Observance guideSource-backed

Feast Day of the Flemish Community2026 · Date · History · Messages

The Government of Flanders identifies 11 July as the official feast day of the Flemish Community.

Annual dateReviewed 2026-09-08

About Feast Day of the Flemish Community

The Feast Day of the Flemish Community is observed on July 11.

The Government of Flanders identifies July 11 as the official feast day of the Flemish Community.

Why Feast Day of the Flemish Community matters

The date is historically associated with the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302 and later Flemish symbolic traditions.

The legal framework has changed over time, but the July 11 feast-day rule has been maintained.

History of Feast Day of the Flemish Community

On July 6, 1973, a decree established a flag, anthem and feast day for the Dutch Cultural Community; the Flemish Parliament’s chronology says July 11 was agreed as the Flemish feast day.

A decree of April 13, 1988 replaced the 1973 decree for the Flemish Community.

A decree of November 7, 1990 replaced the 1988 measure; the current Flemish Codex states in Article 6 that the feast day of the Flemish Community is July 11.

Institutional timeline

How the observance developed

This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.

Origin / proposalInstitutional origin
Evrard Raskin and co-sponsors of the 1972 proposal
The Flemish Parliament chronology identifies the 1973 decree as based on a proposal by Evrard Raskin and others, with the July 11 decision reached after debate.
Establishment6 July 1973
Cultuurraad van de Nederlandse Cultuurgemeenschap
Decree of 6 July 1973 establishing a flag, anthem and feast day of the Dutch Cultural Community
First observance11 July 1973 (first official feast-day date in the reviewed chronology)
First documented observance
The Parliament chronology records July 11, 1973 immediately after the establishing decree as the agreed Flemish feast day.
Superseding Instrument13 April 1988
Replaced the 1973 symbols decree while retaining the Flemish Community feast-day framework.
Flemish Community · Decree of 13 April 1988
Superseding Instrument7 November 1990
Replaced the 1988 decree; the current Codex version states that July 11 is the feast day.
Flemish Community · Decree of 7 November 1990
Current stewardshipCurrent
Flemish Government and Flemish Parliament
Current government guidance and parliamentary programming maintain official July 11 observance; this is an institutional role, not an exclusive claim over community celebrations.

Origins & establishment

What the evidence establishes

Evidence & sources ↓

Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.

Originator / proposerEvrard Raskin and co-sponsors of the 1972 proposalThe Flemish Parliament chronology identifies the 1973 decree as based on a proposal by Evrard Raskin and others, with the July 11 decision reached after debate.

Proclaiming / establishing bodyCultuurraad van de Nederlandse CultuurgemeenschapThe 1973 decree established the flag, anthem and feast day for the Dutch Cultural Community, institutional predecessor to the later Flemish Community framework.

Original establishing instrument / decisionDecree of 6 July 1973 establishing a flag, anthem and feast day of the Dutch Cultural CommunityThe Flemish Parliament chronology identifies this as the first decree in the legal chain.

Original instrument adoption / decision date6 July 1973The official chronology dates the establishing decree July 6, 1973.

Current facilitator / coordinatorFlemish Government and Flemish ParliamentCurrent government guidance and parliamentary programming maintain official July 11 observance; this is an institutional role, not an exclusive claim over community celebrations.

First observance11 July 1973 (first official feast-day date in the reviewed chronology)The Parliament chronology records July 11, 1973 immediately after the establishing decree as the agreed Flemish feast day.

Former nameFeast day of the Dutch Cultural CommunityThe 1973 decree applied to the Nederlandse Cultuurgemeenschap; later decrees use Vlaamse Gemeenschap.

Why this exact date?July 11 is historically linked with the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302 and its later role as a Flemish symbol.The Flemish Parliament’s official symbols history explains the Battle of the Golden Spurs context for July 11.

1 field not established in reviewed sources

Former dateNo former annual calendar date is established; July 11 remains the date across the reviewed legal chain.

Later institutional actions

Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.

Superseding InstrumentReplaced the 1973 symbols decree while retaining the Flemish Community feast-day framework.Flemish Community · Decree of 13 April 1988 · 13 April 1988The Flemish Parliament chronology explicitly says the 1973 decree was repealed by the 1988 decree.

Superseding InstrumentReplaced the 1988 decree; the current Codex version states that July 11 is the feast day.Flemish Community · Decree of 7 November 1990 · 7 November 1990The Parliament chronology identifies the 1990 decree as replacing the 1988 measure, and current Codex Article 6 preserves the date.

Source qualityHigh confidence

3 Primary institutional / legal

View all sources ↓

Names

Also known as

Day of the Flemish Community

How to Observe Feast Day of the Flemish Community

Read the Flemish Parliament’s official chronology of the community symbols.

Explore historical sources on the Battle of the Golden Spurs and how July 11 acquired symbolic meaning.

Attend a public cultural programme or local July 11 event where appropriate.

Use the official Flemish Government guidance when describing who receives a day off; July 11 is not a universal private-sector holiday.

Feast Day of the Flemish Community Facts

Fact 01

The official feast day is July 11.

Fact 02

The first decree in the reviewed legal chain dates to July 6, 1973.

Fact 03

The 1973 decree was replaced in 1988.

Fact 04

The 1988 decree was replaced by the November 7, 1990 decree.

Fact 05

Current Flemish law continues to state that July 11 is the feast day of the Flemish Community.

Feast Day of the Flemish Community Messages

May the day encourage careful engagement with Flemish history, culture and institutions.

Classification

Topic and context

Community, Causes & Advocacy →

Community, Causes & Advocacy Community

Accuracy notes

What this page does not assume

Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.

Evidence

Evidence & sources

Source policy →

Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.

Source 01codex.vlaanderen.be

Flemish Codex — current decree (opens in a new tab)

Primary institutional / legalGuide sources

Source 02www.vlaamsparlement.be

Flemish Parliament — Flemish symbols chronology (opens in a new tab)

Primary institutional / legalGuide sources

Source 03www.vlaanderen.be

Government of Flanders — 11 July feast day (opens in a new tab)

Observance recordPrimary institutional / legalGuide sources

Regional Government

Questions & connections

Understand it, compare it, then explore further

Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.

Reader questions

Frequently asked questions

When is Feast Day of the Flemish Community?

11 July annually The documented recurrence rule is: 11 July.

Does Feast Day of the Flemish Community fall on the same date every year?

Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.

Is Feast Day of the Flemish Community an official public holiday?

The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Flemish Community of Belgium / official community feast day. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.

Who established or recognizes Feast Day of the Flemish Community?

The reviewed sources identify Cultuurraad van de Nederlandse Cultuurgemeenschap as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Evrard Raskin and co-sponsors of the 1972 proposal. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Flemish Government and Flemish Parliament.

Is Feast Day of the Flemish Community international or country-specific?

No single country is assigned to this observance. Its documented scope is: Flemish Community of Belgium / official community feast day. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.

How is this page verified?

The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-08.

When is the Feast Day of the Flemish Community?

It is July 11.

When was July 11 first established in the reviewed legal chain?

The Flemish Parliament’s official chronology begins with a July 6, 1973 decree establishing community symbols and a feast day, with July 11 chosen as the Flemish feast day.

Is July 11 a day off for everyone in Flanders?

No. The Flemish Government explains that it is a day off for certain public-sector staff and some private sectors, but not a universal holiday in every sector.

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