Flag Day

Flag Day is fixed by American Samoa Code §1.0501 on April 17. The date recalls the 1900 Deed of Cession concerning Tutuila and Aunu’u and the raising of the United States flag at Fagatogo. The deed was signed by Samoan leaders within a period of imperial competition and unequal geopolitical power, so the anniversary deserves more careful language than a simple story of willing incorporation.

The holiday later became American Samoa’s largest civic and cultural programme. Villages, schools, churches and government bodies may take part in speeches, fautasi longboat racing, performing arts, sport and demonstrations of local skill. These events express contemporary Samoan identity and relationships among villages; they do not mean that every resident holds the same interpretation of the deeds or the territory’s political status.

American Samoa remains an unincorporated, unorganized U.S. territory with local constitutional government. Flag Day can therefore hold several meanings at once: remembrance of a legal and political turning point, affirmation of fa’a Samoa, and discussion of self-government and future status. April 17, 2026 falls on Friday. ASG closure follows territorial law, while private and essential-service schedules remain separate.