseet på Kronborg Årbog, 1969. This applied also for Norway as both kingdoms were united by that time. Unlike other monarchies, the Sovereign can order the Danish Royal Standard to be flown at half-mast.
Finland In Finland, the official term for flying a flag at half-mast is known as suruliputus (mourning by flag(ging)). It is performed by raising the flag briefly to the top of the mast and lowering it approximately one-third of the length of the flagpole, placing the lower hoist corner at half-mast. On wall-mounted and roof-top flagpoles the middle of the flag should fly at the middle of the flagpole. When removing the flag from half-mast, it is briefly hoisted to the finial before lowering.