Pioneers since how old? What did the pioneers do in the USSR, how were they accepted into the Komsomol and who were the Octoberists? Congress of Workers' and Peasants' Youth

Most national flags are oddly similar. More than 75% of state standards have red elements, and 72% have white elements. Thirty countries have flags of various combinations of red, blue and white. Stripes, stars and crosses are extremely common. Almost all flags are rectangular (Switzerland and the Vatican have square flags, but technically a square is a rectangle). The most interesting thing is that there are no standards for the design of flags, and no international commission monitors this. That does not prevent them all from being created as if from a textbook, with the exception of the very strange flag of Nepal.

The flag of Nepal consists of two intersecting triangles of different sizes. This is the only five-pointed national flag in the world. Other countries could also come up with interesting flags, but they didn’t do it, and now, most likely, they won’t do it. How did this happen?

A little history

National flags appeared earlier than you might think. Until the 17th century, most people did not strive for national self-determination. Travel between countries was rare, expensive, and dangerous. National identity was not particularly important; What was more important was belonging to the settlement or loyalty to the local feudal lord. Kings had standards, but they had more in common with coats of arms and could change when another royal dynasty came to power.

British, French, Japanese, Chinese and other flags. "Flags of the World", 1890

Flags were also needed in war. True, in the Middle Ages they were used to identify regiments and even small groups of soldiers rather than entire states. The situation changed with the advent of the "Age of Sail", especially towards the end of the 18th century. “Country flags were hung on merchant ships that moved around the world,” says Professor Scott Gunther, a senior research fellow at San Jose State University's Center for Flag Studies and a renowned vexillologist (flag expert).

Most national flags appeared in the mid-19th century, with the development of the concept of a nation as a community, rather than simply a group of people under the rule of a monarch. During this period, national flags began to be used outside of battles, and over the course of about a hundred years they came to a uniform form. Then the flag was simple means find out the origin of the ship from a distance: the rectangular canvas is clearly visible in the wind.

However, not all states used this form. In Asia, elongated pennant flags with one or two triangular ends were popular. However, in the "Age of Sail" the seas were dominated by European states, which opened up new lands and trade routes, and their flags were rectangular, so that by the mid-19th century, Asian countries had also adopted this shape. All except Nepal.

What kind of flag is this?

The Nepalese flag resembles the letter "B". These are two red triangular pennants with a blue frame. The upper pennant is slightly smaller than the lower one, they intersect slightly in the middle. Embroidered on the top of the flag White moon, on the bottom - the sun.

“It is not known exactly who came up with such an unusual shape,” says Anil Pandey, founder non-profit organization Motherland Nepal, which is dedicated to helping Nepalese immigrants in the United States. The history of the Nepalese flag is extremely vague. An illustration of a very similar banner appears in Landon Percival's 1928 book Nepal, but it states that the flag's border was green. Apparently the color changed after the book was published. By the time Nepal's new constitution was approved in 1962, the flag already looked like it does now. When and why the color change occurred is unknown.

Nepalese flags, 1928

Renowned Nepalese scholar Dayaram Shrestha traced the history of the country's flag to the time of King Manadeva of the Lichavi dynasty, who reigned around 450 AD, but few documents survive from that time. Until the 19th century, flags changed quite often and were not considered important enough to be described in detail.

The Kingdom of Nepal arose in the mid-18th century under King Prithvinarayan Shah. Some scientists believe that an unusual flag appeared at the same time. Other historians date its origins to the beginning of the 19th century. However, there is no direct confirmation of these versions: no reproductions of the Nepalese flag have survived from that period. Perhaps at the beginning of the 19th century one of the options was recognized as official, but there is also no evidence of this. However, there is nothing mysterious or unusual here: at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, many states were just deciding on the colors and shape of their banners.

Sun and moon

The meaning of the sun and moon symbols on the Nepal flag is also not exactly known. Often the same elements on flags in different historical periods can mean completely different things, sometimes good, sometimes bad. According to some versions, the luminaries symbolize the Shahs and Rans - the two most powerful dynasties that have ruled the country for the last 500 years. Some consider the moon and sun to be symbols of pride and peace. Or perhaps forever. “As long as there is sun and moon in the sky, there will be Nepal on earth,” says Pandey. All these versions have a right to exist, says Gunther. “The flag of Nepal does not mean one thing; its meaning may change over time,” the professor notes.

Modern look of the flag, photo: Alamy

There were suggestions that unusual shape flag - two triangles - can symbolize the Himalayas. Both Pandey and Gunther deny this.

All countries in the region, including neighboring India, used pennants rather than the usual rectangular flags. According to former Nepali politician Birai Bista, many pennants can be found on Hindu and Buddhist temples countrywide. These flags are usually yellow or orange and have the word “Om” embroidered on them. A double pennant is unusual, but not out of the ordinary; there is no specific symbolism in this. Just two triangles.

However, specific form pennants deserves a separate discussion. The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 1962, included an entire section dedicated to the proportions of the flag. Perhaps before this he was portrayed incorrectly, at least according to the authorities. To accurately depict the Nepalese flag, you will need a ruler and a lot of patience: all measurements are spelled out in detail in the constitution.

With the adoption of the 1962 constitution, the Nepalese flag underwent one important change: in the past, faces were depicted on the moon and sun, but now they are no longer there. Why - again no one knows.

On the left is the modern version of the flag, on the right is the early version with the moon and sun

The choice of colors is also quite interesting. According to Pandey, Nepal's national color is red. Supposedly it means courage. Blue represents peace. Bista agrees with this version. According to him, red represents the “hotheadness” of the Nepalese people, and blue represents peace. However, blue and red are quite popular colors of national flags. What do these colors mean on the US flag? Something or nothing? (No one knows this for sure either.)

Why do other countries have such boring flags?

In theory, any state can at any time replace its flag with something more interesting than a rectangle. However, even a country with a very simple and boring flag (like Poland) would have problems if it did this. According to Gunter, the decision to change the flag rarely finds support among the country's citizens. National flags are living symbols, even if they are boring or ugly, the professor says.
Before the “Age of Sail,” the flag of Nepal may have seemed interesting and unusual: there were other pennants, but double ones were extremely rare. Now the flag of this country is something absolutely unique and unlike any other national standard.

According to Gunter, the unusual shape of the Nepalese flag may be due to the country's relative isolation. Unlike many other Asian states, Nepal has never been conquered. The country also did not participate in the maritime trade of the Age of Sail. The lack of outside influence allowed Nepal to maintain the originality of its symbolism.

By the time the constitution was adopted in 1962, the importance of national flags was already obvious, and the country's authorities decided to preserve the unique form of their standard. According to Pandey, the people of the state consider the flag a source of pride. “Most Nepalis are proud of their unique flag,” confirms Bista. “Personally, I see it as a unifying symbol.” The Nepalese flag is surprising and this makes it different from the standards of any other countries.

We need the support of our readers.

Thank you for reading this text to the end, we tried our best. The entire PRTBRT project was created by a small team of two people, now the site is read by 200 thousand people a month - this is incredibly cool!

But for the project to continue to live, we need the help of our readers. You can help PRTBRT by subscribing to a monthly donation (from $1) at Patreon website. By the way, we offer bonuses for donations! Plus, we explain why we decided to take such a step.

Find the best PRTBRT texts here. You can read us everywhere, but it’s especially convenient on Facebook, VKontakte, and the Telegram channel. Plus, we have Instagram, it’s beautiful there!

The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal received its flag in December 1962. Since then, it has not changed and is used as one of the most important symbols. The unusual flag of Nepal, of which every traveler in Asia probably has photographs, is interesting both for the meaning of its shades and for its original shape. Let's look at each detail in more detail.

Modern look

Surprisingly, the flag of Nepal is not rectangular in shape! This is practically the only standard in the world with such outstanding proportions. The cloth is created from two triangles located vertically one above the other. Each of them is a symbol of two branches of the Rana dynasty, a family that ruled the country for a hundred years from the early nineteenth century. The main area of ​​each of the triangles is bright red. The edges are bordered by a blue stripe. The upper pennant depicts a stylized moon in the form of a horizontal crescent, and the lower pennant contains a star with twelve rays, designed to represent the sun.

Meaning

The symbols of the heavenly bodies depicted on the pennants serve as signs of hope - for the calm and peaceful existence of the state. Nepalese believe that the point is that both the moon and the sun will always be in the sky. That is why the Nepal flag includes them.

The coat of arms repeats similar symbolism. In the center are the footprints of the god Gorakhnath, above them is a crown, and on the sides are crossed flags and kukri knives, symbolizing the courage of citizens and their readiness to always help loved ones. The coat of arms also contains the inscription “Mother and Motherland are more important than the kingdom of heaven,” this is an ancient heraldic motto, and in the background there are schematic drawings of a cow, a pheasant, the Himalayan mountains and the outlines of the state. The colors in which the flag of Nepal is made have the following meaning. Red is the country's national color. The blue stripe is intended to indicate the desire for peaceful coexistence with all other peoples.

History of origin

Modern cloth has been used since the end of 1962. Then the country adopted new constitution. After the revolution there was a return to absolute monarchy. This system survived for several decades, but even after its change, the chosen symbolism remained the same. The flag of Nepal is unique - there are square-shaped flags in the world, but triangular ones, and even including two elements at once, simply do not exist. This makes it easy to remember the symbolism of this state- it cannot be confused with any other.

Hello dears. Today we will continue the issues of vexillology. In previous posts we discussed identical flags, as well as similar banners, and
Today we’ll talk about unusual, non-standard flags. In fact, any state banner is unusual and non-standard, because it expresses the individuality of each state, its peculiarity and, if you like, “soul”. But among all of them there are banners that are especially striking. About 20 flags caught (or stuck) my eyes, which I will tell you about. But first, I will formally divide these banners into 3 groups depending on their unusualness and non-standard nature. Group I will include flags with non-standard proportions, shapes and sizes, the second - banners with individual and rare designs or ornaments. Well, in group 3 I will include all the other flags that struck me in some way or surprised me in some way.
Today we will start with group I.

flag of the Vatican City State.

The vast majority of countries in the world have a rectangular national flag with proportions (width to length ratios) of 1:2, 2:3, 3:5 or 5:7.
But there are several flags. Which do not fit into these standards at all. These are absolutely square flags of Switzerland and the Vatican, close to square flags of Niger (proportions 6:7), Belgium (13:15) and Monaco (4:5), a very narrow and long flag of Qatar (proportion 11:28) and absolutely not similar no matter what the state standard of Nepal.

deceased The Royal Family Nepal.

We talked about the flags of Niger, Qatar and Monaco in previous posts, so let’s start with the most non-standard of all - the state flag of the Federal Republic of Monaco. Democratic Republic Nepal. I am writing the full name on this moment I myself am surprised by this state - I just can’t get used to it. After all, even until 2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy, and the country itself was called the Kingdom of Nepal. But after the horrific tragedy of 2001, when crown prince Dipendra shot his entire family, including his father, the reigning 5th king of Nepal, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, and shot himself, in a country that was already turbulent, in full height broke out Civil War. As a result, the Maoists from the united Marxist-Leninist party won communist party who were deprived of power ruling house and proclaimed the country a republic. Now the same instability continues in Nepal, and no one can guess how it will continue, what path the country will take. If over the next 3-5 years the leadership does not change, then I can predict with almost one hundred percent certainty that the current flag of the state will be changed.

official flag of Nepal.

The flag consists of 2 triangular banners one above the other and there are more than enough meanings and interpretations of this symbolism. The simplest is a combination of two branches of the Rana dynasty, which ruled and ruled Nepal. The lower flag belongs to the Rana dynasty, from which the prime ministers of the state came from the end of the 19th century, and the highest belongs to the Shah dynasty, which were related to the Rana dynasty, but still, since 1911, it was they who occupied the royal throne. The unification of these two families, as well as their ancestral symbols, speaks of eternity, of the peaceful rule of Nepal while the heavenly bodies shine - the Sun (indicated by the Big Star) and the Moon (star and crescent). In addition, the sun means determination, and the Moon means peace, a combination of 2 principles. Interpretations of the shape of the flag also include allusions to the greatest peaks of the Himalayas, the Buddhist Pagoda, as well as a combination of the 2 main religions at the intersection of which Nepal is located - Hinduism and Buddhism. Dark red has been the official color of the Nepalese since ancient times, and the blue stripe along the edge signifies peace and quiet.

Swiss flag on one of the Alpine peaks.

The flag of Switzerland is recognizable all over the world. It is one of the oldest in Europe, as it was first seen at the Battle of Laupen on June 21, 1339, as the banner of the so-called Swiss Confederation, which was an ally of the state of Bern in the fight against the Habsburgs and Burgundians. True, then the rays of the cross reached the edge of the banner, which, by the way, was rectangular, so that the standard of the Swiss Union resembled the current flag of the Order of Malta. However, already from the middle of the 15th century, the cross began to undergo metamorphoses and began to slightly resemble the one we see today. The modern flag was introduced in 1848 as a military flag, and its exact proportions were established in the military regulations of 1852. National flag this cloth appeared only in 1889. It is precisely square in shape due to its military origin, since square standards are often used in the army. The red and white colors of the flag are most likely borrowed from the banner of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, which were used from the 13th to 14th centuries, although the Swiss themselves claim that the flag is not red, but a mixture of purple and yellow.

J. A. Dunant

Well, it should definitely be said that the Swiss flag was taken as the basis for the symbolism of such an organization as International Committee Red Cross. A mirror replacement of the flag (a red cross on a white cloth) was adopted in connection with the Geneva Convention of 1864, as well as to commemorate the services of the organization’s founder, Jean Henri Dunant (Swiss citizen)

flag of the kingdom of belgium

Next in line is the flag of the Kingdom of Belgium. I really like the combination of colors of the flag of this state. There is something noble, interesting, bright about them. Often the Belgians themselves do not know that their hose should not be rectangular, but almost square, but this is really so and it is this form that is enshrined in law (Article 193 of the Belgian Constitution, however, for some reason there is a reverse order of colors: red-yellow-black) . This flag is based on the revolutionary tricolore of 1830, the stripes of which were, however, not vertical, but horizontal. According to the official version, the colors of the standard are taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, which, by the way, later became the coat of arms of the whole of Belgium (golden lion with red claws and tongue on a black field).

Flemish and Walloon coats of arms

There is another version. The French flag is taken as the basis, since the capital of Belgium, Brussels, belongs to the Walloons, who are historically pro-French. The flag combines the colors of 2 historical parts country, two peoples inhabiting Belgium - the black and yellow colors of Flanders and the red and yellow colors of Wallonia.

Godeffroy of Bouillon wearing a cotta in the colors of the coat of arms of the State of Jerusalem.

The flag of the Vatican, which we can see now, was approved on June 7, 1929 by Pope Pius XI after the signing of the Lateran Agreements with the government of Benito Mussolini on the creation of the Vatican as independent state. The flag was inherited from the Papal States and, despite the apparent simplicity of the colors, is unique in its essence. The fact is that often the symbolism on various banners migrated to them from the coats of arms of certain regions or specific feudal lords. And heraldry is a fairly precise science, in which there are several fundamental rules, the main one of which is the impossibility of applying metal to metal.

banner of the Papal States until 1804

Yellow and White color symbolize gold and silver, respectively, and on the coat of arms you can see such a combination only once in history - this coat of arms of the medieval Kingdom of Jerusalem. The situation is the same with flags - the combination of white and yellow is very rare. Off the top of my head, the only things that come to mind are the imperial flag and the flag of Brunei. Despite the fact that both the first and second were precisely white and yellow, and not silver and gold flags, as intended by the Vatican. The combination of these two precious metals shows the special status of the Vatican. At the same time, the white and yellow cloth symbolizes both the gold and silver keys on the Vatican coat of arms. An interesting point: the flag of the Papal States was not always white and yellow. Until 1814, the amaranth (red) - yellow banner was used. But after the expulsion of the French, a decision was made to replace him.

Coat of arms of the Vatican.

One more important element The flag is the papal coat of arms located on a silver stripe. The coat of arms is a gold and silver key crossed in the shape of a St. Andrew's cross, with the beards facing upward and outward. The keys are connected by a cord, usually red or blue, the two ends of which extend from the handles. The keys are topped with a tiara. An allusion to Matthew 16:19 - “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The Triple Crown (tiara) represents "the three powers of the Supreme Pontiff:" High priest", "supreme shepherd" and "supreme teacher". The golden cross of overcoming the triple crown symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus.

The aspect ratio of the main symbol of Nepal is 1 to 1.21901033. It is completely unclear where so many digits after the decimal point came from, apparently this is important. We will end our conversation about instructions and size with the fact that the author of this article was unable to draw a flag according to the constitution, apparently the lack of artistic abilities took its toll.

The blue edging is a symbol of peace and tranquility. Nepalese people are really very calm and unhurried people. The last revolution and the overthrow of the king lasted 11 years here (from 1996 to 2007), even in a war the Nepalese are in no hurry. What else can you expect from the country - the birthplace of Buddha Gautama.

There are several versions regarding the symbolism of the red color of the Nepal flag. Red is the color of the rhododendron flower, which is one of the symbols of the country. It also symbolizes the brave spirit of the Nepalese people. According to another version, the red triangular flag came here from India, where since ancient times it was considered a symbol of victory; this is written about in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana.

By the way, this color is not quite red, rather it is called red-violet - this is the national color of the country Nepal.

The sun and moon on the flag symbolize the hope that Nepal will continue to exist as long as they are in the sky.

The “interesting things” about the symbolism of Nepal do not end there. The country, of course, has an anthem that consists of only eight lines. It’s probably practical, you don’t need to learn much. For Russian football players, who open their mouths like fish during the anthem, this could help.

Text of the anthem (translation into Russian from the site):

Woven from hundreds of flowers, we are a single wreath, we are Nepalese.

Stretching from Mechi to Mahakali,

A country of endless natural resources.

Thanks to the sacrifices of our brave men, our country is free and unbending.

The land of knowledge, peace, fields, hills and high mountains.

Our indivisible, beloved country, our homeland, is Nepal.

An incredible mix of many nations, languages, religions and cultures,

Our progressive nation, long live Nepal!

This is what the Nepalese have patriotic anthem. Of course, what is said about the country of knowledge is not entirely true; about half of the country’s inhabitants are not literate. We would not call Nepal a “land of knowledge”.

Another symbol of Nepal is the cow. Cows are actively bred for use as draft animals and for dairy products. Beef and veal are not eaten.

Have a good trip and read our other articles about Nepal ( links below).