Flag Day and the Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, and we get the longest day of sunshine all year long. It usually happens around June 21st, not long after the start of hurricane season here in Florida. 

Long ago, people all over the world noticed this special day. They built stone circles, lit bonfires, sang songs, and raised flags or banners to honor the sun. They gave thanks for the warmth, the crops, the light, and the life that the sun brings to everything.

Closely related to the solstice is Flag Day, observed on June 14th in Florida, a time to create prayer flags and reflect on the happiness and well-being for all beings as we enter the hurricane season and the second half of the year.

In many traditions the raising of flags is a spiritual gesture. Prayer flags are strung in the open air to catch the wind, carrying blessings across the landscape. Each color represents one of the five elements. white for sky, green for air, red for fire, blue for water, and yellow for earth.

Starting on Flag Day, we can began to create elemental flags or banners with personal prayers, intentions, or poems. Reflect on our aspiration to benefit all beings. Then on the Summer Solstice we can hang our flags outdoors in the wind.

Prayer Flags

In both the Vietnamese tradition and the Yungdrung Bön tradition, prayer flags are part of a practice called lungta, which means "wind horse" in Tibetan.

Prayer flags are powerful energetic supports for invoking blessings, dispelling negativity, and increasing personal and communal vitality.

Together, these elements not only make up the cosmos but also the internal constitution of the human body and mind. When the elements are balanced and in harmony, there is health, clarity, and success. When they are imbalanced, there is illness, confusion, and misfortune. The flags are meant to restore and reinforce that elemental harmony both within us and in the world.

Creating Prayer Flags on Flag Day

The prayer flags come in five colors, and each one with a different meaning:

Blue is for the wide sky and space
White is for the wind and fresh air
Red is for the warmth of fire and sunlight
Green is for water and flowing rivers
Yellow is for the strong, steady earth

We can also make them in the three traditional colors of Ah Om Hung, the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha – our own enlightened body, speech, and mind. Which is a white Ah, red Om, and blue Hung. These three colors (white, red, and blue) also represent the three bodies of the Buddha, the Dharmakaya (reality body), Sambhogakaya (enjoyment body), and Nirmanakaya (manifestation body).

When creating prayer flags, we can put on them the ancient animals that represent positive qualities we wish to send out into the world. Traditionally the horse symbolizes diligence, the tiger determination, the lion courage, the garuda strength, and the dragon esteem. These are qualities which are essential for success in life. We can use the traditional ancient animals, or use animals from our local ecosystem and legends, such as the alligator, mythical skunk ape, or hurricane bird – the white ibis. 

Hanging Prayer Flags on the Summer Solstice

Hang your flags outside where the wind can blow—on a tree branch, porch, or fence. Each time the wind moves the flag, it’s like your wishes are flying through the air, blessing animals, trees, friends, and strangers.

We can also make Sang Smoke Offerings at this time, or light incense or a candle. We can recite prayers that we may know and send wishes that everyone’s luck and well-being will flourish through this hurricane season. We can send our wishes out on the wind, to ride the wind horse.  We can thank the elements—the sky, wind, sun, water, and earth—for helping make life possible.

When we hang them outside in the breeze, Imagine a strong, powerful horse with wings, galloping through the sky. On its back is a shining jewel, a symbol of your biggest, brightest wishes—for happiness, kindness, courage, and peace. When we hang these colorful flags outside, we are asking the wind to carry our prayers and good wishes to everyone, everywhere.

“May my little flag ride the wind like a horse.
May it carry my wishes high up to the sky.
May it bring peace to animals, trees, and people.
May the whole world feel happy and light!”

“May my life force and vitality increase!

May the strength of my body increase!

May my personal power increase!

May my lungta be well developed!

May my soul and prosperity increase!

May all lungta, soul, and prosperity that have decreased become well developed!

May external, internal, and secret obstacles be cleared!

May these wishes bring the accomplishment of all goals and intentions!”  

~Prayers on a Yungdrung Bön lungta prayer flag