Flag Day

Interesting logic that goes into our national symbols. And I picked three flags based on yesterday's bombings in London, American sympathy, and the murder of Ihab al-Sharif, Egyptian ambassador-designate in Iraq.




Commonly referred to as the Union Jack, the Union Flag only becomes a "Jack" when flown from a ship's jack mast. Its symbolism: it brings together the red cross of Saint George (the patron saint of England), the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland), and the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland). Apparently (and do correct me if I'm wrong), the Welsh flag was never incorporated into the design as Wales had been annexed so very much earlier.




The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies, and the fifty stars represent the current states of the United States. The name Old Glory was most commonly used for the flag between 1912 and 1959. The Stars and Stripes is another name for the flag. Its colors also signify purity and innocence (white); hardiness and valour (red), and vigilance, perseverance and justice (blue).




The Egyptian flag here depicted was adopted in 1984, replacing the 1923 flag which was green and featured three stars in a crescent, representing the peoples of Egypt--Muslims, Christians and Jews. The Egyptian national emblem, the golden eagle of Saladin, graces the center of the flag. The colors of the flag signify (according to "the rules of Heraldry" which all modern flags follow) peace and honesty (white); hardiness, bravery, strength and valour (red), and determination (black). Wikipedia notes that the colours of the flag are Pan-Arab.

National Emblems

And now onto a tangent, based on some amusing national emblems (as per Wikipedia):

Estonia: Chimney Swallow
England: Lion or Bulldog. Yes, bulldog.
Moldova: Auroch. ("Conservation status: extinct" says the caption. Apparently ITIS disagrees.)

Then again, Russia and Serbia go for mythical creatures in their two-headed eagles, and Wales and China in dragons.

How fun, fantastical and magical we country-folk are!

The Auroch


And finally,

The History and Evolution of Flags, according to a site I just lost sight of (on the Egyptian flag):

* The idea of flying a flag grew from the requirements of ancient warfare and the battlefield
* Shields were painted with emblems to identify Friend or Foe
* Warriors needed to know where their leaders were - the custom of carrying a pole was adopted
* An emblem such as a shield, animal or religious device was attached to the pole for identification
* The emblems were also used for identity and to cover suits of armour - Coats of Arms were born
* These emblems were the forerunners of modern flags
* The Romans were the first to use a cloth flag - they were square and fastened to cross bars at the end of spears - the idea of fastening a flag to the side of a pole soon followed
* The strict rules of Heraldry are still used when designing an emblem and creating a modern flag

Interesting, no?