Home | Self Improvement | Education
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. It wasn't until the eighteenth century that flags began to represent whole countries. Early on they stood for ideas, civilizations, groups, and nations. Today's flags carry symbolism that is only meaningful to the citizen of the particular countries they stand for. 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. The flag of United Kingdom or Great Britain is also known as the Union Jack. The flag which has been the official symbol since 1801, symbolizes the three unification of three different countries; England, Scotland, and Ireland. Currently, the Union Jack represents Northern Ireland, as the rest of Ireland became its own state in 1920. A novel observation is that the Union Jack itself forms a part of the flag of some nations - Australia for one. The Canadian flag has a red maple leaf flanked by stripes of red. Despite the fact that the maple leaf was a Canadian symbol for many years, the design of the current flag was officially adopted only in 1965. The two stripes represent the Pacific and Atlantic oceans that flank the country. Another very interesting flag is from Barbados. It is represented by a yellow center that signifies the beaches of Barbados flanked by two stripes of blue on either side which represent the ocean and the sky. The center also has a broken trident which represents Neptune. The break symbolizes the splitting of Barbados from Britain in 1966. Jewish values are prominently displayed to the world on the flag of Israel. The flag that became official in 1948, has blue and white stripes which represent a type of Jewish shawl used for prayers. The flag also has the Star of David in the center. Flags all over the world express their values through symbolism and sometimes religion. Often they carry religious sayings or symbols that tell the world about their countries. As territories change hands throughout the world, or two nations become one, new flags are designed. Two of the most recent and recognizable are the flags representing 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.
Article Source: http://www.approvedarticles.com
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
