Year: 2010

Flag of Iceland

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The first Icelandic flag has its roots in the mid-14th century when Iceland’s coat of arms included a silver stockfish with a gold crown. Iceland had no real need for a flag until 1809, when a British sea captain from Denmark, Jörgen Jörgensen usurped Iceland and declared himself king.  In doing this, he announced Iceland’s first flag, a blue banner with three stockfish in the upper left corner.  Jörgensen was arrested shortly after doing this, but it wasn’t until 1870 that an Icelandic artist, Sigurdur Gudmundsson, created a new flag with still the same blue background, but this time with a silver falcon in the center.

The earliest version of the Icelandic flag as we know it today was created by Icelandic poet Einar Benediktsson in 1897.  In a newspaper article, he claimed that the falcon flag needed to be replaced because it didn’t follow international traditions.  His version of the flag featured a darker blue background with a large white cross. The King of Iceland at the time didn’t approve of this flag, however, claiming it was too similar to the Greek flag. The blue and white flag continued to be used unofficially until June 12, 1913, when Einar  Petursson was arrested after rowing a boat and flying a small blue and white Icelandic flag around the Reykjavik harbor. Icelanders were outraged by the incident and began flying the blue and white flags everwhere.

This incident prompted a meeting to create an Icelandic flag that would be officially adopted.  Although the parliament wanted the blue flag with the white cross, Danish authorities that were ruling Iceland at the time, would not allow this due to its similarities to the Green flag.  The committee decided on an official flag containing a blue background with a red cross bordered in white on June 19, 1915.  The King of Iceland officially accepted the flag on November 30, 1918, just one day before Iceland became a separate kingdom from Denmark.

The flag of Iceland as we know it today was adopted on June 17, 1944 when Iceland became a republic.  It is the same as the early 20th-century flag, only the shade of blue is slightly darker.  Iceland has strict rules about when and how its flag can be flown, including that the flag is not to be flown before 7:00AM and should be flown until after sunset but not beyond midnight. The flag is always fully drawn on the President of Iceland’s birthday, New Year’s Day, Easter, the first day of Summer, May 1, Pentecost, Sailor’s Day, June 17, December 1, and Christmas.

Flag of Mexico

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Unlike many other flags around the world, Mexico’s national flag is one that has not changed significantly since its first version in 1821. The design of the first Mexican flag was greatly influenced by the flags Mexicans were using during the War of Independence from Spain.  Many of these rebel flags included the eagle on a cactus and the official flag colors: green, white, and red.

Agustín de Iturbide officially decreed Mexico’s first national flag in November 1821, following Mexico’s independence from Spain, although the the flag was not officially used until July 1822.  The flag included the vertical tricolor of green, white, and red, and the national coat of arms, the crowned eagle, in the center.

When Mexico became a federal republic in 1823, the government altered the flag slightly.  Instead of a crowned eagle, the eagle was depicted with a serpent in its right talon.  The flag also included the oak and laurel branches that are still included in the Mexican flag today.

The Federal Republic of Mexico gave way in 1865 to the Second Mexican Empire, and once again, the flag changed.  Still keeping the vertical green, white, and red tricolor pattern, the Emperor Maximilian ordered the ratio of the flag to be changed and for the flag to include four crowned eagles, one in each corner of the flag.  Each eagle stands on a cactus, which is on a rock in a lake, holding a snake in its mouth.

Mexico’s current national flag was approved by President Venustiano Carranza’s decree in 1916, officially adopted on September 16, 1968, and confirmed by law on February 24, 1984.  The current flag still includes the tricolor green, white, and red, but the eagle is no facing to the side instead of to the front.

The Mexican flag is rich in symbolism and history.  The green strip symbolizes the Independnce Movement of the early 19th century.  The white symbolizes the purity of the Catholic religion.  The red symbolizes both the blood of Mexico’s national heroes and recognizes the Spaniards that joined the Mexicans in the fight for independence.  The shield in the center of the white stripe includes an eagle eating a snake, standing on a prickly pear cactus that is on a rock in the middle of a lake.  This coat of arms has its roots in an Aztec legend: the Aztec gods told them to build their city where they found this exact scene.  The Aztecs followed this command and built their first city where Mexico City is today.

The Arizona State Flag

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The Arizona State Flag has its roots in the 1910 National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, even before Arizona was officially a state in the Union. Camp Perry’s shooting matches began in 1907, quickly became popular, and still continue today.  Ideas for the Arizona flag first developed when Arizona rifle team members noticed that many of the states competing in the matches displayed flags or emblems representing their state.   The team captain, Arizona National Guard Colonel Charles Wilred Harris, suggested the idea of a flag for use at the National Rifle Matches.

Arizona State Flag

Harris, along with Carl Hayden, Arizona’s first Congressional Representative, set out to designing a flag.  In patriotic spirit, it was of great importance to Harris and Hayden that the Arizona flag design display historical values in both its design and colors.  Nan Hayden, Carl Hayden’s wife, sewed the first flag, and it was used in the National Rifle Match in 1911.

In 1912, Harris, now Adjunct General of Arizona, designed a similar flag for use as a state flag.  The Arizona State Legislature officially adopted Harris’s flag on February 17, 1917, despite Governor Thomas Campbell’s refusal to sign the bill into law.

The Arizona State Flag consists red and yellow rays on the top half, a blue bottom half, and a copper star in the middle.  There are 13 red and yellow rays, symbolizing the 13 original colonies of the United States and Arizona’s 13 original counties.  The red and yellow symbolize both the colors of Arizona’s beautiful sunsets.  Red and yellow are also the colors on the Spanish flag flown by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his conquistadors during their search for the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540.

The blue bottom half of the flag represents the Liberty Blue found on the U.S. flag.  The copper star in the middle of the flag represents Arizona’s copper-mining industry, which produces the largest amount of copper in the nation.

Arizona indeed has a beautiful flag, and reasons for Thomas Campbell’s refusal to accept the flag are unknown.  As if to spite him, however, a 2001 poll by the North American Vexillological Association voted Arizaon’s state flag as the sixth best flag on the continent.

The Flag of Greece

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The origins of the Greek flag that we know today can be traced back to the Hellenic Revolution in 1821 during which the Greeks declared their independence from the Ottoman Empire. The First National Assembly at Epidaurus adopted the current design, the “sea” flag, differing from the land flag (a white cross on a blue backdrop) and the merchant marine flag (a blue cross on a white background).

The origins of the Greek flag’s two components, a cross and stripes, are difficult to trace.  Both elements have ancient historical connotations, but there are no records from the National Assembly at Epidaurus explaining the exact reasons for the flag’s key features.

There have been dozens of versions of the Greek flag since the early 19th century, but the cross has always been a central feature.  Many versions of the Greek flag feature only a cross (no stripes), sometimes with a coat of arms or crown at the center of the cross displaying allegiance to a particular leader.  The cross on today’s Greek flag occupies the region in the top left corner, and is a white cross with a blue background, much like a mini-version of the old Greek land flag.  The cross, although Greece is now a democracy, demonstrates the Greek people’s devotion to and respect for the Greek Orthodox Church.  During the Ottoman rule, the Greek Orthodox Church helped the Greeks to retain their language, religion, and ethnic identity and Christianity is still the predominant religion among Greeks.

The Greek flag has nine blue and white stripes and there are two popular beliefs regarding the number nine.  There are nine letters in the Greek word for freedom, eleytheria.  There are also nine syllables in the phrase, “Eleftheria i Thanatos,” which translates as “Liberty or Death,” and was the motto during the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821.   And despite popular beliefs, some simply believe that the design of the Greek emulates other prominent flags, such as the British East India Company’s 17th-century flag or the U.S. flag.

The blue and white colors of the flag symbolize the blue water and white-capped waves of the sea that surround the Greek peninsula.  According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, emerged from the waves of the Aegean sea.

Kyrgyzstan Flag

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In light of the recent uprising in Kyrgyzstan, we’ve decided to supply you the public with a bit of information concerning the nation’s flag. Truth be told, the Kyrgyzstan flag is rather attractive, featuring of a glorious red field upon which is placed a brilliant yellow sun with forty uniformly spaced golden rays emanating from it.

The red background of the Kyrgyzstan flag is meant to represent bravery and valor, while the flag’s sun represents peace and wealth. The tunduk, which can be seen at the flag’s center, is a symbol replicated in much of the architecture of Kyrgyzstan and is based on the “crown” of traditional Kyrgyz yurts, or houses. On the Kyrgyzstan flag it’s meant to represent the family home or, by extension, the universe.

As for the forty uniformly spaced golden rays emanating from the brilliant sun, word has it that they represent the forty Kyrgyz tribes that were united against the Mongols by Manas, the epic hero of Kyrgyzstan.

The flag was adopted on March 3, 1992 by the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan, after the nation had become the very last Soviet republic to secede. Today Kyrgyzstan is home to an American military base which is key to our efforts in Afghanistan. The recent uprising in Kyrgyzstan has therefore come as some cause for concern, but we’re sure everything will work out just fine in the end.

World Cup 2010 – Support Your Team!

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be getting under way in less time than you think. It’s scheduled to start on June 11, and whether you’re planning to cheer for the good old U.S. of A. or some other country, a good way of showing your support is by wearing a classy, patriotic patch or pin from the United States Flag Store.

Pins and patches from most of the top teams participating in this year’s World Cup are available, including Brazil, Spain, England, Portugal, Mexico and the United States. If you can’t decide who to cheer for, you can always have pins the feature two country flags custom made. You could, for instance, make a pin featuring the U.S. and British flags.

Many different patches are available at the United States Flag Store as well. Throwing your support behind the French this year? Make sure to check out the French patch, which is machine embroidered and very detailed. Best of all, the patch has a vinyl back, meaning it can be either ironed of sown to just about anything, including backpacks, shirts, pants and hats.

French PatchOf course, flags for each of the countries taking part in the 2010 World Cup are also available. There’s no better way to let the entire neighborhood know where you stand than hanging a beautiful 3×5 flag outside your home. Those from Mexico are particularly attractive if you ask me.

If you’re heading out for the evening to watch the games amongst friends, why get yourself some of our hand flags. Available in both 4×6 inch and 12×18 inch sizes, these flags are perfect for waving in the streets or bars of your hometown. They’re also great for anyone that is actually planning on attending the World Cup, as they can be easily waved from the stands.

The Flag of Cuba

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The flag of Cuba was officially adopted on May 20, 1902, when the United States granted the island, which it had seized control of during the Spanish-American War, its independence. The flag of Cuba’s origins however go back much further than 1902.

The flag of Cuba was designed in 1849 by a poet named Miguel Teurbe Tolón. Tolón’s design included three blue stripes, representing the three parts of the county that were divided from one another during the wars for independence, and two white stripes, which represented the purity of the patriotic cause. The design’s red triangle is meant to stand for the blood that was shed in order to free the nation, while the white star at its center is representative of the island’s independence.

This flag of Cuba was carried into battle by a Venezuelan military leader named Narciso López during his attempt to liberate Cuba. Although López was not victorious, it was indeed the first instance in the flag of Cuba was flown.

According the current government of Cuba (the Castro regime), the meaning behind the flag of Cuba is as follows: the blue strips represent the old divisions of the island; the white stripes represent the strength of the independent ideal; the red triangle symbolizes equality, fraternity and freedom, as well as the blood that was shed during the wars for independence.

Aside from this official flag of Cuba, Fidel Castro’s “26th of July Movement” also created a flag of Cuba which is equally divided into red and black portions, usually in the form of horizontal stripes. The flag often bears inscriptions as well. This flag of Cuba is often flown on public building on the island.

The Flag of Libya

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There are 195 countries in the world today, each of which, presumably, has a unique national flag. Of all those flags, however, there is only one which is made up of one color and one color only, with no designs, insignias or other details whatsoever. The Flag of Libya consists of nothing more than a beautiful field of green. No eagles, coat of arms, rising suns or quarter moons. Just the simplicity that is the color green.

The color green is meant to signify the Libyan people’s devotion to Islam, the state religion. Green is also the national color of Libya and is symbolic of the “Green Revolution” of Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya’s current leader. However, the flag of Libya was not always green. In fact, it once had a leafy palm tree at its center.

The history of the flag of Libya begins in the year 1918, when the short-lived Tripolitanian Republic in Western Libya had its own flag. The flag had a light-blue field and a green palm tree in its center. The palm tree also had a star on top of it, just like a Christmas tree. However, when the Tripolitanian Republic fell in 1923, this version of the flag of Libya was done away with.

Later, in 1951, when Libya gained its independence from Italy, the first flag of modern Libya was adopted. It featured a white crescent and star atop a field of red, black and green. This design was based on the Senussi flag, and is still used to this day abroad by the Libyan opposition movement.

After the 1969 Revolution, the official name of Libya was changed to Al-Jumhuriya al-Arabiya al-Libiya, or the Libyan Arab Republic. This new Republic abolished the previous flag of Libya and replaced it with the Arab Liberation Flag, which was first flown over Egypt after the Revolution of 1952. This particular flag was a tricolor with the colors red, white and black.

In 1972, Libya joined the Federation of Arab Republics and briefly adopted the flag of that organization. It featured a golden hawk holding a scroll with Arabic name of the Federation, Ittihad al-Jumhuriyat al-Arabiya, written upon it.

Finally, in 1977 Libya once again changed its name to Al-Jamahiriya al-Arabiya al-Libiya ash-Sha`biya al-Ishtirakiya, or the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. When this change took place, the all-green flag which continues to be flown today in Libya was also adopted.

The Serbian Flag

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The Serbian flag, in one form or another, has been around for quite some time. The earliest known description of a Serbian flag dates from the year 1281. It comes from a list of treasures belonging to a Serbian king. The description says, “vexillum unum de zendato rubeo et blavo,” which apparently means, “a flag of fabric red and blue.” There is, however, no indication as to how the colors were patterned.

The earliest known drawing of a Serbian flag goes all the way back to the year 1339. The drawing appears on a map made by a famous Majorcan cartographer, Angelino Dulcert. According to the drawing, at that point in history, the Serbian flag featured a two-headed eagle against a yellow field.

During the time of the First Serbian Uprising, several other flags were made use of. One of these flag, featuring a cross and the colors red, white and blue, may be linked to the Serbian flag used today. Other Serbian flags flown during this time period consisted of such combinations of color as red and yellow, red, white and blue, and red and blue. The army taking part in the uprising also used light yellow flags with various symbols upon them, including a black, two-headed eagle.

Today’s Serbian flag is a tricolor made up of what are known as “Pan-Slavic” colors, which are red, blue and white. The colors are arranged in three horizontal bands of equal width. The modern Serbian State flag also features the coat of arms of Serbia, which consists of a double-headed eagle on red shield. The eagle’s wings and body are silver, while its tongues, beaks, legs and claws are golden.

The current Serbian flag was adopted as part of the new Constitution of Serbia on November 8, 2006. On that date, its usage, along with that of the coat of arms and the national anthem, became constitutionally sanctioned.

Celebrate Easter with Festive Flags!

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By Kristi Ries

The tulips are beginning to shoot up, grass is getting greener, birds are chirping and the sunshine seems to be permeating the world these days. Yes, spring is almost upon us, and with that comes all of the great things we look forward to at this time of year: warmer weather, beautiful blossoms and the Easter holiday!

But it’s not quite here yet. Yes, the days are getting longer, and the college kids are already breaking out their flip-flops and tossing Frisbees. But this is a bit premature, my friends. It will still take a few weeks for the sun to work its magic on the area’s foliage. Forests are still mostly brown and though buds are showing, there’s no sign of leaves blooming anytime soon. It feels as though winter has taken a strong hold of the world and aside from a few early bees, there’s no end to it in sight.

Until then, you’ll have to usher in spring on your own. Luckily, there are a few quick and easy ways to brighten up your home. Hang an Easter windsock from your porch to add some pizzazz to your favorite outdoor hangout. Or post a festive garden flag with white Easter bunnies to liven things up. (After all, you’ll be picnicking and grilling out sooner than you think!) It’s a fun and affordable way to make you’re your home is decorated inside and out. And there’s nothing like a cheerful spring chick or Easter bunny to get grown-ups and kids alike in the spirit of spring!

Maybe you have little ones who’ll be searching for their own baskets come Easter Sunday, or perhaps the grandkids are heading to your house for the annual egg hunt.

Either way, these bright, colorful Easter flags will be a fun-filled addition to your yard or garden!