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Unaí, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

image by Dirk Schönberger, 27 September 2010
Source: adapted from http://www.prefeituraunai.mg.gov.br/simbolos_municipais/index.php?page=bandeira.htm

About the flag

About the Flag

A dark blue flag, with a central horizontal black stripe, fimbriated yellow, and yellow triangle extending off the hoist bearing the municipal arms.

Official website at http://www.prefeituraunai.mg.gov.br/
Dirk Schönberger, 27 September 2010

The municipality of Unaí (78,125 inhabitants in 2009; 8,464 sq. km) is located in north-western Minas Gerais. By Provincial Law No. 1,993, adopted in 1873, the village of Rio Preto (Black River) was made a district of the municipality of Paracatu, which was confirmed by State Law No. 2, adopted on 14 September 1891. Law No. 843, adopted on 7 September 1923, changed the name of the district to Unaí, meaning Black River in native language. The municipality of Unaí was formed by State Law No. 1,058, adopted on 31 December 1943, merging the districts of Unaí, Fróis and Garapuava (formerly part of Paracatu) and Buritis and Serra Bonita (formerly part of São Romão).
http://www.prefeituraunai.mg.gov.br/nossahistoria/index.php?page=nossa_historia.htm - Municipal website

The symbols of Unaí are prescribed by Municipal Law No. 931/810, adopted on 20 August 1980. The full text of the law is available on the municipal website. I give below only the articles describing and explaining the symbols, skipping the articles prescribing the symbols' use.

Chapter I. Preliminary provisions.
Article 1. The municipal symbols of Unaí (MG) shall be, as provisioned by § 3 of Article 1 of the Federal Constitution:
a) the municipal coat of arms
b) the municipal flag
c) the municipal anthem.

Chapter II. Design of the municipal symbols.
[...]
Section II. Municipal flag.

Article 6. The municipal flag of Unaí, designed by the heraldist and vexillologist Pr. Arcinóe Antonio Peixoto de Faria, shall be tierced per fess, the outer, blue fesses being of five modules in height and the central, yellow fess being of four modules in width and charged with a black fess, from which emerges a yellow isosceles triangle charged with the municipal coat of arms.
§1. As prescribed by the canons and rules of municipal heraldry inherited from Portugal, the municipal flags can be gyroned in eight or six parts, quartered or tierced, with the municipal coat of arms placed in the middle or at hoist. The colour shall be those of the arms, arranged harmoniously.
§2. Occasionally, the vexillologist designing the flag can use other arrangements of the colours, but respecting the meaning of the arms. [...]

Section IV. Municipal arms.
Article 19. The arms of Unaí, designed by the heraldist and vexillologist Pr. Arcinóe Antonio Peixoto de Faria, is described as follows: Classic, Flemish-Iberian shield surmounted by an eight-towered mural crown port and windows gules, azure in chief a fleur-de-lis argent two cowboy's hunting horns stylized or, a mantle or a fess wavy sable. The shield surrounded dexter by a rice plant and sinister by a maize plant proper crossed per saltire and supporting a scroll gules charged with the toponym "Unaí" and the date "30.12.1943" in Argentine letters.[...]

Article 22. [...] The symbolic meaning of the arms is the following:
a) The Classic, Flemish-Iberian shield, of German origin, was used in all the Iberian Peninsula and especially in Portugal. This style was preferred, even if history tells that the first style introduced in Portugal was the Samnite style, of French origin and introduced into Portugal by French-born Count Henry of Burgundy, the founder of the Country of Portugal.
b) The mural crown, the universal symbol used on municipal arms, made of eight towers, of which five are visible, recalls that the represented town is of second rank; the red openings recalls that the town is the seat of a "comarca".
c) The blue color is a symbol of justice, nobleness, perseverance, zeal, loyalty, recreation and beauty.
d) The fleur-de-lis argent (silver), the symbol of the Blessed Virgin, recalls that the patron saint of the down is Our Lady of Conception.
e) The yellow cowboys' hunting horns represent one of the source of income of the municipality.
f) The yellow color (gold) is the heraldic symbol of wealth, nobleness, perseverance, glory and splendor.
g) The fess wavy sable (black) recalls that Unaí means "Black River".
h) The supporters - rice and maize - represent two main crops of the municipality.
i) Finally, the ribbon gules (red) symbolizes bravery, intrepidity, courage and valiance, on which is written in silver-gilded Argentine letters the toponym "Unaí" and the date of the political emancipation of the town, 30.12.1943.
[...]
http://www.prefeituraunai.mg.gov.br/simbolos_municipais/index.php?page=bandeira.htm

An official anthem to the municipal flag - different from the municipal anthem - was composed by Lucimar de Jesus Alves da Rocha (aka Lúcio Rocha), with arrangements by João Pereira Filho and Elias de Jesus Pires.
http://www.prefeituraunai.mg.gov.br/simbolos_municipais/index.php?page=hino_a_bandeira_de_unai.htm

Ivan Sache, 1 October 2010