See also: List of flags of Belarus

Flag of Belarus

Use	National flag. The following is a list of flags of Belarus. National flag and State flag Governmental flags Military flag The design and description of Flags typically uses specialised flag terminology' with precise and technical meanings and is hence a form of Jargon. A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	June 7, 1995
Design	A horizontal bicolor of red over green in a 2:1 ratio, with a red ornamental pattern on a white vertical stripe at the hoist

The current national flag of Belarus was formally adopted on June 7, 1995, following the result of a referendum voted on by the Belarusian people in the previous month. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength Green is a Color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a Wavelength of roughly 520–570- nm. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita This new design replaced a historical flag used by the Belarusian People's Republic of 1918, before Belarus became a Soviet Republic, and again after it regained its independence in 1991. The Belarusian People's Republic (Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка bʲeɫa'ruskaja na'rodnaja rɛs'publʲika translit Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east The Republics of the Soviet Union were according to the Article 76 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, Sovereign Soviet Socialist states that had united with other The current flag is a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country was a republic of the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Several flags used by government officials and agencies were based on the national flag.

A few groups have continued to use the white and red flag, though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of President Alexander Lukashenko. Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Лукашэнка Aljaksandar Ryhoravič Lukašenka/Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka; Александр That flag is used in protests against the government and by the Belarusian diaspora.

Design

The national flag of Belarus, as described in a decree on June 7, 1995, :

The flag does not differ significantly from the flag of the Byelorussian SSR, other than the removal of the hammer and sickle and the red star, and the reversal of red and white in the hoist pattern. The hammer and sickle is a part of Communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, Communist Party, or Communist state The standards of how to make the national flag are laid out in a document, numbered РСТ Беларуси 911-91. ^[1]

The red color of the flag signifies the past history of Belarus, as the color used by the Belarusian forces at the Battle of Grunwald, and of the Red Army when they were fighting Nazi Germany during World War II. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Green stands for the bright future ahead of Belarus, and also represents the many forests located in the country. While the colors of the flag are red, green, and white, the exact shades have not been determined by either law or decree. The publication Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives gave an estimate of what the colors are in the Pantone color process. Pantone Inc is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA

Construction sheet of the Belarusian flag

Hoist ornament pattern

Decorative pattern

There is a decorative pattern displayed on the hoist of the flag (and previously on the 1951 flag). Designed in 1917 by Matrena Markevich, the pattern is commonly used in Belarus to show local plants and flowers. These patterns are also woven into outfits, and also used for a traditional woven craft called rushniks. Rushniks are traditional East Slavic Towels often decorated with the ornamental pattern Rushniks are traditional towels decorated with the ornamental pattern that are used for ceremonial events. An example of their use would be a host offering his guests bread and salt, which would then be served on a rushnik. Bread and salt is a Slavic welcome Greeting ceremony Known by its local names Хлеб-соль Хліб-сіль Rushniks are also used at religious services, funerals, and other social functions. ^[3] On the current flag, the ornamentation is used to symbolize the cultural past, and the unity of the Belarusian people.

Finial

A flag finial is an ornament that is placed on top of the flagstaff as a piece of decoration. Belarusian law states that if the flag is used by government bodies for certain occasions, such as ceremonies and other solemn events, the Belarusian flag is to use a finial. The finial is shaped like a diamond, and at the bottom portion of the finial is a gold star. The star, according to law, has five points and must be of the same design as the one in the Belarusian coat of arms. The National Emblem of Belarus (Дзяржаўны герб Рэспублікі Беларусь Государственный герб Республики Беларусь which ^[1] The entire finial is of a golden color with a golden shaft where the pole can be slid into the base of the finial. If the flag belongs to a military organization, ribbons can be placed on this golden shaft.

Proper flag protocol

The flag waving on a government building in Minsk

By law, the Belarusian flag is supposed to be flown daily, weather permitting, from the following locations:

• National Assembly of Belarus
• Council of Ministers of Belarus
• Courts of Belarus, and offices of local executive and administrative bodies
• Above buildings in which sessions of local Councils of deputies are carried out
• Military bases or military ships owned by the government
• Buildings used by Belarusian diplomats

The Belarusian flag is also officially flown on these occasions:

• Sessions of local executive and administrative bodies
• Voting/polling places
• Sports arenas during competitions (note that the IOC has its own rules on flag display)

The flag is also displayed on vehicles used by Belarusian diplomats and various government officials (such as the President and the Prime Minister).

The law allows for the flag to be used for special occasions, such as memorial services, and family holidays, and it can be used by various groups of people, such as public organizations, companies, and NGOs. The regulations were issued in the same decree that created the Belarusian flag. May 15 has been declared the Day of the National Emblem and Flag of Belarus (День Государственного герба и Государственного флага Республики Беларусь). ^[4] The national flag itself has been incorporated into the badge of the guard units in the Belarusian armed forces. ^[5]

Historical flags

The Soviet flag of 1951

Main article: Flag of Byelorussian SSR

Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951 to 1991

The flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by decree on 25 December 1951. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbreviated as Byelorussian SSR or BSSR) (Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbreviated as Byelorussian SSR or BSSR) (Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January ^[6]

The flag had a length to width ratio of one to two (1:2), just like the flag of the Soviet Union (and the other fourteen union republics). A ratio is an expression which compares quantities relative to each other The flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain Red flag, with a hammer crossed with a sickle (the Hammer and sickle) and a Red star in The Republics of the Soviet Union were according to the Article 76 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, Sovereign Soviet Socialist states that had united with other The main portion of the flag was red (representing the Revolution), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests). Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution A pattern of white drawn on red decorated the hoist portion of the flag; this design is often used on Belarusian traditional costumes. In the upper corner of the flag, in the red portion, a gold hammer and sickle was added, with a red star outlined in gold above it. The hammer and sickle is a part of Communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, Communist Party, or Communist state The five-pointed red star, a Pentagram without the inner Pentagon, is a symbol of Communism as well as broader Socialism in general The hammer represented the worker, and the sickle the peasant; according to Soviet ideology, these two symbols crossed together symbolized co-operation between the two classes. A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object The most common uses are for driving nails fitting parts and breaking up objects A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay. A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The red star, a symbol commonly used by Communist parties, was said to stand either for the five social groups (workers, youth, peasants, military, and academics), the five known continents, or the five fingers of the worker's hand. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions The hands ( med / lat: manus pl manūs are the two intricate prehensile multi- Fingered body parts normally located at the end of each arm of a The hammer, sickle and star were sometimes not displayed on the reverse of the flag.

Previous flags of the Soviet era

Before 1951, several different flags had been in use since the Revolution. The earliest flag was plain red, and was used in 1919 during the existence of the Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR. After the formation of the Byelorussian SSR, the lettering ССРБ (SSRB) was added in gold to the top hoist. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (abbreviated as Byelorussian SSR or BSSR) (Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка This design was changed in 1937, when a hammer and sickle and red star were placed above the letters; at the same time, the typeface was changed, and the text of the lettering was altered to БССР (BSSR). During the 1940s, the hammer and sickle and red star were removed from the flag, and a gold border was added to the letters. This flag remained in use until the adoption of the 1951 flag.

1919

1919 to 1937

1937 to 1940s

1940s to 1951

The white-red-white flag

Former flag in use in 1918, between 1942 and 1944 (during German occupation) and between 1991 and 1995

The flag used between 1991 and 1995 had originally been devised by the Belarusian People's Republic (March to December 1918). The Belarusian People's Republic (Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка bʲeɫa'ruskaja na'rodnaja rɛs'publʲika translit The colors of flag were based on those of the Republic's coat of arms Pahonia, which had a white horseman on a red background, and allude to the name of the country: White Russia (White Ruthenia). The Pahonia (Паго́ня transliteration: Pahonia, pa'ɣonʲa translated as Chaser; Pogoń is a historical symbol of Belarus " White Russia " (Белая Русь ~ White Ruthenia is a name that has historically been applied to various regions in Eastern Europe, most often This flag design is known in Belarusian as the Бел-чырвона-белы сьцяг (bieł-čyrvona-bieły ściah).

The historical origin of this flag's design are not known, but two theories have been presented. One theory is that the banner was designed simply to distinguish the forces of the White Rus from those of the Princes of Kiev and Muscovy. " White Russia " (Белая Русь ~ White Ruthenia is a name that has historically been applied to various regions in Eastern Europe, most often Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and This was done by placing the color red, which the Rus preferred, on a background of white. Ruthenia is a geographic and culturo-ethnic name applied to the parts of Eastern Europe populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to the past various Another theory, which is also the traditional explanation, is that in 1410, when the united armies of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, defeated the Germans of the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Grunwald. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by According to this tradition, a wounded Belarusian knight tore off a blood soaked bandage and raised it as a banner of victory.

Variations of this flag were used during the Belarusian People's Republic. The Belarusian People's Republic (Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка bʲeɫa'ruskaja na'rodnaja rɛs'publʲika translit Lasting from 1919 until 1925, the flag of the BPR retained white, red, white design, but with the addition of black stripes at the top and bottom of the red stripe.

This flag was also used by collaborators during the Nazi occupation of Belarus, and it appeared on arm patches of Belarusian volunteers in the German Army and Waffen SS. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The German Army (Deutsches Heer heɐ) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron"

Use of the flag since 1995

From 1991 until the controversial referendum in 1995, the white-red-white flag was used as the national flag. However, despite the adoption of new national symbols after the referendum, the flag has continued to be used both inside and outside of Belarus. Currently, the flag is often used as a symbol of protest against President Lukashenko's government. Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Лукашэнка Aljaksandar Ryhoravič Lukašenka/Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka; Александр However, any display of the flag in Belarus is usually removed by local police. Those who use the flag, such as activist Khristina Shatikova, were beaten by the police and fined using the flag in Vitebsk. Vitebsk, also known as Vitsyebsk ( Belarusian: Ві́цебск 'vʲitsʲepsk Russian: Ви́тебск Vitebsk ^[7]

Some of the groups using this flag as a protest include Zubr and the Belarusian Popular Front. Zubr (ЗУБР is a civic Youth organization in Belarus in opposition to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Belarusian (National People's Front "Revival" or BPF ( Belarusian: Беларускі Народны Фронт "Адраджэньне" БНФ ^[8] The official reason for outlawing the white-red-white flag is that the symbol was used by the Nazi collaborators during the World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[9]

The 1995 referendum

President Lukashenko's proposed design for the flag

Main article: 1995 Belarus Referendum

The referendum that was held to adopt the state symbols took place on May 14, 1995. The May 14 1995 Belarus Referendum required the population of Belarus to vote on four issues The state status of the Russian language Economic integration Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 With a voter turnout of 64. 7%, the new flag was approved by a ratio of three to one (75. 1% to 24. 9%). The other three questions were also passed by the voters. The way of carrying out the referendum was heavily criticized by the opposition. ^[10] Also, actually only 48. 6% of the total electorate approved of the new emblem, since over a third of the eligible voters did not express an opinion. Some claim that this failure to win a majority is a violation of the Law, but the Constitution of Belarus doesn't state the required number of citizens to vote in order for a result to become valid. The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus (Канстытуцыя Рэспублікі Беларусь Конституция Республики Беларусь is the ultimate

President Lukashenko had tried to hold a similar referendum before, in 1993, but failed to get parliamentary support. Two months before the May 1995 referendum, Lukashenko proposed a flag design that consisted of two small bars of green and one wide bar of red. While it is not known what became of this suggestion, new designs (called "projects" in Belarus) were suggested a few days later, which were then put up to vote in the 1995 referendum. ^[11]

Other related flags

Presidential standard

Since the introduction of the 1995 flag, several other flags adopted by government agencies or bodies have been modeled on it.

President Lukashenko has adopted a standard for his personal use. Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Аляксандр Рыгоравіч Лукашэнка Aljaksandar Ryhoravič Lukašenka/Alyaksandar Ryhoravich Lukashenka; Александр The standard, which has been in use since 1997, was adopted by a decree called "Concerning the Standard of the President of Republic of Belarus". The standard's design is an exact copy of the national flag, with the addition of the Belarusian national emblem in gold and red. The National Emblem of Belarus (Дзяржаўны герб Рэспублікі Беларусь Государственный герб Республики Беларусь which The standard's ratio of 5:6 differs from that of the national flag, making the standard almost square. It is used at buildings and on vehicles to denote the presence of the president. ^[12]

In 2001, President Lukashenko issued a decree granting a flag to the Armed Forces of Belarus. The flag, which has a ratio of 1:1. 7, has the national ornamental pattern along the length of the hoist side of the flag. On the front of the flag is the Belarusian coat of arms, with the wording УЗБРОЕНЫЯ СІЛЫ ("Armed Forces") arched over it, and РЭСПУБЛІКІ БЕЛАРУСЬ ("Republic of Belarus") written below; the text of both is in gold. On the reverse of the flag, the center contains the symbol of the armed forces, which is a red star surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel. Above the symbol is the phrase ЗА НАШУ РАДЗІМУ ("For our Motherland"), while below is the full name of the military unit. ^[13]

References

External links

• Official site of the President of the Republic of Belarus - Official description of the National Symbols
• Belarus at Flags of the World
• (Russian) Vexillographia - Flags of Belarus