page_title: Flag of Greece
section_title: Flag days
hierarchical_section_title: Flag of Greece / Current flag of Greece / Flag days
caption_attribution_description: English: Flag of Greek III division on Salonica front, National historic museum. Athens, Greece
context_page_description: The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white" or the "sky blue and white", is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the established religion of the Greek people of Greece and Cyprus. The blazon of the flag is Azure, four bars Argent; on a canton of the field a Greek cross throughout of the second. The official flag ratio is 2:3. The shade of blue used in the flag has varied throughout its history, from light blue to dark blue, the latter being increasingly used since the late 1960s. It was officially adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus on 13 January 1822.
  According to popular tradition, the nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος, the five blue stripes for the syllables Ελευθερία and the four white stripes ή Θάνατος. The nine stripes are also said to represent the letters of the word "freedom".
context_section_description: Law 851/1978 sets the general outline for when the specific days on which the flag should be raised. Raising the flag on national or local public holidays is mandatory for everyone, from 8am until sunset. For national holidays, this applies country-wide, but on local ones it only applies to those areas where the said holiday is being celebrated. Additionally, the flag may also be flown on days of national mourning, half-mast. The Minister of the Interior has the authority to proclaim flag days if they are not already proclaimed, and proclaiming regional flag days is vested with the elected head of each regional unit (formerly prefectures).
  Although 17 November is not an official national holiday, Presidential Decree 201/1998 states that respects are to be paid to the flag on that particular day.
caption: Preserved flag of the Greek III Division of the Macedonian front
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