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The History Of Some Of The Worlds Flags
by George Pascatt
http://www.flagfx.com
Every country in the world has its own flag. Flags were used
when a new land was discovered. Whoever first discovered it
would plant their flag to signify their claim to the land.
Flags came from the use of staffs or vexilloids, most
commonly used to lead men into battle. These staffs were
decorated with symbols and other items, giving the soldiers
a unified feeling. Later these staffs were adorned with silk
and other types of material, making them resemble the flags
we see today.
Flags have been used for centuries to signify different
things. They can be used to signify civilizations, ideas,
groups, and nations. Flags were not used to symbolize a
nation until the eighteenth century. Today, every nation has
their own flag, each rich with symbolism. This symbolism
often only means something to the inhabitants of that
nation.
The stars and stripes, the national flag of the United
states of America reached its current form in 1960 when
Hawaii joined the USA. The flag was conceived in 1777 and
since then has seen various transformations. The stripes
symbolize the first 13 states that made up the USA and each
state is represented by a star, thus showing 50 stars on the
flag. This symbolizes the unity of all states.
Great Britain's flag is known as the Union Jack. In 1801 it
was designated as the official flag of the country. Their
flag symbolizes its three united countries of England,
Scotland, and Ireland. In 1920 Ireland split and now the
Union Jack represents only Northern Ireland. The familiar
Union Jack also appears on other flags including Australia.
The Canadian flag is made up of a red maple leaf and red
stripes. The maple leaf was a Canadian symbol for many
years, and the flag bearing it became official in 1965. The
stripes stand for the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans which
border the country on each side.
Barbados's flag is also filled with symbolism. It bears two
blue stripes that stand for the ocean and sky. The yellow
center represents the beaches. There is an interesting
story about the trident in the center. The trident
symbolizes Neptune, and their trident is broken to
emphasize that Barbados split from Great Britain in 1966.
The flag became official at that time.
The flag of Israel shows its Jewish values. The flag consist
of blue and white stripes which represent a type of Jewish
shawl used for prayers, and the symbol on the center is the
Star of David. The flag became official in 1948.
Every flag in the world is steeped in history, symbolism,
and quite often religion. Some flags have religious sayings
or symbols on it, showing the values of that particular
nation. New flags are created occasionally, as territories
shift, and nations combine. Two fairly new flags that are
easily recognizable are the flags for the United Nations and
the European Union.
Flags have been used for centuries as a symbol of
identification and play an important step in bringing people
together. The people of a nation identify themselves with
their national flag which is a symbol of pride,
"belongingness", identity and independence.
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