When about forty Acadian delegates attended the conference of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste du Québec in 1880, they came up with the idea of an Acadian national convention. The first convention took place the following year and many more were to follow, featuring discussions on language, education, and religion. It was at Memramcook, in 1881, that Acadians chose August 15, Feast of the Assumption, as their national commemoration day. In 1884, at Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, they chose Ave Marie Stella to be the national anthem, and approved the design of the national flag.

Acadian National Flag

The Acadian flag was established at the second Acadian Convention in 1884 at Miscouche, Prince Edward Island. Father Marcel-Francois Richard designed it and brought it with him to the event. Like the flag of France, it is blue, white, and red. The gold star at the top left is the Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), there to seek the guidance and protection of the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Acadians. This flag represents Acadians worldwide. It is conserved at Musée Acadien, Université de Moncton, in Moncton New Brunswick.

Dr. Thomas Arceneaux., Dean of Agriculture at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette (1941-1973), designed a similar flag in 1965 to honour the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Acadians in Louisiana. Like the Acadian flag, it is blue, white and red and has the gold star to represent the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Acadians. The star also symbolizes the active participation of the Acadians in the American Revolution. The gold castle on the red field represents and honours Spain, the country that controlled Louisiana at the time of the Acadian migration there. The silver fleur-de-lis on the blue field represents their French heritage.

Since 1974, this flag has officially identified the Acadians who migrated to Louisiana.

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