The Greek Flag The Greek Flag The pattern and colors of the Greek Flag have changed somewhat since the Revolution of the Hellenic Nation in 1821. Many people wonder why the founders of Democracy have chosen the symbols, pattern and colors that appear on the National Flag of Greece. It is difficult to reveal the true intentions of the people responsible for the selection of the flag. The design, symbols and pattern of the Flag The stripes represent the number of the syllables in the phrase: Eleftheria i Thanatos (Liberty or Death). Liberty or Death was the motto during the years of the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in the 19nth century [Others claim that the stripes reflect the number of letters in the Greek word for Freedom Eleftheria]. This word stirred the heart of the oppressed Greeks, it created intense emotions and inspired them to fight and gain their freedom after 400 years of slavery. The striped pattern was chosen because of its similarity with the wavy sea that surrounds the shores of Greece. The interchange of blue and white colors makes the Greek Flag on a windy day to look like the Aegean Pelagos (sea). Only the quaint islands are missing!

The Hellenic Square Cross that rests on the upper left-side of the flag and occupies one fourth of the total area demonstrates the respect and the devotion the Hellenic people have for the Greek Orthodox Church and signifies the important role of Christianity in the formation of the modern Hellenic Nation. During the dark years of the Ottoman rule, the Greek Orthodox Church helped the enslaved Greeks to retain their cultural characteristics: the Hellenic language, the Byzantine religion and generally the Hellenic ethnic identity, by the institution of the Crypha Scholia (secret schools). The Crypha Scholia were a web of schools that operated secretly throughout Greece and were committed in transmitting to Greeks the wonders of their ancestors and the rest of their cultural heritage. Today, Christianity is still the dominant religion among Greeks. Therefore, the significance of the Cross is justified. The colors of the Flag Blue and White. These two colors symbolize the blue of the Hellenic Sea and the Whiteness of its restless waves! According to the mythic legends, the Goddess of Beauty and Love, Aphrodite (Venus) emerged from these waves. In addition, it reflects the blue of the Hellenic Sky and the White of the few clouds in it.

There are some who speculate that the blue and white symbolize the similar color of the clothing (vrakes) of the Greek sailors during the War of Independence. Copyright Alexandros © 1996 The Meaning, Folklore, and History of the Greek Flag By deTraci Regula Updated April 11, 2016. The Greek flag is one of the most recognizable of the world's flags. The simple blue and white design means "Greece" to almost everyone. Description of the Greek Flag The Greek flag consists of an equal-armed white cross on a blue ground in the upper left corner of the flag, with the remaining area filled with nine alternating blue-and-white horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes of the flag are always blue. There are five blue stripes and four white ones on the Greek flag. The flag is always made in a proportion of 2:3. History of the Greek Flag The current flag was only officially adopted by Greece on December 22, 1978. An earlier version of the Greek flag had a diagonal cross in the corner instead of the square one now used.

This version of the flag dates back to 1822, just after Greece declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Meanings and Symbolism of the Greek Flag The nine stripes are said to represent the number of syllables in the Greek phrase "Eleutheria H Thanatos", usually translated as "Freedom or Death!", a battle cry during the final revolt against the Ottoman Occupation. continue reading below our video America's Best Foodie Cities The equal-armed cross represents the Greek Orthodox church, the predominant religion of Greece and the only officially-recognized one. The Church played a crucial role in the fight for independence against the Ottomans, and rebellious monks fought vigorously against the Ottomans. The color blue represents the sea which is so important to Greece and such a major portion of its economy. The white represents the waves on the Mediterranean Sea. Blue has also always been a color of protection, seen in the blue eye amulets used to ward off evil, and white is seen as the color of purity. As in Greek mythology , there are always other versions and explanations.

Some say the nine stripes on the Greek flag represent the Nine Muses of Greek myth, and that the colors of blue and white represent Aphrodite rising up from the sea foam. Unusual Facts about the Greek Flag Unlike most national flags, there is no "official" shade of color required. Any blue may be used for the flag, so you will see them ranging from a relatively pale "baby" blue to a deep navy blue. Most flags tend to use a dark blue or royal blue but you'll see them in all shades around Greece. The nickname of the Greek flag is "Galanolefci", or the "blue and white", similar to the way that the American flag is sometimes just called the "red, white and blue". What European country was forced to change its official flag because it was too close to that of Greece? Click here for the answer . Other Flags Seen in Greece You will often see the European Union flag displayed with the Greek flag at official spots in Greece. The European Union flag is a deep blue with a circle of gold stars on it, representing the EU nations. Greece also proudly flies many "Blue Flag Beach" flags over its pristine beaches.

This flag is awarded to beaches that meet special standards of cleanliness, both for the sand and the water as well as other qualifications. More on the Blue Flag Beaches of Greece . Plan Your Own Trip to Greece The Stripes and the Colours of the Flag (Israel) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website The Stripes and the Colours of the Flag (Israel) Shade of Blue In Smith 1975 you will find that Israel and Greece both use a fairly dark blue, though they are slightly different from each other. The Israeli blue is as dark as any of the Blue Ensigns shown in the book, and the Greek flag is of a very slightly lighter shade. They both stand in sharp contrast to the light blue of Argentina , Botswana , Fiji etc. Nick Artimovich, 27 February 1996 The blue colour in Israel's flag is definitely dark. Some time ago I got a folder on national symbols from the Embassy of Israel in Washington. In the flag drawing the blue is dark, the text defines it as Yale Blue. Jan Oskar Engene, 27 February 1996 The flag of Israel is decidedly not any single shade of blue.

It is based on a tallit , a religious article of clothing. The color of blue meant to be used on the tallit is not known and in fact everything from black to reddish purple is used to denote it with different religious and political connotations. The most common color (the light blue) comes from the fact that the tallit most people wear (including mine) is a light blue with the deliberate statement of "this is most probably not the right color". Many people, including me, would find black as acceptable as the current shade of blue. The reddish tones of purple could get you into an argument. For the State of Israel to make any definite proclamation beyond "blue" could incite violence (!) and questions as to what exactly what shade of the color it is are probably viewed with suspicion of "looking for a fight". There are enough people opposed to using blue at all, to begin with. Jacob Faturechi, 21 October 1996 The 1948 Flag Proclamation describes the colour of two wide stripes as dark sky-blue (Tkhelet Ke'he, the same colour as specified for the civil ensign ) but the Magen David as simply sky-blue (Tkhelet).

However both are the same shade of blue. Dov Gutterman, 23 August 2001 I have carried out a research on the origin of Israeli flags. The main conclusion is that all Israeli flags use the same shade of blue which is prescribed by law as 'dark azure' or 'dark sky-blue' (Tkhelet Ke'he  plain blue in Hebrew is Kahol). This includes all components stripes, Magen David and background of the national flag , the civil ensign , customs flag and the war ensign . Moreover, the rank flags use the same shade of blue for the Magen David and stripes in the canton as for the background. Dov Gutterman, 8 September 2001 Even though the legislation uses the same blue for all flags ( national , civil ensign , naval ensign and customs flags), in actual practice a darker shade is used for naval flags [ civil and war ensigns] and police flags . If you see a naval ensign next to the national flag as I see daily passing by the maritime and naval museum in Haifa the difference is quite clear.

Dov Gutterman, 6 February 2002 and 6 February 2003 The shade of blue of the Israeli flag is not determined in the legislation. Album des Pavillons 2000 uses Pantone 280c which seems to me quite appropiate. Dov Gutterman, 7 March 2002 I saw Jan Oskar Engene description of the colour of the Israeli flag which is described as "Yale blue". To get the correct colour, I contacted Yale University and found out that four shades of blue are used depending on where the colours are displayed. The idea is that all the colours would appear the same whatever the weather conditions. However, the standard blue is Pantone 289. Depending on the ambient lighting conditions, Pantone 286, 287 and 647 are also used. I generally take PMS 289 as the colour of the flag. William E.

Hitchins, 3 September 2007 Are you sure that Israel intended to mean "whatever Yale University says" when they said "Yale Blue?" Nathan Lamm, 4 September 2007 The Israel State Archives are having an exhibit of many of their holdings at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It seems to me that here is the decision on the shade of blue for the IL flag at < >. eljko Heimer, 26 October 2008 I visited the exhibit. There were details of the color. There was a swatch of fabric along with instructions for dying to bring out "100%" of the color. The color was "FC Caledon Blue RC 500". Željko linked to the actual law, which defines the color as "Indanthren Calidon" or, in short form, "GCDN". There was also a video interview the state archivist. She had a card with a number of swatches of blue fabric, pointed to the one selected, and held out a modern Israeli flag and placed it next to the swatch. After all that buildup, what happened next was quite funny: The colors didn't match.

"Lo mamash aval...b'seder," she said, which, loosely translated, means, "Not exactly, but...it's OK." Nathan Lamm, 26 October 2008 The exhibition title this document as "official resolution about the shade of the blue color of the state's flag". However, unfortunately, I can t accept it as such. Such a resolution was never published at the official gazette so it was never became a legislation. What we have is a conclusion of a sub-committee that was appointed at the time. It seems that it was a public committee as two members (Krakaur and ElHannani) were two of the leading architects of Israel at the time and no civil servants. (BTW- both bio's don't mention this episode). In any case, they choose "Indanthren Calidon" or in short GCDN. They also suggest that the state will purchase flags from one factory and that factories will have to get a special permit and to be supervised by the Inspector of the Inventory. If you want my guess, those conclusions and suggestions were filed at the time at the proper file, in order to be revealed almost 60 years later.....

Dov Gutterman, 27 October 2008 The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 ) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be. For Israel: PMS 300 blue. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise Ian Sumner, 11 Oct 2012 Origins of the Colours and the Stripes The color blue in the flag of Israel derives from the ancient dye tekhelet, mentioned many times in the bible (Numbers 15:37-39). This color was used to dye a thread of the ritual fringes, or tzitzit that all Jewish males are commanded to wear, and which are tied to the corners of the ritual garment, the tallit.

This is a specific color, derived from the dye produced by the snail Murex trunculus, known in Hebrew as the hilazon. This is the same dye known historically as Tyrian purple. The confusion of shades comes from the fact (rediscovered recently) that when wool dyed with the dye from Murex was exposed to sunlight, the dye became a bright blue, but when the dyed wool was hidden from light, the color produced was that of royal purple. This change is due to the exposure of the compound dibromoindigo (purple) to ultraviolet light, producing the compound indigo (blue, chemically identical to the vegetable dye). This can be an explanation why some Israeli flags (in the past) were almost colored purple, while others are sky blue  these two colors were seen as deriving from the same natural source (the Hebrew word argaman was used for the purple shade). This color is of immense symbolic importance in Judaism and was used in many articles in the Temple in Jerusalem as well, including the outer robe of the high priest.

An excellent discussion about the symbolism and ritual importance of this specific blue dye in Judaism can be found at this website [including]: "And the Rabbis said: Why does the Torah enjoin us regarding tekhelet? Because tekhelet resembles sapphire, and the Tablets were of sapphire, to tell you that so long as the people of Yisrael gaze upon this tekhelet they are reminded of that which is inscribed on the Tablets and they fulfill it, and so it is written, 'And you shall see it and remember.'" (Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 14). In ancient times purple and blue dyes derived from snails were so rare and sought after that they were literally worth their weight in gold. These precious dyes colored the robes of the kings and princes of Media, Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome. To wear them was to be identified with royalty. Ted Kandell, 6 December 2001 It is frequently said that the Israeli flag is designed to resemble a Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), which is white with stripes (no Shield of David  that is a flag-only feature).

However, the tallit (and, occasionally, the smaller tallit katan) usually has black, not blue, stripes, and therein lies a tale. The fringes, as worn in antiquity (on many garments, not just prayer shawls  any four-cornered garment must have them, and garments of that kind [e.g. togas] were more widely worn back then; now, without such garments, the prayer shawls are specially made) and again by many today, are both white and blue, with the white, in some opinions, outnumbering the blue. It is said that when the source and process of dying was lost about 1500 years ago, and Jews were left with only white threads (a practice anticipated and approved of by the Talmud, the corpus of Jewish law, about three hundred years earlier), they began to incorporate colored stripes into their garments to commemorate the lost blue threads (with white still predominating, as it may have on the threads themselves, leaving colored stripes on a white garment). The color here was not important, as it was only custom  there are all-white shawls, white-on-white stripes, rainbow stripes, and many others.

Black came to predominate, at least in Europe. This may be because black dye was cheapest, or because of a misreading of Maimonides' law code  he uses a word which could mean either "dark" or "black" to describe the original, fringe-dye. He obviously means "dark," as in "dark blue," as the fact that it was blue was well known (see below), and he was limiting it (other opinions range from reddish or purplish blue all the way to greenish blue or green). However, some read this as "black" and dyed their stripes accordingly. Others, however, especially in Africa and Asia, had their stripes the original blue. I have even heard an opinion that this was an ancient practice, dating to when dyed fringes were worn  the shawl was dyed to match the threads, white with some blue (stripes). With the blue fringes lost, some changed the stripes to black, so it would only be a commemeration. The Rev.

Ezra Stiles of Yale University in the 18th Century reports that Rabbi Isaac Carigal, an emmissary from Turkey and Israel, wore blue stripes on his tallit, by the way. I imagine the founding Zionists prefered blue to black, for both historical as well as aesthetic reasons, and, although the story runs that a European proposed the pattern pointing to his prayer shawl, they probably chose the African/Asian colors immediately. A page on the Israeli Foreign Ministry's site claims that the Shield of David, historically a secular symbol, was added to offset the religious imagery of the Tallit, with something similar happening to the State arms (olive branches [secular, perhaps] added to a menorah [religious]). An interesting theory. And why blue? The Talmud explains that it is meant to evoke the sea, both in color as well as in source (a sea snail). The sea's color reminds us of the heavens' color (blue), and, of course, heaven reminds us of God. One last story. During World War II, playwright Ben Hecht wrote A Flag is Born, a play alerting the world to the Holocaust.

In it, an old Jewish couple, escaping from Europe, gives a tallit to a young Jew right before they die. The young man turns the tallit into a flag and goes off to fight for a Jewish state  which happens to fictionalize an actual event, described above. Nathan Lamm, 7 December 2001 Just for the record, A Flag is Born was actually conceived and written after World War Two, according to the American Jewish Historical Society . Santiago Dotor, 7 December 2001 I had been told as a youth that many shawls used black instead of blue in memory of the destruction of the Temple in the year 70. Is this legend or is there anything to it? Al Kirsch, 7 December 2001 I have heard of this as well, but cannot find it in any reference works I have checked. The presence of the stripes, and their dark color, are definitely because of the blue dye of the threads, but black is a bit unclear  it may be because of the reason you wrote. A problem is that Judaism never really used black for mourning.

When white is used for purity (it is also used for shrouds), its opposite is given as scarlet. A similar claim, that Hasidic and other ultra-Orthodox Jews wear black as a sign of mourning for the Temple, fails for the same reasons  it may be somber, but not really mourning. Of course, black may have been used for mourning because surrounding peoples, especially European, used it. This would explain why European Jews use black, but not Sephardic Jews. Nathan Lamm, 7 December 2001 Much about colours in Judaism, specifically with vexillologic orientation, may be found in Ruder 1999 . eljko Heimer, 7 December 2001 I have more recently read that one possibility may be the common classical-era (Greek, Roman etc.) practice of putting designs on the edges of garments  this carried over to Jewish religious garments as stripes. Nathan Lamm, 17 May 2004 With regard to the colours in the tallit, this is somewhat controversial, especially depending on whether you're Orthodox or not.

Originally, the blue used was called tekhelet but the formula was lost a few hundred years ago. Since the middle of the 19th century, there have been attempts to discover what animal was used to make the colour and the process to extract it. Some people claim to have rediscovered it but this is still controversial. I understand that there is a small firm in Israel that makes material it claims is of the colour tekhelet. If you like to watch pop archaeology, there have been a couple of episodes of the Naked Archaeologist on cable television devoted to this subject. The problem with using blue on the tallit is that purists say it should not be used because you can't be sure that it is tekhelet. William E. Hitchins, 3 September 2007 There are two firm, from two different sources. Furthermore, since the dye is handmade and depends on a variable source of ultraviolet light (i.e., the Sun) to turn from purple to blue, the shades can be different from set to set. I wear the blue dye on both my "large" and "small" tallitot, and have several of the latter, and the shade of dye is different on each.

Generally, a darkish blue. Nathan Lamm, 4 September 2007 If you want to know about the blue used in tzitzit, namely the colour know in Biblical sources as tekhelet, I recommend the book by Zvi Ruder [ rud99 ], where he covers the story in details with all the historical background and modern repercussions. On the other hand, you may want to see my article [ zhe06a ] based on this book, that sumarises it in this regard, but this is, alas, published in Croatian only, so far: at < > and < >). However, it should be clear that the colour of tekhelet is not meant to be in the talit - the shawl, but in the tzitzit, the fringe that are attached in it. The talith itself could be of any colour, and the stripes could be of any other (or not at all present for that matter).

The historical taliths (of "modern era"), in fact, rarely used anything else beside black for the stripes, while the modern taliths are to be found in many different combinations including such that uses stripes of "all the colours of the rainbow" (see example at < >). As Zvi explains in his book, the connection between the colour tekhelet and the colour of the stripes in the taliths must be some kind of error, although it is firmly rooted in the "mythical" memory of both Jews and Gentiles There seems to be no evidence that there were any special taliths or prayer shawls being in use in the period of the clasical Jewish state and the Temple in Jereusalem - as there was no need for it. The teliths seems to be "invention" of post-Temple period - when the clothing ways also begun to change so the need for special piece of rectangular clothing was needed to fulfill the religious requirements. For example the variety of taliths on the painting byx Maurice Gottlieb "Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur" 1878 at wikipedia .

eljko Heimer, 4 September 2007 By the late 19th Century, when the modern Israeli flag was being designed, stripes had been a feature on tallitot for centuries if not longer. In Ashkenazic (Northern European) countries. There is some evidence that (at least some) Sephardic (Southern Europe/Mediterreanian) Jews wore blue stripes. For example, Rev. Ezra Stiles, president of Yale University in the 1700's, describes a Turkish Jewish friend as wearing a blue-striped tallit. Furthermore, stripes are, by now, universal, even if only white-on-white. There have been suggestions that the stripes ultimately derive from the stripes worn on the edges of Greek and Roman togas. Nathan Lamm, 4 September 2007 The point is, that there is no religious requirement for the stripes, as some may imply, and there is certainly no requirement that these be blue. They may be blue, but may be of any other colour (including white...) Also, the main part of the talith itself is not necesserly white - there are rabbinic authorities who clearly describe it being entirely of other colours.

Of course, such talith were and still are extremely rare and probably just theoretic. It seems that rabbinic literature does not "study" stripes on the taliths, the main concern for them are colours in the fringe (tzitzit) where tekhelet thread should appear (and where today as a rule it does not, due to the loss of the craft of preparing the exact blue dye). eljko Heimer, 4 September 2007 The Flag of Greece Travel info & advice The Flag of Greece consists of nine blue and white alternating horizontal stripes with a blue square on the top left that contains a white cross. According to the popular belief, the blue and white colors of the flag represent the color of the sea and waves that engulf the country in all sides but the north. The stripes are nine, as many as the letters in the greek word for freedom (eleytheria). According to anohter popular belief, the stripes of the Greek flag represent the syllables in the phrase "eleftheria h thanatos" (Freedom or Death) which became the soundbite of the Greek war of independence against the Ottoman empire. The cross represents the country's deeply rooted tradition in orthodox christianity.

During the war of independence against the Othoman empire, Andreas Londos raised the first Greek flag over the town of Vostitsa in the Northen Peloponnese at a date around March 25th (Julian Calendar). Vostitsa was one of the first towns to be liberated a few days after Kalamata, and this Greek flag was comprised of a black cross over a red background (Brewer, David. The Greek War of Independence: The Overlook Press, 2001). Very soon afterwards, this original flag was replaced by one that had no stripes, and insted it featured a white cross from edge to egde on a blue square background. You might still see this flag flying around in Greece today, but the striped version has all but replaced it.The flag used by the independence army in the 1820's had the same configuration, but the oposite colors: blue cross on white. EUROPA - The European flag Europa The European flag The European flag symbolises both the European Union and, more broadly, the identity and unity of Europe. It features a circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background.

They stand for the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe. The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of member countries, though the circle is a symbol of unity. History of the European flag The history of the flag goes back to 1955. The Council of Europe - which defends human rights and promotes European culture – chose the present design for its own use. In the years that followed, it encouraged the emerging European institutions to adopt the same flag. In 1983, the European Parliament decided that the Communities’ flag should be that used by the Council of Europe. In 1985, it was adopted by all EU leaders as the official emblem of the European Communities, later to become the European Union. In addition, all European institutions now have their own emblems . Commemorative euro coin: 30 years of the EU flag To mark the 30th anniversary of the decision by EU leaders to adopt the flag as an EU emblem, the 19 euro area countries are issuing a special commemorative coin.

Following an online competition held in 2015 by the European Commission, citizens and residents of the euro area selected the design created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, an engraver at the Bank of Greece. It comprises 12 stars that morph into human figures embracing the birth of a new Europe. Take a look at the winning design. Reproduction in 2 colours white & blue (17 Kb) Greece This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Greece National flag of Greece - Image by Željko Heimer, 10 October 2001 Flag adopted 22 December 1978 , coat of arms adopted 7 June 1975. Description: Nine horizontal stripes, in turn blue and white; a white cross on a blue square field in canton. Proportion: 2:3 Use: on land, as the civil, state and war flag; at sea, as the civil, state and war ensign.

Colour approximate specifications (Album des Pavillons [pay00] ): Blue: Pantone 286 C / CMYK (%) 100-60-0-5 On this page: Greece: Index of all pages Origin and meaning of the Greek flag The striped flag has been in use since 1822 , and was approved in 1832 . The nine stripes are said to stand for the nine syllables of the Greek patriots' motto, Ελευθερια η Θανατος (Freedom or Death), now the national motto of Greece. Paul Adams, 19 June 1995 Unofficial alternative Greek flag Simple cross Greek flag - Image by Ivan Sache, 19 June 1995 The simple white-cross-on-blue flag dates from 1822 , and was used as an alternative national flag, but only in land, not at sea. Only the striped flag was used at sea. From June 1975 until December 1978 the plain cross flag was used as the only national flag.

The situation is now reversed, and the striped flag is now the only official national flag, although the cross flag can still be seen in unofficial use. Paul Adams, 19 June 1995 The Hellenic Army's war flags are of the "simple cross" variety with the depiction of St. George slaying the dragon in the center of the cross. Although the official Hellenic flag (striped version) flies over all government installations - including those of the Hellenic Armed Forces - Hellenic Army units always parade with the previously referenced version of the simple cross flag. The same old flag is also used as part of the markings on Hellenic Armed Forces vehicles. Labros Pilalis, 13 September 2005 Shade of the Greek flag There is no officially prescribed shade of blue for the Greek flag ( photo ) in the 1978 Law . The 1970 Law that abolished the plain cross flag did not specify a particular shade either, but it did provide that all flags should conform with "prototype" flags lodged with two government departments.

The shade of blue on the prototypes was, probably, very dark hence the very dark shade of flags made in 1970-1975. A lighter shade of blue is used nowadays (by convention, presumably) but still not as light as United Nations blue . Yannis Natsinas, 14 November 2000 Greek flag represented with "Bavarian" blue colour - Image by Tomislav Todorović, 3 July 2013 According to Smith [smi82] , the Greek flag was intermediate blue in the 19th century, which was derived from the flag of Bavaria , the then King's land of origin. According to the same source, while the Regime of the Colonels has introduced a very dark shade of blue, the flag law at the preparation time (1979) of the source's original edition ( [smi80] was prescribing "light blue", without a precise definition.

However, the Bavarian flag was actually light blue, and in the bilingual (Greek and German) official gazette, where the 1833 Decree was published ( scan ), the Greek word κύανος was actually translated as himmelblau (sky blue) in German. On the other hand, several sources published in 1970s and 1980s did contain the images of Greek national flag in light blue color. A good example is Carmpton [cra84] , which depicted the flag in color B--. Tomislav Todorović, 3 July 2013 The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12] ) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.

For Greece, PMS reflex blue. The vertical flag is the horizontal version reversed and turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise - the cross at top left. Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012 Greek coat of arms Greek coat of arms - Image by Željko Heimer, 11 October 2001, after Album des Pavillons [pay00] The image shown above uses a "washed out" blue color. The blue color in the coat of arms is the same as the one used in the Hellenic flags, that is dark blue. The "washed out" blue belongs to the defunct and now non-existent coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece. Labros Pilalis, 31 August 2005 Greek jack Greek jack - Image by Željko Heimer, 10 October 2001 According to Album des Pavillons [pay00] , the Greek jack is a blue square flag with a white cross throughout. The width of the cross is 1/5th of the hoist width.

Željko Heimer, 10 October 2001 The Flag Dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia | MACEDONIA The Flag Dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia Introduction Official Greece accuses its northern neighbour, the Republic of Macedonia for “stealing the Ancient Greek heritage”, which according to the Greek side also includes Ancient Macedonia and its symbols, one of them being the so called Sun of Vergina. The symbol was once used as an emblem on the flag of the Republic of Macedonia, which caused a dispute between the two countries (actually it was an unilateral protest from the Greek side). Greece is so fast in accusing other nations for “stealing history” that she forgets that she is the one that actually stole a symbol of another nation- an old English flag: Whoops! Who’s the real thief now? Left: The flag used on the ships of the colonial English Honourable East India Company established in 1600; Right: The modern Greek flag initialy adopted in 1822. So, Greece nicked a foreign flag, changed the colors.. and Voila! We have a flag! Before you disagree, count the number of the stripes, both flags have 9.

The Greeks claim that they represent the 9 sylables of their Independence War motto: “Elefteria i Thanatos!” (“Freedom or Death!”). Why should a 17 century English flag also have exactly 9 stripes then? The Greek cross in the canton is evidently stolen from the red English St. George’s cross and re-painted in white. Shame… The East India Company flag changed over time. There has been much debate and discussion regarding the number of stripes on the flag and the order of the stripes. Historical documents and paintings show many variations from nine to thirteen stripes, with some images showing the top stripe being red and others showing the top stripe being white. In any case, its obvious that the whole concept of this flag was stolen by Greece and incorporated in its modern flag. Backround information There’s a geographical region in South-Eastern Europe called Macedonia. It was a single geographical entity until the Balkan Wars in 1913 when it was divided between: Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania. Thats how Greece got its own province of Macedonia (~50% of the whole region), a province especialy rich with Ancient Macedonian history and archaeology.

There, the greek government imposed a harsh policy of ethnic cleansing and assimilation against the native ethnic Macedonians, and it also supported a colonisation of Greek refugees from Asia Minor, following the Greek-Turkish War in the 1920’s. The part once given to Serbia, later succeded to liberate itself during the antifascist struggle in the WWII and to proclaim itself as the Socialist Republic of Macedonia on August 2nd 1944. However, the other parts of the wider Macedonian region remained under foreign Greek, Bulgarian and Albanian annexation. That republic became a separate constituent country of the former Tito’s Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (a country- in- a- country). As such, within the communist Yugoslav federation, Macedonia had a statehood, its own government, state symbols, police, territorial army (home guard), Macedonian Academy of sciences and arts, Macedonian Orthodox Church and even a bureau for foreign affairs. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, it proclaimed independence in September 1991 and it became what is now the independent Republic of Macedonia with capital of Skopje. The newly independent country was immediatly confronted by Greece.

Official Greece denies the existence of a separate Macedonian nation, the existence of a separate ethnic Macedonian minority on its territory, and it perceived its neighbour as a threat to its northern province. Namelly, official Greece claims an exclusive right over the Ancient Macedonian heritage. Important elements of this are: the very name Macedonia and the Ancient Macedonian symbol, the 16-ray Vergina Sun (or Star), found in what is considered the alleged tomb of the king Phillip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Greece doesnt allow the Republic of Macedonia, which also claims relations to the Ancient Macedonia to use them in any way. Thats why: Greece, which has its own province of Macedonia demands that the Republic of Macedonia changes it constitutional name (although the UK which has a part called Northern Ireland doesnt demand from the Republic of Ireland to change its name; the US state New Mexico doesnt demand from the country Mexico to change its name).

Greece also demanded from the Republic of Macedonia to change its own national flag, which featured the Vergina Sun, claimed by Greece as a Greek symbol (though Ancient Macedonia was not one of the city-states that comprised the Ancient Greek world, actually it was their worst enemy, just imagine: Jews claiming the nazi swastika as their symbol). To achieve its goals, official Greece imposed an economic embargo on the Republic of Macedonia in the early 1990’s and started a nationalist lobbying campaign both at home and abroad. Then, the Republic of Macedonia followed a policy of peaceful coexistence with its neighbours. During the 1990s, it was the only former Yugoslav country which stayed away from the Yugoslav Wars and was often refered to as The Oasis of Peace. As a result of the Greek pressure, the Republic of Macedonia was forced to make many concessions to appease its southern neighbour and to prevent a further conflict: The Republic of Macedonia accepted to join the UN under a provisional name “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” ( F.Y.R.O.M.

) Certain changes were made to the Macedonian constitution (to show that the country doesnt have any territorial claims to Greece); The national flag of the Republic of Macedonia with the Vergina Sun was replaced with a new different flag The president Kiro Gligorov had to give a statement that the modern ethnic Macedonians are descendents of the Slavs who arrived in the Balkans in the 6th century, and who have nothing in common with Ancient Macedonia. However, despite accepting to be named FYROM in the UN, the Republic of Macedonia rejected to change its constitutional name for domestic use, and for billateral use with those countries who do not object it. Thats how the Republic of Macedonia was recognized under its constitutional name by the USA, Canada, Russian Federation, People’s Republic of China, Turkey and many other countries. The Flag dispute Its claimed that the Ancient Macedonians often used a stylized depiction of a sunburst (or a starburst) as their symbol. It can be seen with 16, 8 or 12 sun rays on many archaeological artefacts. Sometimes it can also include a rosette decoration in the middle.

One of the most popular version of this symbol is the 16 rayed Sun of Vergina, found on the larnax (coffin) which allegedly contained the remains of King Phillip II. The Vergina Sun is claimed as a historical symbol by both the Republic of Macedonia and Greece, which both also claim relation to the Ancient Macedonians. However, Greece demands full exclusive right to the Ancient Macedonian heritage and doesnt want to share it with anyone else. As a result, the two countries have a long term unresolved dispute. In 1992, the newly independent Republic of Macedonia adopted a new flag which included the 16-ray Vergina Sun (on a red backround), which led to protests from official Greece. Under Greek pressure, in 1995 it was replaced with the current flag of the Republic of Macedonia, which includes a different stylized form of a sun.

Flag of the Republic of Macedonia (1992-1995) Its important to note that the sun symbol was often featured in the old folklore art of the ethnic Macedonians, on their historical flags and other artefacts, and even on the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, which includes a rising sun with 8 visible rays (the other 8 from the Vergina Sun being hidden behind the mountain). Traditional ethnic Macedonian folk art Traditional ethnic Macedonian jewerly CLICK TO ENLARGE: Left: flag of the emigrant ethnic Macedonian revolutionary society in St. Petersburg, Russia, 1914 feat. Alexander’s horse Buchephalos, represented as an unicorn according to the old legend , and a sun symbol in the bottom left angle; Right: Insurgent flag against the Ottoman rule, 1903 feat. a sun symbol on the left. The Coat of Arms initialy adopted for the Socialist Republic of Macedonia after WWII. Still in official use in the Republic of Macedonia.

The main Greek rationale for the flag dispute was that the Sun of Vergina is allegedly a greek symbol, and that its use by the Republic of Macedonia is an act of stealing of the ancient greek heritage. Moreover, the Greek side emphasised the fact that the symbol was discovered on its territory. King Philip’s larnax However, Greece forgot to mention that her share of the whole Macedonian region was forcibly annexed by her armies in the Balkan Wars in 1913. Prior to that, the territory has never belonged to Greece. Also, its very important to mention that later, this symbol was also discovered on many archaeological artefacts found in the southern parts of the Republic of Macedonia, which were too part of the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom- a fact deliberately ignored by Greece, which continously repeats that: “There is only ONE Macedonia, and its in Greece”. CLICK TO ENLARGE: Certified museum copies of archaeological artefacts featuring the Ancient Macedonian Sun/Star symbol (known as the Vergina Sun), excavated in Ohrid, a city of a great historical and cultural significance once belonging to the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom, situated on the Ohrid Lake in the Republic of Macedonia.

Shall we call the symbol the Sun of Ohrid from now on? Another important, but dubious Greek claim is that the symbol was firstly discovered during the excavations of the Ancient Macedonian Royal Tombs of Aigai, in the village of Vergina in Greek Macedonia, by prof. Manolis Andronikos in 1977. Some Greeks may agree that the symbol may have been known prior to that, but just as an artistic ornament without any historical significance. According to them, only after the discovery of the Royal Tombs, the true nature of this symbol was discovered- its an Ancient Macedonian royal emblem. An entertaining twist in this story is that they dont know (or dont want to know) that the symbol actually appeared publicly all around the globe decades before 1977. It was featured in its 8 ray version on the shields of the Ancient Macedonian warriors in the 1956 epic film Alexander The Great starring Richard Burton. Its an American movie, quite pro-Greek biased, so it cannot be accused of advocating the Republic of Macedonia’s point of view. Screenshot: Richard Burton sporting the Vergina Sun in Alexander The Great, 21 years before prof.

Andronikos “discovered” it How come the Greeks are not aware that this symbol was internationaly recognized as an Ancient Macedonian royal or state emblem far before the prof. Andronikos’ discovery in 1977? The symbol that he “discovered” has been already used by the ethnic Macedonians for centuries, as we explained above. For the Greeks, until 1977, this symbol was largely (or completely) unknown. But anyway, Greece continues to claim an exclusive right to it. It even registered it in the World Intellectual Property Organization and finally, in 1993 it placed it on the newly created flag of its own Macedonian province, but on a blue backround. Flag of the Greek province of Macedonia However, almost 20 years since the start of this dispute, official Greece fails to explain: how come that many countries use same symbols on their flags, but they dont confront eachother because of that: Argentina and Uruguay Same sun symbol in different variations on the both flags. Its called the Sun of May, a representation of the Inca sun god Inti, and a bizzare fact is that it has 16 sunrays, exactly same number as the Vergina Sun.

It appeared publicly for a first time on Argentinian coins in 1813. An additional bizzare thing is that, the flag of Uruguay features 9 alternating blue/ white stripes, exactly the same number and color as on the modern Greek flag (“Eleferia i Thanatos”?!). So should Argentina now sue Uruguay over “stealing” its sun symbol? Or should Greece sue Uruguay over the blue/white stripes? Or to sue them both over the “stolen” 16 rayed sun symbol?! You may say well, two neighbouring South American nations, they both have a right to claim the pre-Colombian heritage although they speak Spanish today. Good. Accordingly, can the modern ethnic Macedonians, considered Slavic by the Greeks, use the Vergina Sun then? Almost all of the Nordic countries use the Nordic Cross It was initially used on the Danish flag- the Dannebrog, and was later incorporated in the flags of: Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland. Can Greece explain, how come that Denmark doesnt object the use of this symbol by its Scandinavian neighbours? Isn’t it a “stealing of the Danish history”?

Some may say that these nations are ethnicaly or historicaly interrelated, so maybe thats why they use a same symbol. That can be only a partially accepted explanation, because the Finns are not related to their Germanic neighbours, but to the Finno-Ugric peoples like the Hungarians. Also, historicaly, until proclaiming its independence, Finland was under Russian domination, and today is the only republic in a region filled with monarchies. Basically, Finland has very little incommon with Denmark, but still, it uses a symbol taken from the Dannebrog, the Danish national pride since the Middle Ages! Poland, Indonesia and Monaco The whole “difference” between these flags is: between Poland and Inonesia- the order of the colors, and between Indonesia and Monaco only the the ratio. Basically, completely same flags of three completely unrelated nations. Republic of Ireland and the African country Ivory Coast The sole “difference” seems to be the order of the colors and the ratio. Same flags. Unrelated nations. England and Georgia Both England and Georgia use the red Cross of St. George on a white backround. The difference is that the Georgians have added 4 additonal smaller crosses around it. Otherwise- same.

Unrelated nations. The English flag was inspired by the flag of Genoa (Italians, prepare a lawsuit! ;-)). The Czech Republic and Philipines Similar design. Unrelated nations. USA, Liberia and Malaysia Same stripes, same blue field in the upper left corner and even the star(s) are here. The Afro-American and the Liberian populations are indeed related, but what Malaysia has incommon with them? Should the US now sue Malaysia over stealing its national pride- The Stripes, which symbolize the 13 American colonies that rebeled against the British Crown? United Kingdom and the Autonomous Basque community within Spain The flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack features the 3 crosses: The red Cross of St. George from the English flag; the white St.Andrew’s cross from the Scottish flag and the red St. Patrick’s cross from the old Irish flag. Only the Welsh Red Dragon is missing. The design of the Basque flag was based on the Union Jack. Should the Queen Elizabeth II sue them now? Chile and the US state of Texas Almost same flags. US State of Hawaii Hold on, hold on! Did I just said the US STATE of Hawaii?

How come that a federal unit of a country which once fought for independence against the Brits is now using the Union Jack?? Where are the Greeks now to protest the Hawaiian “stealing” of British heritage? Hawaii is not a British colony or a protectorate or a dominion or an overseas territory or whatever. Its part of the United States of America. And there are milions of other examples… So why all these countries dont just sue eachother for “stealing” eachother’s history and culture? (if we follow the offical Greek “logical” way of thinking) IMPORTANT NOTE: All those flags (with the exception of the Basque, the Texan and the Hawaiian flags) are flags of internationaly recognized independent countries. Yet, these flags have never been a cause of any international dispute. The flag of the Greek province of Macedonia has a much lower importance than them because it is a flag of a a geographical and historical province and not of an independent country. Moreover, the flag of Greek Macedonia has no historical significance. It was adopted recently just as a retaliation against the Republic of Macedonia. Contrary to that, all those nations listed above were fighting wars, conquering other countries and achieveing sport successes under those flag symbols for centuries.

For them those symbols have a huge historical and national significance. Still, as you can see, they have absolutely no problem to share those symbols with other nations, unlike Greece which is jealously possesive over the Vergina Sun, although the symbol is most probably not Greek at all. Under that symbol King Philip and his son Alexander were killing Athenian soldiers and conquering and burning the greek city-states. What a paradox. But anyway, Greece continues to make such a great fuss about it. The hysteria goes so far, that sometimes the Greek nationalists even forget their real national flag: the well-known one with the blue and white stripes and the cross in the upper left angle. Instead, they give so much importance to a recently adopted flag of a geographical province: Since the flag dispute with the Republic of Macedonia began, the Vergina Sun suddenly started to appear everyewhere in Northern Greece: on governmental buildings and offices; at celebrations and political meetings; on various documents, military insignia, tourist souvenirs and even everyday products such as hotel soaps, sugar bags and bus tickets (hopefuly not on condoms and toilet paper too, but everything’s possible in a country where unfortunatelly, the extreme nationalism is an everyday fact).

100 Drachma coins (the former Greek currency later replaced by the euro) Hellenic Armed Forces arm patch Greek sugar bags (author: cakesniffer ) So after all this, we have a full right to ask: How come all those countries are allowed to have almost same flag designs only with minor differences, while at the same time, the Republic of Macedonia was not allowed to keep its 16-ray sun symbol? Wasn’t the red backround sufficient enough to differentiate it from the Greek blue version? Even if we decide to beleive in the official Greek claim that the modern ethnic Macedonians are not descendants of the Ancient Macedonians, but Slavs, still, this sun symbol was found in Ohrid in present-day Republic of Macedonia, so this country has every right to use it, in a same way that the modern Arabic Egyptians have nothing incommon with the Ancient pharaos, but still they are proudly promoting their country with the pyramids and the sphynx. Greece should finally get rid of its blind ultra chauvinism once and for all. We need peace, stability and cooperation in the Balkans. Like this:

Question: Which two colors appear on the flag of Greece?
Answer: Blue and white