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Araçoiaba da Serra, São Paulo State (Brazil)

image by Dirk Schönberger, 19 September 2012
Source: http://www.aracoiaba.sp.gov.br/v1/arquivos/Bras%E3o.pdf

About the Flag

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About the Flag

Divided by a white descending diagonal stripe, light blue over green, with the municipal arms placed over the strip toward the upper hoist.

Official website at http://www.aracoiaba.sp.gov.br
Dirk Schönberger, 19 September 2012

The municipality of Araçoiaba da Serra (27,323 inhabitants in 2010; 25,555 ha) is located west of Soracaba, 125 km of São Paulo.

The municipality of Araçoiaba da Serra was established by Provincial Law No. 23 of 7 April 1857, under the name of Campo Largo de Soracaba, and inaugurated on 14 November 1857. The municipality was suppressed by State Law No. 6,350 of 3 June 1934, being downgraded to a district of Soracaba. The municipality of Campo Largo de Soracaba was reestablished by State Law No. 2,695 of 5 November 1936, re-inaugurated on 27 June 1937, and renamed Araçoiaba da Serra by State Law No. 14,334 of 30 November 1944.

The flag of Araçoiaba da Serra is prescribed by Municipal Law No. 5 of 26 April 1971. The flag was selected by the Municipal Council among proposals submitted by alumni of the State School of Araçoiaba da Serra. The three pre-selected proposals were presented during the 5th Ordinary Session of the Municipal Council, held on 10 April 1971. The Councillors selected the flag proposed by Gilmar Gimenes. The original copy of the flag was painted by Gilmar Gimenes, the coat of arms being painted by Luiz Fonseca.

Blue represents the marvellous and beautiful sky that ensigns the greatness of Araçoiaba da Serra. White represents transparency and peace reigning over the town. Green represents the crops, the forests, and aspiration to a promising future.

The coat of arms of Araçoiaba da Serra is prescribed by Municipal Law No. 82 of 23 January 1954, modified by Municipal Law no. 4 of 26 April 1971. The coat of arms, designed by Pr. Amélia Pássaro, was presented during the 24th Ordinary Session of the Municipal Council, held on 15 January 1954. Validated the same day by the Commission of Redaction, Legislation and Justice, the proposal was unanimously approved the same day by the Municipal Council.

The coat of arms is described as representing "Fields, industry and commerce ensigned by the sphere of the Brazilian flag, with the motto 'TRABALHO, HONESTIDADE, PERSEVERANÇA' [Work, Honesty, Perseverance]." The shield is surmounted dexter by a branch of cotton and sinister by sugarcanes, which were the two most important crops in the municipality at the time. On the shield, the factories with smoking chimneys represent future industrialization, being also an historic citation of Araçoiaba da Serra as the cradle of steelmaking in Brazil. The farmer with a plough pulled by cattle represents agriculture, the pillar of a country that emerged as mostly rural. The man wearing a winged helmet, holding a torch, and running with winged feet is an allegory of the participation of the municipality to sports events and to the transportation of the Olympic Torch through the Brazilian territory, representing the integration of the municipality to the national territory. The stone bridge represents the integration of the municipality through the distribution of its products; it also represents the integration between agriculture, industry and commerce, three sectors critical for the progress of the municipality, which have to work in perfect equilibrium.

The coat of arms was amended by Municipal Law No. 4 of 26 April 1971. The amendment was presented during the 6th Ordinary Session of the Municipal Council, held that day. It was unanimously approved during the 4th Extraordinary Session, held that day, and eventually approved during the 5th Extraordinary Session, held that day. A "tower" was added at the top of the shield, highlighting the municipal status of Araçoiaba da Serra. The "tower" probably means here the whole mural crown, which is not mentioned at all in the description of the original coat of arms, rather than a new tower added to a pre-existing crown.
Ivan Sache, 30 December 2012