Green-red flags of the world. State flag and coat of arms of Nepal - symbols of the country

The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal acquired its flag in December 1962. Since then, it has not changed and is used as one of the most important symbols. The unusual flag of Nepal, whose photographs every traveler in Asia probably has, is interesting both in the sense of shades and in its original form. Let us dwell on each detail in more detail.

Modern look

Surprisingly, the flag of Nepal does not have a rectangular shape! It is practically the only standard in the world with such outstanding proportions. The cloth is created from two triangles located vertically one above the other. Each of them is a symbol of the two branches of the Rana dynasty, the family that has ruled the country since the beginning of the nineteenth century for a hundred years. The main area of \u200b\u200beach of the triangles is bright red. The edges are bordered by a blue stripe. On the upper pennant is a stylized moon in the form of a horizontal crescent, and on the lower there is a star with twelve rays, designed to depict the sun.

Value

Symbols of heavenly bodies, depicted on pennants, serve as signs of hope - for the tranquility and peaceful existence of the state. Nepalese believe that the essence is that the moon and the sun will always be in the sky. That is why they include the flag of Nepal.

The emblem repeats similar symbols. In the center are the footprints of the god Goraknath, above them is a crown, and on the sides are crossed flags and kukri knives, symbolizing the courage of citizens and their willingness to always help loved ones. The emblem also has the inscription “Mother and Homeland is more important than the kingdom of heaven”, this is an old heraldic motto, and on the background are schematic drawings of a cow, pheasant, Himalayan mountains and the contours of the state. The colors in which the Nepal flag is executed have the following meanings. Red is the national shade of the country. The blue bar is designed to indicate the desire for peaceful coexistence with all other peoples.

History of occurrence

The modern banner has been used since the end of 1962. Then, a new constitution was adopted in the country. After the revolution, a return to absolute monarchy took place. Such a system has been preserved for several decades, but even after its change, the chosen symbolism has remained the same. The flag of Nepal is unique - there are square-shaped panels in the world, but triangular, and even including two elements at once, simply does not exist. This makes it easy to remember the symbolism of a given state — it cannot be confused with any other.

The flag of Nepal is unique - it is the only flag in the world whose shape is not rectangular. Raspberry color symbolizes rhododendron - the national flower of Nepal, and it is also the color of victory in the war. The blue rim means peace. Since 1962, after the change of order from monarchical to constitutional, the faces on the flag have been replaced by stylized images of the Sun and the crescent. Interestingly, until the 19th century, the two triangular parts of the flag were separate, that is, the flag consisted of two separate triangular flags.

The white flag is an internationally recognized symbol of ceasefire and ceasefire, as well as a request for negotiation. It also often means surrender, confirming that the one who uses it (the flag) is disarmed and wants negotiations. If one of the parties raised white flag, the fire must be stopped, which is enshrined in the Geneva Declaration.

The black flag, and generally black, has been the traditional color of anarchy since the 1880s. Many anarchist groups have the word “Black” in their name, and there are also periodicals of the anarchists called “Black Flag”. Black color means the rejection of any regulatory functions and all state authorities, as well as protest and struggle, in contrast to the peace-loving white flag.

It is known that homosexuals have their own flag, which depicts the colors of the rainbow. But did you know that there is a flag for the wider masses of non-traditional orientation - transgender people, transvestites and other comrades? It was created in 2000 and first appeared at the gay parade in Phoenix, Arizona. The flag designer explained what the stripes on the banner mean. “Blue is the traditional color of clothes and toys for boys, pink is for girls, and at their intersection is white, as neutral to everyone. It symbolizes those people who do not classify themselves to any gender and the desire to determine and achieve perfection. " Such is the flag.

It is called Jolly Roder, and exists in various forms. All of them have images of the skull and crossbones of the letter X. Sometimes the flag contains an hourglass as a symbol of transitory life. The peak of the spread of this flag occurred in the 17-18 centuries, when seas and oceans plowed formidable pirates, such as John Taylor and Edward Teach (Blackbeard). I wonder what flags do the promoted Somali pirates use?

The Mars flag is a tricolor that does not have official status, but is widely used by the Mars Society and The Planetary Society. This flag shows the future of the Red Planet. Red is the state of Mars today, green and blue is the future, symbolizing the various stages of terraforming Mars (adapting it to human life). So far, however, this process does not go beyond the flag - people can’t divide the pieces of the Earth, much less to Mars ...

The aspect ratio of the main symbol of Nepal is 1 to 1.21901033. It is completely incomprehensible where such a number of digits after the decimal point came from, apparently this is important. We will end the conversation about instructions and size with the fact that the author of this article was not able to draw a flag on the constitution, apparently the lack of artistic ability affected.

Until 1962, the flag was even more complicated. The sun and moon had faces, and there was no blue border on the left side yet. It was decided to abandon the individuals to simplify the flag. And imagine what the instruction would be, not 24 points, but probably 124. And this would be the first legalized instruction for drawing emoticons. As in all country symbols, each color and shape on the flag has its own meaning. Let's start with the symbolism of the form itself. The most logical version of the formation of the flag form can be expressed by the phrase “it happened historically,” the form was simply inherited from the previous flag. But there are other versions. The first is that two pennants symbolize the two religions of the country - Hinduism and Buddhism. It is also believed that two triangles symbolize the Himalayas.

Blue edging is a symbol of peace and tranquility. Nepalese people are really very calm and leisurely. The last revolution and the overthrow of the king lasted here for 11 years (from 1996 to 2007), even in the war the Nepalis are in no hurry. What else to expect from the country - the birthplace of Buddha Gautama.

There are several versions regarding the red symbolism of the Nepal flag. Red is the color of the rhododendron flower, which is one of the symbols of the country. It also symbolizes the brave spirit of the Nepalese people. According to another version, the red triangular flag came here from India, where from ancient times it was considered a symbol of victory, this is written in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana.

By the way, this color is not quite red, rather it is called red-violet - this is the national color of the country of Nepal.

The sun and moon on the flag symbolize the hope that Nepal will exist as long as they are in the sky.

This "interesting" about the symbolism of Nepal does not end there. The country, of course, has a hymn, which consists of only eight lines. It’s probably practical, you don’t have to learn a lot. For Russian football players who open their mouths just like fish, this could help during the performance of the anthem.

The text of the anthem (translation into Russian from the site):

Woven from hundreds of flowers, we are a single wreath, we are Nepalese.

Extending from Swords to Mahakali,

A country of endless natural wealth.

Thanks to the victims of our brave men, our country is free and unbending.

A land of knowledge, peace, fields, hills and high mountains.

An indivisible, beloved country, our homeland is Nepal.

Many nations, languages, religions and cultures have an incredible interweaving,

Our progressive nation, long live Nepal!

That’s the Nepalese’s patriotic hymn. About the country of knowledge, of course, it is not entirely true that about half of the country's inhabitants are not literate. We would not call Nepal a “country of knowledge”.

Another symbol of Nepal is a cow. Cows are actively bred, using as draft animals and for dairy products. Beef and veal are not eaten.

Have a good trip and read our other articles about Nepal ( links below).

Hello dear. Today we will continue the issues of vexillology. In previous posts, we discussed identical flags, as well as similar banners, and
Today we’ll talk about unusual, non-standard flags. In fact, any state banner is unusual and non-standard, because it expresses the individuality of each state, its peculiarity and if you want a "soul". But among all the banners that are particularly striking can be distinguished. I rushed (well, or stuck) about 20 flags, which I will tell about. But for starters, I formally divide these banners into 3 groups depending on their unusual and non-standard. Group I will include flags with non-standard proportions, shapes and sizes, the second - banners with individual and rare patterns or ornaments. Well, in the 3rd group I will take all the other flags that hit me with something or surprised me with something.
Today we start with group I.

banners of the city-state of the Vatican.

The vast majority of countries in the world have a state flag of rectangular shape with proportions (ratio of width and length) 1: 2, 2: 3, 3: 5 or 5: 7.
But there are a few flags. Which absolutely do not fit into these standards. These are absolutely square banners of Switzerland and the Vatican, close to the square flags of the Niger (proportions 6: 7), Belgium (13:15) and Monaco (4: 5), the very narrow and long flag of Qatar (proportion 11:28) and absolutely different no matter what the state standard of Nepal.

the deceased royal family of Nepal.

We talked about the flags of Niger, Qatar and Monaco in previous posts, so we will start with the most non-standard of all - the state flag of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. I am writing the full name at the moment of this state and I myself am surprised - I just can’t get used to it. Indeed, even up to 2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy, and the country itself was called the Kingdom of Nepal. But after the terrifying tragedy of 2001, when Crown Prince Dipendra shot his entire family, including his father, the reigning 5th king of Nepal, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and shot himself, in a country in which it was already restless, it flared up to its full height civil War. As a result, the Maoists from the united Marxist-Leninist Communist Party won, who stripped the ruling house of power and proclaimed the country a republic. Now in Nepal, the same instability persists, and how it will continue to continue, which way the country will go, no one can guess. If over the next 3-5 years the power elite does not change, then I can almost with absolute certainty predict that the current state flag will be changed.

official flag of Nepal.

The flag consists of 2 triangular banners one above the other and the meanings and interpretations of this symbolism are more than enough. The simplest is the combination of the two branches of the Rana Dynasty, which ruled and ruled Nepal. The lower flag belongs to the Ran dynasty, from which the prime ministers of the state came from the end of the 19th century, and the highest belongs to the Shah dynasty, which were related to the Ran dynasty, but since 1911 they have occupied the royal throne. The union of these two families, as well as their ancestral symbols, speak of eternity, of peaceful rule by Nepal, while the heavenly bodies shine - the Sun (indicated by the Big Star) and the Moon (star and crescent). In addition, the sun means determination, and the moon appeasement, a combination of 2 principles. Interpretations of the flag form also include hints of the greatest peaks of the Himalayas, the Buddhist Pagoda, as well as a combination of 2 main religions, at the intersection of which is Nepal - Hinduism and Buddhism. The dark red color is the official color of Nepalese since ancient times, and the blue strip on the edge means peace and quiet.

Swiss flag on one of the alpine peaks.

The flag of Switzerland is recognizable all over the world. It is one of the oldest in Europe since it was first seen at the Battle of Laupen on June 21, 1339 as the banner of the so-called Swiss Union, which was an ally of the land of Bern in the struggle against the Habsburgs and Burgundians. True, then the rays of the cross reached the edge of the banner, which by the way was rectangular, so that the standard of the Swiss Union resembled the current flag of the Order of Malta. However, already from the middle of the 15th century, the cross began to undergo metamorphoses and began to resemble a little the one we see today. The modern flag was introduced in 1848 as a military one, and its exact proportions were established in the military regulations of 1852. This flag became the national flag only in 1889. It is precisely of a square shape because of its military origin, because often in the troops they use exactly square standards. The red and white colors of the flag are most likely borrowed from the banner of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, which were used from the 13th to 14th centuries, although the Swiss themselves say that the flag has not a red color, but a mixture of purple and yellow.

J. A. Dunant

Well, it must be said that the Swiss flag was taken as the basis of the symbols of such an organization as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The mirror replacement of the flag (red cross on a white panel) was adopted in connection with the Geneva Convention of 1864, as well as commemorating the founder of the organization, Jean Henri Dunant (Swiss citizen)

kingdom of Belgium flag

The next in a row is the flag of the Kingdom of Belgium. I really like the combination of colors of the flag of this state. There is something noble, interesting, bright in them. Often, the Belgians themselves do not know that their barrier should not be rectangular, but practically square, but this is indeed the case and this form is enshrined in law (article 193 of the Belgian Constitution, however, there, for some reason, the reverse order of colors: red-yellow-black) . This flag is based on the revolutionary tricolor of 1830, the stripes of which were, however, not vertical, but horizontal. According to the official version, the colors of the standard are taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, which, by the way, later became the coat of arms of the whole of Belgium (a golden lion with red claws and a tongue on a black field).

Flanders and Walloon Coats of Arms

There is another version. The French flag is taken as a basis, since the capital of Belgium, Brussels, refers to the Walloons, which are historically pro-French. The flag combines the colors of 2 historical parts of the country, the two peoples inhabiting Belgium - the black and yellow colors of Flanders and the red and yellow Wallonia.

Godffroy of Bouillon in the cotta of colors of the coat of arms of the Jerusalem state.

The flag of the Vatican, which we can currently observe, was approved on June 7, 1929 by Pope Pius XI after signing with the government of Benito Mussolini the Lateran Agreements on the creation of the Vatican as independent state. The flag was inherited from the Papal region and, despite the apparent simplicity of colors, is unique in nature. The fact is that often the symbolism on various banners migrated to them from the emblems of certain regions or specific feudal lords. And heraldry is a fairly accurate science, in which there are several fundamental rules, the main of which is the impossibility of applying metal to metal.

banner of the papal region until 1804

Yellow and white color symbolize gold and silver, respectively, and on the coat of arms you can see such a combination only once in history - the coat of arms of this medieval Kingdom of Jerusalem. The same situation with flags - the combination of white and yellow is very rare. Offhand only comes to mind imperial flagyes banner of Brunei. Despite the fact that both the first and second were precisely white-yellow, and not silver-gold flags, as intended by the Vatican. The combination of these two precious metals shows the special status of the Vatican. At the same time, the white-yellow panel symbolizes both the golden and silver keys on the coat of arms of the Vatican. An interesting point, the white and yellow flag of the Papal region was not always. Until 1814, amaranth (red) - yellow banner was used. But after the expulsion of the French, a decision was made to replace him.

Coat of arms of the Vatican.

Another important element of the flag is the papal emblem, located on a silver strip. The emblem is a gold and silver keys crossed in the shape of the St. Andrew's cross, with beards facing up and out. The keys are tied with a cord, usually red or blue, the two ends of which come down from the handles. The keys are crowned with a tiara. A hint of the Gospel of Matthew 16:19 - “and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you allow on earth will be allowed in heaven.” The triple crown (tiara) represents the "three forces of the Supreme Pontiff:" High Priest "," High Shepherd "and" Supreme Teacher ". The golden cross overcoming the triple crown symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus.