National day of mourning
National mourning, formerly national mourning, is a state-ordered manifestation of grief and thus part of the sepulchral culture. It takes place depending on the state and event one or more days, during which usual three and seven days. The state funeral is often placed after the death of important or many people. As an expression of national mourning mourning flagging is placed and public celebrations are usually canceled. From the national mourning of the act of state is to distinguish which denotes an event.
In Germany, the Federal President is authorized as head of state, in agreement with the federal government to arrange the national mourning. A practiced in many countries in the world of national mourning, which goes beyond the grief of flag and bring public life to a standstill, can the President because of his competence limits in the federal structure of Germany, in particular due enshrined in Article 30 of the Basic Law statehood and cultural sovereignty not order.
State mourning is located, for example in the death of prominent personalities of a State. This can be a politician Franz Josef Strauss or Johannes Rau, for which took place in each case a three-day national mourning in Germany. One hundred days of national mourning in Thailand for Galyani Vadhana, the only sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, ended on 10 April 2008. Too, for the culture of a country important people like the Portuguese singer Amália Rodrigues, the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoole or the Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna can be honored with a state funeral.
After the death of Zayed Sultan Al Nahyans am in 2004, which since the founding of the country in 1971 continuously exercised the office of President of the United Arab Emirates, was not only in his home country, but also in the Arab states, almost all Muslim countries in Middle East and North Africa and India a state funeral arranged.
Even after natural disasters and accidents, such as the ICE misfortune of Eschede in 1998 and the earthquake in Sichuan in 2008, State mourning in their own country can be arranged. Particularly severe disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, are often beyond the occasion of State mourning in non-affected States.
The cable stops Madrid in March 2004 led to State mourning in Portugal and Spain.
In the plane crash near Smolensk in 2010, in which also the Polish President Lech Kaczynski was on board, a day of national mourning, was placed in Russia, because the accident happened in Russia. The state funeral was also in Brazil (3 days ), Bulgaria ( 1 day), Germany (1 day - 18 April 2010 ), Estonia (1 day ), Georgia ( 1 day), Canada (1 day), Cape Verde ( 1 day), Croatia ( 1 day), Latvia ( 1 day), Lithuania ( 4 days), Maldives, Moldova (1 day), Montenegro (1 day), Romania ( 1 day), Serbia ( 1 day), Slovakia ( 1 day), Spain (1 day), Czech Republic ( 2 days), Turkey ( 1 day), Ukraine ( 1 day) and Hungary ( 1 day) features. In Poland, a nine-day state mourning has been arranged. On the death of Socialists and President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez on March 5, 2013 also imposed several South and Central American countries a period of national mourning.