Half-staff

Half-mast or half-staff refers to a flag flying below the summit on a pole. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or in some cases, a salute. Strictly speaking, flags are said to be half-mast if flown from ships, and half-staff if on land, although not all regional variations of English use "half-staff".

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.

When hoisting a flag that is to be displayed at half-mast, it should be hoisted to the finial for an instant, then lowered to half-mast. Likewise, when the flag is lowered at the end of the day, it is to be hoisted to the finial for an instant, and then lowered.

The flag of Australia is flown half-mast in Australia:

The flag of Cambodia flew at half mast upon the death of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk for 7 days, from 15–22 October 2012.

The term half-mast 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:

Certain events are also marked by flying the national flag at half-mast on the Peace Tower at Parliament Hill. These include:

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 September 11, 2001, September 11, 2002, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Mayerthorpe Incident, 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 and Gerald Ford, and the death of Jack Layton

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