What you should know when the National Anthem plays during an event.

1. National Anthem Etiquette:
What You Should Know
by Star Spangled Flags

2. Do you know the proper
etiquette to follow when the
National Anthem is performed
or played?

3. Whether you are attending a
sports game, concert, funeral,
etc., you will probably find
yourself in this position at
some point or another.

4. The National Anthem is a
patriotic song that symbolizes
America’s core value:
Freedom.

5. Therefore, it’s important for
men and women to show
respect when it is performed.

6. Before the National Anthem
begins, crowds will usually be
asked to stand.

7. This is a sign of appreciation for
our nation and its core values,
which is why it’s important to
follow proper etiquette and stand
for the Anthem.

8. The entire Anthem should
only last for a couple of
minutes, so standing isn’t
going to leave you “winded.”

9. Many people assume that they
should face the person who is
singing the National Anthem,
but this isn’t necessarily true.

10. If there’s an American Flag
being displayed — and there
usually is — you should face it
instead.

11. If there is not a flag on display,
you should face the person who
is singing the National Anthem,
giving them your full attention.

12. If you are wearing a hat, you
should remove it for the
duration of the National Anthem
(unless it’s being worn for
religious purposes).

13. This tradition goes back more
than a century, a time when
wearing a hat indoors was
considered rude.

14. Next, place your right hand
over your heart. Assuming you
are wearing a hat, remove it
with your right hand and place
it over your heart.

15. WHAT ABOUT SERVICE
MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN?

16. Military service men and women
should perform the military salute
at the beginning of the National
Anthem, holding this posture
until the end.

17. Here’s a fun fact that not many
people know: The Star-Spangled
Banner had been around for 75
years before it became the
National Anthem.

18. It wasn’t until 1889 when Secretary
of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy signed
an order to make The Star-Spangled
Banner the official tune for raising
the American flag.

19. Fast forward to 1916 and President
Woodrow Wilson declared The Star-
Spangled Banner to be played at
military events and other occasions
as well.

20. If you need a crash course on
the National Anthem lyrics.....

21. O say can you see, by the
dawn's early light,

22. What so proudly we hailed at the
twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
through the perilous fight,

23. O'er the ramparts we
watched, were so gallantly
streaming?

24. And the rockets' red glare, the
bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that
our flag was still there;

25. O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the
home of the brave?

26. For more about National
Anthem etiquette, or to buy
flags, poles, and accessories,
visit StarSpangledFlags.com