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Flag of Belarus: Encyclopedia BETAFree Encyclopedia |
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Hoist ornament pattern
FinialProper flag protocol
*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. Historical flagsThe Soviet flag of 1951Main article: Flag of Byelorussian SSR
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). The main portion of the flag was red (representing the Revolution), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests). 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 represented the worker, and the sickle the peasant; according to Soviet ideology, these two symbols crossed together symbolized co-operation between the two classes. 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. The hammer, sickle and star were sometimes not displayed on the reverse of the flag. Previous flags of the Soviet eraBefore 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. 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.The white-red-white flag
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. This was done by placing the color red, which the Rus preferred, on a background of white. Another theory, which is also the traditional explanation, is that in 1410, when the united armies of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and of Rus, defeated the Germans of the Teutonic Order at the Battle of Grunwald. 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. 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. Use of the flag since 1995From 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. 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.Some of the groups using this flag as a protest include Zubr and the Belarusian Popular Front. Webpage showing photos of the white-red-white flag being used by the group Zubr 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. Webpage showing details of uniforms and insignia of the BKA . Also, the 1991 flag made an appearance in a video game relating to the 1998 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament. The flag was used on the uniforms of the Belarusian hockey players and was used as a banner image behind the players during the playing of the national anthems. In a bit of irony, the anthem that was paired with the flag was the Hymn of the Soviet Union. The 1995 referendum
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.Vexillographia page ""осударственный флаг Республики Беларусь" Other related flags
President Lukashenko has adopted a standard for his personal use. 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 Belarusian flag, with the addition of the Belarusian coat of arms in the center. The arms, which are five-sixths of the standard's length, are colored in red and outlined in gold. The standard's ratio (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.Decree dated March 27, 1997, creating the presidential standard 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 РА"ЗІМУ ("For our Motherland"), while below is the full name of the military unit.Flags of the World page "Belarus - Military Flags" , and Vexillographia page "Флаги армии Беларуси" ReferencesExternal links*Official site of the President of the Republic of Belarus - Official description of the National Symbols *Vexillographia - Flags of Belarus
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