why is the American flag folded 13 times? no, it's not because of the original 13 colonies?

Answer 1

UPDATE: WOW! 2 thumbs down already, I guess some people don't like my answer? I'm sure the people that gave those thumbs down are going to post the "Official Meaning of the Flag Fold" some time real soon? And I expect it to be from a credible source like, Arlington National Cemetery, Dept. of Veteran Affairs, West Point, Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, DOD, White House, Capitol, etc, etc, and not just some Flag.com, or USFlag.org web site you found that posted what they think is the "Official" meaning.......BECAUSE THERE IS NONE..... Please show me a National Dot GOV website that proclaims this. If you look deeper than the first Googled site you hit you will see I am right.

I love the flag, I respect it, I have been to and participated in many military funerals. I am not bashing anyone, but don't you think one of the military/government sites I cited might mention it on their web site if it was correct?

This reminds me of how people often mistake the 7 man firing party that fires 3 volleys at a military funeral, for a 21 gun salute. It's not. While 3X7 does =21, it isn't a 21 gun salute. Only the President or other head of state get a 21 gun salute. Look that one up too. And many people think it is a 21 gun salute because the date 1776 adds up to 21..Also not true, the tradition predates our country's revolution. My point being, Just because the numbers add up or fit, doesn't make it true.

It is just a circumstance of convenience, or coincidence that it ends up being 13, there is really no historical symbolic meaning to it. As with many things, people tend to add the symbolic meaning after the fact. I've even heard people say it is in a triangle because it looks like a revolutionary hat. Both are not true. It is just simply the traditional, proper, and neat looking way to fold a flag, and because of the unique rectangular shape, it ends up being 13. I know many people will dispute this, and I'm sure a lot of people have come up with their own special meaning for the folds, and that is fine, and they even sound great, but historically or officially, there is no specific meaning for it, it just worked out that way when you fold a flag, the "meanings" came later.

Answer 2

it is mostly only the G spec flags (official size) or near that that will fold 13 times. ( these flags have hoist fly ratio of 1-1.9. a casket flag would fit this description at 5x9.5 ft) that is how many folds it takes to fold the flag to leave a little section at the end to tuck in... nothing more than coincidence.
you can in some case even fold the flag so that 13 stars are showing. ive certainly tried but the closest i got was 12. it is again coincidence.

most civilian size flags ie 3x5 ft can only be folded 11 times because the fly is shorter in lengh in comparison to the hoist.
(hoist = width of the flag fly = the length)

large flags of over 10ft hoist really need to be folded length ways 3 times which will lead to an even number of 14.

the 'meanings' of the folds were later made up.. after they knew how many folds it would take. the meanings are symbolic only. they bear no practical significance on how many folds it takes to fold the flag.

Answer 3

I did a quickie geometric analysis, and it turns out that, with the specified dimensions of the American Flag, no matter which size you fold, it comes out to 13 folds every time.

Pure Geometry -- all the legends about the "meaning" of the folds was added later.

Answer 4

Lt_Cmdr_USN is entirely correct. There is no deeper meaning to the 13 folds. It is simple coincidence because of the size of the flag and the manner in which it is folded.

Answer 5

It is NOT folded 13 times. only 12.
the meanings are as follows...

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother's day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

Answer 6

It does not appear in the Flag Code and would appear to be in violation of military guidelines, in violation of the Establishment Clause, and therefore is unofficial, but here is the symbolic meaning of each of those 13 folds.
>The 'first fold' of our flag is a symbol of life.
>The 'second fold' is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.
>The 'third fold' is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
>The 'fourth fold' represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.
>The 'fifth fold' is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
>The 'sixth fold' is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
>The 'seventh fold' is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
>The 'eighth fold' is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.
>The 'ninth fold' is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.
>The 'tenth fold' is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
>The 'eleventh fold,' in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
>The 'twelfth fold,' in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.
>When the flag is completely folded (13th), the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust."
>After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a ****** hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served
under General George Washington, and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and
shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.

Answer 7

yea, it is cuz of the 13 colonies

Answer 8

yes it is and count the stripes.