The Story Behind Your Country's Flag

[Annette]

Paul's flag thread gave me an idea... What is the story behind your country's flag? And what is your flag called?

THE DANISH NATIONAL FLAG
According to the legend, Dannebrog fell down from the sky on June 15, 1219 to the Danish King Valdemar II during his crusade to Estonia. With the flag in hand, the King won the battle at Lyndanise near Reval (Tallinn). The flag was given to him as a divine approval. This is the explanation Danes like to give in order to tell the origin of the Danish national flag.

If the legend of how Dannebrog became the Danish national flag were true, it would make it the World's oldest national flag still in use. The first factual proof that Dannebrog was used to represent the king of the Danes can be seen as soon as in the fourteenth century as it was incorporated in the coat of arms of King Valdemar III.

The word Dannebrog literally means the cloth of the Danes.

When Do the Danes Hoist Dannebrog?

The official days on which the flags are flown are divided into four categories: religious holidays, national days, birthdays in the Royal Family and military flag-flying days. Only the first three categories are used by the Danish public.

In addition, Dannebrog is hoisted on the special days of Danish families: birthdays, weddings....

Religious Holidays
New Year's Day
Good Friday - The flag is at half staff the whole day
Easter Day
Ascension Day
Whit Sunday
Christmas Day

National Days
April 9 Occupation of Denmark 1940 - The flag is at half staff till noon and then at full
May 5 Liberation of Denmark 1945
June 5 Constitution Day
June 15 Valdemar Day - The "birthday" of the flag

Birthdays in the Royal Family
April 16 Queen Margrethe II
April 29 Princess Benedikte
May 26 Crown Prince Frederik
June 7 Prince Joachim
June 11 Prince Henrik
June 30 Princess Alexandra

Military Flag-flying Days
February 2 Battle of Mysunde 1864
February 11 Storm of Copenhagen 1659
April 2 Battle of Reden 1801
April 18 Battle at Dybbøl 1864
May 9 Battle at Helgoland 1864
July 6 Battle at Fredericia 1849
July 25 Battle at Isted 1850
October 4 Storm of Frederiksstad 1850
More (http://www.ambwashington.um.dk/en/menu/InformationaboutDenmark/Culture/DanishNationalSymbols/The+Danish+National+Flag/)

Interesting... I never knew we had military flag days.. Probably because it's not a public flag day or something.

[Paul]

England's flag of St George is the red cross and white background.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/geography/stgeorge.gif

In 1194 A.D., Richard I of England introduced the Cross of St. George, a red cross on a white ground, as the the national flag of England.

At this point in the story on the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were separate countries.

Without going too much into the history (its complicated) various Kings and Queens ruled England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland and by joining the flags it solved problems, such as English / Scottish sailors not liking each others flags but having to serve together......

The formation of the Union Flag (Union Jack) came about as the result of the progressive merging of the inhabitants of the British Isles under one throne.

The flags of the Patron Saints of England, Scotland and Ireland are represented on the Union Flag:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/geography/woody.gif

The Welsh dragon does not appear on the flag because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, Wales was already united with England. Told you it was complicated!

Thanks to some school's website for that info....... :D

[shania-little]

Wow! This is indeed interesting!
I'll look up more information about the history of the Dutch flag tomorrow ;) Tired now :p

[Skippy95]

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7532/france9gi.gif

French flag, stemming from the Révolution, was drawn by Jacques-Louis David in 1794.
Blue was the colour of St-Martin's cape, white was Jeanne of Arc's colour and red simbolizes the banner of Charlemagne (don't know his english name sorry).

Holly days:

Juanary, 1st: Jour de l'An (New Year's Day)

May, 1st: Fete du travail (??? in english)

May, 8th: Armistice 1945 (end of WW2)

July, 14th: Fete Nationale (National Holliday)

November, 11th: Armistice 1918 (end of WW1)

There are also religious days(easters...)

[Kristian]

http://img.tfd.com/wiki/8/87/Germany_flag_large.png

Not really sure, but there are two theories why Germany has the black, red and gold colors, some people say it was because of the uniform the army used against Napoleon, and some people say it's because of the black eagle.

[Shaniabomber99]

Interesting thread....I'll do mine later


Carley

[Shaniabomber99]

The Australian Flag

http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/flags/australia-icon.gif

The Australian Flag came into being after the the federation of the Australian States into the Commonwealth of Australian on 1 January, 1901. The Commonwealth Blue Ensign was selected a a result of a public competition (over 30 000 designs were submitted); although selected in 1901 and gazetted in 1903, it was not given Royal assent and adopted as the definitive Australian flag until 1954 in the Flags Act 1953 (Act No. 1 of 1954)! It is based on the Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom, is twice as long as it is wide, and consists of a dark blue field that can be notionally divided into four quadrants. There is a different motif in each of the upper and lower hoist quadrants and the remaining two quadrants of the fly share another different constellation motif.

The present Australian flag can be considered to consist of three main elements:


The Union Jack in the upper hoist quadrant or first quarter (also know as the Canton), denoting Australia's historical links with Great Britain. The Union Jack itself is composed of red and white intersecting and overlayed vertical and diagonal crosses on a blue background,

The Southern Cross in the second quarter (also known as the top or head) and fourth quarter. Consists of five stars in a more or less kite-like pattern - Alpha Crucis (7-point), Beta Crucis (7-point), Gamma Crucis (7-point), Delta Crucis (7-point) and the smaller Epsilon Crucis (5-point). The outer diameter of each of the 4 major stars is 1/7 the width of the fly and the inner diamter is 4/9 outer diamete; the diameter of Epsilon Crucis is 1/12 the width of the fly and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter. The constellation of the Southern Cross is a significant navigational feature of the southern hemisphere, strongly places Australian geographically and has been associated with the continet since its earliest days,

The Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation, central in the third quarter or lower hoist, has seven points to denote the six states and the combined territories of the Commonwealth. The seventh point was added in 1909. The outer diameter is 3/5 the width of the Union Jack (3/10 the width of the fly) and the inner diameter is 4/9 the outer diameter.
Other Australian Ensigns
The Australian Army is represented by and protector of the Australian National Flag. In addition to the the Commonwealth Ensign, there are three other official Australian ensigns:

The Australian Red Ensign - Merchant Navy, as for the Australian flag, but with a red field with white stars. Proclaimed in the Flags Act 1953. Covers Australian registered ships under section 30 of the Shipping Registration Act 1981.

The Australian White Ensign - Royal Australian Navy - as for the Australian flag but with a white field and dark blue stars. Gazetted in 1967.

The Sky-blue Ensign - Royal Australian Air Force - as for the Australian flag but with a pale blue field, the southern cross rotated clockwise c. 20 degrees and the blue roundel with white inner and red kangaroo of the Royal Australian Air Force in the lower fly. Gazetted in 1982.

Flags Similar to the Australian Flag
Several nations and territories have flags with similar appearance to the Australian National Flag, reflecting either a common British colonial history or previous association with Austrlaia. Most notable is the New Zealand National Flag, a Blue Ensign with a Southern Cross of four red stars.
State and Territory Flags
Each of the six states of Australia has its own Official State Flag consisting of a Blue Ensign defaced with the badge or heraldic device of the state concerned; the heraldic devices are those represented in the Commonwealth Arms.
The flags of the Australian territories and of more individual nature and are not based on the Blue Ensign.

Other "Australian" Flags
The Queen's Personal Flag for Australia
This flag is for the Queen's personal use when in Australia and was approved by her in 1962. It is based on the Australian Commonwealth Arms in the form of a banner n the ratio 31:22 of the Arms in rectangular form with the Ermine border, superimposed with a large gold 7-pointed star at the centre, the star bearing a blue roundel with the gold initial 'E', the Royal Crown and a circle of gold roses. It is use in the same manner as the Royal Standard in the United Kingdon, to denote the monach's presence.
The Governor General's Flag
This flag was gazetted for the personal use of the Queen's representative in Australia in 1936. It is a royal blue, twice as long as wide. It bears the Royal Crest in gold ('on a St Edward's Crown a Lion statant guardant also crowned') beneath which is a gold scroll with the words 'COMMONWEALTH of AUSTRALIA' in dark blue letters. It is flown continuously whenever the Govenor General is in residence and on vehicles in which he (or she?) is travelling.
The "Eureka Flag"
This is a famous but unofficial Australian flag, that features a white vertical cross on a blue background five whsite, blue-margined, 8-pointed stars superimposed at the end of each arm of the cross and at the intersection of the arms, a stylized Southern Cross. First used in Victoria in 1854 by a group of rebellious gold-miners protesting the cost of prospecting licences at the 'Eureka stockade', this flag has become the symbol of Australians prepared to fight to defend rights and liberties. It has been adopted as a symbol by some of the more militant trade unions and has also been used as symbol of the republican movement.
The Republican Movement
Associated with recent republican activities in Australian there have been several campaigns to find a new Australian flag and other icons that reflect the 'true Australian identity'. The Eureka flag has been suggested as a suitable replacement for the current Australian flag. One proposal includes a flag with a blue field with a central enlarged Southern Cross. This issue of a new Australian Flag has created a great deal of spirited debate.

The Flag of Aboriginal Australia
This flag was adopted as the symbol of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people when it was first flown in 1971. It is a strident 3-colour flag composed of a large central yellow circle imposed on a background of a red lower half and a black upper half; the black represents the Aboriginal people, the yellow the sun as a life force, the red the earth and the blood of the Aboriginal people. It has no official government standing but is becoming widely recognized and acknowledged by the community and is perhaps the only symbol commonly accepted by the diversity of Aboriginal people.

Major Public Holidays in Australia


Australia Day Wednesday 26 January 2005
Good Friday Friday 25 March 2005
Easter Monday Monday 28 March 2005
Anzac Day Monday 25 April 2005
Christmas Day Monday 26 December 2005
Boxing Day Tuesday 27 December 2005
New Year's Day Monday 2 January 2006

New South Wales Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 28th - April 8th
Term 2 April 26th - July 1st
Term 3 July 18th - September 23rd
Term 4 October 10th - December 21st

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Queensland Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 24th - March 24th
Term 2 April 4th - June 17th
Term 3 July 4th - September 9th
Term 4 September 26th - December 9th

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Victorian Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 27th - April 1st
Term 2 April 18th - June 24th
Term 3 July 11th - September 16th
Term 4 October 3rd - December 21st

Australian Capital Territory Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 27th - April 8th
Term 2 April 26th - July 1st
Term 3 July 18th - September 23rd
Term 4 October 10th - December 16th

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Western Australian Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 31st - April 8th
Term 2 April 26th - July 1st
Term 3 July 18th - September 23rd
Term 4 October 10th - December 8th

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Northern Territory Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 January 25th - April 1st
Term 2 April 11th - June 24th
Term 3 July 26th - September 30th
Term 4 October 10th - December 16th

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Tasmania Schools (All dates are inclusive)


Term 1 February 17th - May 27th
Term 2 June 14th - September 2nd
Term 3 September 19th - December 21st

:)

Carley

[Shaniabomber99]

Christmas Day Monday 26 December 2005 <----Okay we know Xmas day is Dec 25 but cuz Xmas day is on a Sunday and no one works Sunday They've moved it to Monday :)

Carley

[shania-little]

History and description of the Dutch flag

http://flagspot.net/images/n/nl.gif

The tricolour of the Netherlands with its three horizontal stripes is one of the world’s sovereign flags. It is not the country's first flag. When, at the end of the l5th century, the majority of the provinces of the Low Countries were united under one lord, a single common flag came into use for joint expeditions. This was the banner of the Duke of Burgundy, which consisted of a white field charged with two bundles of red laurel branches in the form of an X, with flames issuing from the intersection: the Cross of Burgundy. Under the House of Habsburg, this flag remained in use.

In the 1560s, however, the provinces of the Low Countries rose in revolt against King Philip II of Spain, and the Prince of Orange placed himself at the head of the rebels. The "Watergeuzen" or Sea Beggars (pro-independence pirates), acting on his instructions, harassed the enemy everywhere under an orange-white-blue tricolour or "Orange Blanche Bleu", the colours of the Prince's coat of arms. It was thus a flag easily associated with the leader, and the association was expressed in the name the Prince's Flag. It is not known when this flag was unfurled for the first time, but it can be seen in illustrations dating from the earliest days of the Dutch War of Independence.

The flag had three, sometimes six or even nine horizontal stripes, but also took the form of rays projecting from a circle. The colours were used without any fixed order and it was only towards the end of the 16th century that any degree of uniformity appeared. After 1630, the orange stripe was gradually replaced by a red one, as paintings of that time indicate. Since there was no political reason for introducing a non-orange motif in the flag, the probable reason is that orange and blue are faint colours and more difficult to distinguish than red and dark blue, especially at sea. However that may be, since about the year 1630, the Dutch national flag has always been red-white-blue and has always borne the name the Prince's Flag.

The orange-white-blue flag, however, continued to be flown as well. In addition, a third official flag, that of the States General, came into being, although it never assumed the importance of the tricolour. Originally it consisted of the red lion of the Province of Holland, taken from its coat of arms, on a gold field, and later, of a gold lion on a red field. It was not at odds with the Prince's flag and in old paintings of ships and sea battles, both flags may be seen flying harmoniously side by side, thus illustrating the complex form of government with its two centres of authority: the stadholder (who was always a member of the House of Orange) and the States General.

The diversity in form and colour of the Dutch national flags in the time of the Republic of the United Provinces shows clearly that a flag is not immutable, but evolves with the country it represents and frequently reflects that country's history. Very few national flags have retained their original form. The oldest national flag existing is that of Denmark, the "Dannebrog" (Danish cloth), which dates from 1219. Since a flag evolves with its country, the most radical changes take place in periods of revolutionary upheaval. The best known example of this was the replacement of the "fleur-de-lis" flag of the French monarchy by the present tricolour during the French Revolution.

The revolution in the Netherlands, in the last decade of the 18th century, and the conquest by the French also resulted in another flag. The name "Prince's Flag" was banned. No change was made to the red-white-blue (colours to which the French liberators were kindly disposed, as they were similar to their own tricolour), but in 1796 the red part of the flag was embellished with a female figure personifying the Netherlands, with a lion at her feet. In one hand she bore a shield with the Roman fasces and in the other a lance crowned with the cap of liberty. This flag had a life as short as that of the Batavian Republic for which it was created. Louis Napoleon, made king of Holland by his brother, wished to pursue a purely Dutch policy and to respect national susceptibilities as much as possible. He removed the maiden of freedom from the flag and restored the old tricolour. His pro-Dutch stance led to conflicts with his brother the Emperor, however, and the Netherlands was incorporated into the French Empire. Its flag was replaced by the imperial emblems.

In 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence and the Prince of Orange returned to the country from England. The tricolour reappeared from the attics and cellars where it had remained hidden for three years, waiting for better times. To demonstrate the attachment of the people to the House of Orange, the orange-white-blue and the red-white-blue fluttered together from the rooftops. Which of them should be the national flag was left undecided. Until recently, both had had the same rights, although the red-white-blue was generally given precedence. This is apparent from the fact that it was not only hoisted on public buildings but also chosen by the first King as his personal standard, showing the national coat of arms on the white stripe. From the same period dates the custom, deriving spontaneously from the popular will, of flying an orange pennon together with the national flag as a sign of allegiance to the House of Orange.

In 1937 a Royal Decree laid down the red, white and blue colours as the national flag (heraldic colours of bright vermilion, white and cobalt blue).

Days when the flag is flown on official buildings

31 January
H.M. the Queen's birthday

27 April
H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander's birthday

30 April
Official celebration of the Queen's birthday

4 May
Remembrance Day (half-mast from 18.00 to 20.15)

5 May
Liberation Day

17 May H.R.H. Princess Máxima's birthday

15 August
End of World War II in the Pacific

3rd Tuesday in September
Opening of Parliament (in The Hague only)

15 December
Day honouring the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands

http://flagspot.net/images/n/nl-orang.gif
An orange pennant is hoisted above the national flag on birthdays of members of the Royal House or other occasions in which the Royal House is involved, except when hoisted half mast.

[Afonso]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/Portugal/portugal_flag1.jpg

Meaning of the Flag

Colours
The flag has a much more ambiguous meaning than the traditional one. During the Estado Novo, the nationalist authoritarian regime which lasted from 1933 until the 1974 Carnation Revolution, it was said that the green represented the woods of Portugal and the red represented the blood of those who died serving the nation. This definition of the colours is currently the commonly accepted one, however the original meaning could be much more uncertain. Some theories claim that red represents the sunrise and sunset over the Portuguese ships during the Discoveries in the 16th century and the green represents the colour of the deep sea, which were sailed firstly by Portuguese all around the world. Other less nationalists theories allege that the green and red are the traditional colours of Iberic Federalism, a Republican-Socialist ideology very common at the beginning of the 20th century and which defended the political union of Portugal and Spain.


Portuguese shield
The traditional Portuguese shield (escudo) is present in almost every single Portuguese flag. And it is the prime Portuguese symbol, and it is one of the oldest national symbols still used in the world and certainly one of the oldest in Europe. Used for more than 800 years, it is represented in all the Portuguese flags, except the first one. But the shield is in fact an evolution whose roots are in the first flag (1143-1185) and first king of Portugal.

The five white points in the five shields in the centre of the flag refer to a legend concerning the first King of Portugal, King Afonso Henriques or Afonso I. The story tells that before the Battle of Ourique (26 July 1139), King Afonso I was praying for the protection of the Portuguese people when a vision of Jesus on the cross appeared to him. King Afonso won the battle and, in gratitude, incorporated Christ's five wounds into his flag. This is said to be a myth, very similar to what occurred with the Roman Emperor Constantine. Some suggest it was said to be like that in order to the Holly See recognize the Portuguese king. The five shields represent the five Moorish kings defeated in the Battle of Ourique.

The castles, originally nine, are a symbol of the Portuguese victories under King Alfonso III command over their enemies, relating to the nine Moorish castles defeated by Portugal in 1249; it was also the symbol of the Kingdom of Algarve, the last one conquered by the Portuguese, when the definitive borders have been settled. Later, King John II reduced the number of castles in the flag down to seven.


Armillary sphere
The circular design is an armillary sphere which replaced the crown in the old monarchist flag. It represented the Portuguese Colonial Empire at the time of the Revolution and the discoveries that Portugal made. It was the symbol of King Emanuel II (1495-1521), the fortunate king, in an Era where the Portuguese empire reached its peak (the Portuguese golden age), the sphere was used in town and city pillories. And this is the meaning of the armillary sphere.

However, the sphere was firstly used in the Portuguese Flag by John VI (1816-1826) as a symbol of the kingdom of Brazil when he declared Brazil a kingdom under the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve. It was removed after the king's death, as Brazil got independent during his reign, and we know today that it was mostly due to his own will, rather that his son, Pedro I of Brazil, in order to keep the territory in the family.

Days when the flag is flown on official buildings

April 25
Liberty day

May 1
Labor day

June 10
Portugal day

October 5
Proclamation of Portuguese Republic

December 1
Restoration of Port. Independence

[FinnFreak]

Before gaining independence in 1917, Finland was since the first crusade in 1155 a part of Sweden until incorporated into the Russian empire in 1809. The flags of these two countries were also used as the official Finnish flag and, even though under Russian rule the autonomous grand duchy of Finland had its own arms displaying a lion, the country did not have any official flag depicting its national symbols. However, the arms were widely used as an unofficial Finnish flag, and in fact, its colours, red and yellow, became unofficial national colours.

http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK4.GIF


http://www.tpk.fi/eng/institution/suomen_vaakuna.gif
The coat of arms of Finland


Not much is known about the origins of the Finnish arms. The monument of The King of Sweden Gustav Vasa in Uppsala cathedral completed in the 1580s is the oldest known display of the emblem, and the design used in it was also adopted by the newly independent Finland as its national arms in 1917. Before that, the emblem had been used for the Swedish possessions east of the Gulf of Bothnia until 1809, and by Finland when a grand duchy of the Russian Empire.

The act on the arms of Finland (381/78) describes the emblem as follows:

"A crowned lion rampant on a red field holding a raised sword in an armoured hand replacing the animal's right front leg, and trampling a sabre with its hind legs; the lion, the crown, the hilts and the joints of the armour being in gold, and the blades of the weapons, and the armour itself being of silver; nine silver rosettes being scattered in the field."


It has been assumed that the lion comes from the House of Folkung, which is also present in the Coat of Arms of Sweden. The two kinds of swords are similar to the ones in the Coat of Arms of Karelia. The curved Russian sabre placed under the feet of the lion reflects the political situation during the period. At that time, Sweden and Russia had been under constant war. The nine roses are often assumed to represent the nine historical provinces of Finland, but the number of roses has varied during history and is unrelated to the provinces.


The song "Maamme" (Our country) that eventually became the Finnish national anthem, was first performed at a student spring festival near Helsinki in 1848. As part of the celebrations, the flag of the Helsinki University Student Union depicting the Finnish arms on a white field was displayed. Inspired by the event, numerous cultural and political figures, especially the writer and historian Zachris Topelius suggested that Finland should have a national flag of its own. A lively debate ensued, and during the following decades, several proposals for a Finnish flag were made.

http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK1.GIF http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK2.GIF http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK3.GIF http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK5.GIF http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK6.GIF http://www.uta.fi/suomi80/LIPPUK7.GIF

The debate continued throughout the 1850s and 1860s, and blue and white gained support as Finnish national colours. However, the Finnish Diet never took up the matter, and the debate was limited to newspapers. Nevertheless, Finns used many of the proposed flag designs at their country homes in the late 19th century, and gradually blue and white were also adopted by yacht clubs for their flags and pennants.


Finland declared independence on 6 December 1917


The occasion was celebrated by flying the red and yellow lion flag from the Government Palace the same day, and during the first months of independence, it was also used as the semi-official state flag. The flag had a crimson-red field displaying the lion depicted in the arms of Finland, the golden animal armed in silver and surrounded by rosettes of the same colour.



Blue cross on a white field - May 27th 1918


The flag with "the blue of our lakes and skies - and the white of the snow of our winters and white nights of our summer"


It takes two forms, the national (civil) flag and the state flag:


http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/images/kanlippu.gif
The national flag

http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/images/valippu.gif
The state flag


The state flag is either rectangular or threepointed. The coat of arms of Finland is inset in the square formed by the intersecting arms of the cross. The square has a yellow border, the width of which is onefortieth of the width of the cross. State departments and establishments fly the rectangular state flag. The Defence Forces use the threepointed version of the flag, which is one unit of measurement longer than the national flag or the rectangular state flag. The President of the Republic uses a threepointed version of the state flag, in the canton of which a blue and yellow Cross of Freedom is featured.


The days on which the Finnish flag is flown are divided into days on which it must be flown from public buildings by law and those when flying the flag is an established custom.

Private persons, associations and companies are also free to fly the Finnish flag on other days. The flag can be displayed as a sign of respect or mourning or to celebrate a special occasion.


Finnish official flag-raising days in 2005

Saturday February 5 - National Poet Runeberg's Day
Monday February 28 - Kalevala, the Finnish National Epic Day
Saturday April 9 - Finnish Language Day
Wednesday April 27 - Veterans' Day
Sunday May 1 - Labour Day
Sunday May 8 - Mothers' Day
Thursday May 12 - Finnish Heritage Day
Sunday May 15 - Remembrance Day
Saturday June 4 - Flag Day of Defence Forces
Saturday June 25 - Midsummer Day
Wednesday July 6 - Summer and Poetry Day
Monday October 10 - Finnish Literature Day
Monday October 24 - United Nations Day
Sunday November 6 - Finnish-Swedish Heritage Day
Sunday November 13 - Fathers' Day
Tuesday December 6 - Independence Day of Finland


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/FinnFreak/Finland.gif


John - :)

[Troll]

Some great info everybody.

[scotsman4shania]

Scottish Flag from St Andrew of Scotland

http://photobucket.com/albums/v202/scotsman4shania/de74cdec.gif

Legend says that in 832 AD, an army of Scots was facing a Northumbrian army. The Scottish king prayed to St Andrew for help, and saw the saltire of St Andrew (the saint had been martyred on a diagonal cross) in the heavens against a clear blue sky. On seeing the cross in the sky, he swore that if the Scots beat the English in the battle that was about to be joined, then St Andrew would forever be the patron saint of Scotland

The Scots did in fact win the battle, and from that day on the saltire has been the national flag of Scotland.

You may see another Scottish flag, below

http://photobucket.com/albums/v202/scotsman4shania/SCOT002_sm.jpg


This is the Royal Flag of Scotland, and strictly speaking should only be used by the king or queen of the United Kingdom, in their capacity as monarch of Scotland.

However it is used fairly universally now as a second flag of Scotland. It has even been hijacked by politicians, flying over the offices of the Secretary of State for Scotland (who is the representative of the U.K. government in Scotland) in both London and in Edinburgh.

In one of those peculiarly British edicts on etiquette, the Lord Lyon, the herald responsible for Scottish heraldry, takes the official stance that the Rampant Lion Flag can be waved (as at football matches) but that it cannot be flown from a flagpole without his permission. Indeed he once threatened the town councillors of Cumbernauld with a parliamentary Act of 1679 which prescribed the death penalty for misuse of the royal arms.

[UllaCountryGal]

History of the Icelandic Flag -- Fáni íslenska lýðveldisins

In 1809 a very smart Danish man named Jørgen Jørgensen came to the little island in the north called Iceland. He was the one and only King of Iceland, he ruled here one summer( he was arrested and moved to prison in Tazmania, but all the people on the ship he was on on the way to Australia died on the way, and he became a Police officer in Tazmania). He wanted to free the Icelandic from the Danish king, and he wanted us to get our own flag so he designed this one here:
http://www.ismennt.is/not/ggg/myndir/fani_jor2.gif
blue ground with three dryed cod heads in the corner

In 1870 we got a flag that was heaps more popular than Jørgen's flag had been. It was in use untill about 1875. It was disaproved by the Danish Kingdome. The flaged looked like this:
http://www.ismennt.is/not/ggg/myndir/falki3.gif
blue background with a falcon.
Other flags that the Danish Kingdome disaproved. THey all were disaproved in the ground that they did not look enough like the Danish flag.
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is-u1897.gif flag of 1897
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is!1914b.gif flag of 1914, did look too much like the flag of Greece

In 1915 we got this one:
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is-1915.gif. This one got very popular by the public but didnt get the Kings aproval untill on November 30th 1918 and the day after( December 1st 1918) we got our first official flag as well as our Independence.

Now in 1944 Iceland took advantage of the Danish king as he was busy dealing with Germans at the time and quite being Danish and became a rebublic and on June 17th few did some changes on our flag, we darkened the blue part and got it as it looks now
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/ice/iceland.gif

About the flag:
The blue represents the sea all around us, the white the snow and ice and the red all the fire.
Flag Law
The flag may not touch the earth
The flag may not be up after midnight or after sunset
The flag may bot be up before 7 am
the flag may only be hoisted on aproved flag poles
The flag has to be folded the right way
The falg may not be used for comercial things
The flag shall allways be well kept.
The Flag should be respected.
Anyone who brakes the flag laws, may get high fee or might be prisoned.
for more rules go here (http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/icelandic_flag.htm) .

Offical flag days
1. Fæðingardagur forseta Íslands - Birthday of the president
2. Nýársdagur - New Yearsday
3. Föstudagurinn langi Good Friday
4. Páskadagur - Easterday
5. Sumardagurinn fyrsta - First day of summer
6. 1. maí - Labour Day
7. Hvítasunnudagur - Whit Sunday
8. Sjómannadagurinn Sailors' Day
9. 17. júní - National Holiday---proclamation of the republic
10. 1. desember - proclamation of the independence
11. Jóladagur - Christmas Day

And of course you can pull the flag up on any other day aswell, such as, funeral, weddings birtdays,etc or just everyday

other version of the flag
State flag, may only be used by the state
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is-state.gif
Presidental flag, obviously may only be used by the president
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is-pres.gif
The Customs
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is-custm.gif
The Coast Guard( the english people might have seen the sign before, from all the cod wars)
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is%5Ecg.jpg
The coat of arms:
http://flagspot.net/images/i/is).gif

[Troll]

Some more great looking flags.

[canoilers]

Heres a link too the Canadian Flag and its history. Our Flags History. (http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/df5_e.cfm) There catergory's which explain its birth and such.

[canoilers]

Thanks for these other flags its nice too see where other flags of the world came to be. :D

[marianstfn4ever]

The Mexican flag embodies the rich history of Mexico by evolving from at least three different traditions: the indigenous, the colonial and hispanic religious heritage and the liberal force that advocated the creation of independent sovereign states.

The flag consists of three bands of colors green, white in the middle and red, with the white part containing the symbol of the eagle and the snake.

The indigenous heritage: The cactus, the eagle and the snake

The symbol of the eagle standing on a cactus plant and devouring a snake comes from the times of the Aztecs.The Aztec people were guided by their god Huitzilopochtli to seek a place where an eagle landed on a prickly-pear cactus, devouring a snake. After hundreds of years of wandering they found the sign on a small swampy island in Lake Texcoco. Their new home they named Tenochtitlan ("Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus"). In A.D. 1325 they built a city on the site of the island in the lake; which is now Mexico City.



http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_SM/0001-0406-1116-0952_SM.jpg Our flag

[Troll]

I like the look of the Mexican flag.