What does the flag of Russia look like? What is his story? What are the colors of the flag of Russia?
Every year at the end of summer (August 22) the Day of the National Flag is celebrated. This holiday was officially established in Russia in 1994, in accordance with the presidential decree.
The flagging procedure usually accompaniesexecution of the anthem. The place for holding this ceremony is usually large state events, in which the first persons of the state participate. The moment when the state flag of Russia rises, is a landmark. It is an expression of the greatness of the country and its historical past. Intentional damage and destruction of the flag are punishable by law in accordance with Article 17.10 of the Administrative Code.
Etymology of the word
The very concept of "flag" comes from the German wordFlagge and English flag. According to another version, it was borrowed in the era of Peter the Great from the Dutch language, in which the word flag is translated as "flag, banner." A flag is called a cloth of a certain color, having a geometrically regular rectangular shape.
All national symbols differ in theirindividual colors. Their number corresponds to the number of states on our planet. The element of each flag has a certain meaning. Each panel conveys the history of the country it represents.
How did the history of the Russian flag begin?
It's hard to believe, but for the first fivecenturies of its history in Russia there were no customary symbols for us, such as the coat of arms, flag and anthem. During the Middle Ages, instead of a flag, a miracle-working icon was used. With her, the prince's squad went on a campaign, having preliminarily performed a common prayer. A vivid example of this is the Battle of Kulikovo described in historical documents. Before her, Prince Dmitry Donskoy was blessed by Saint Sergius of Radonezh. He was awarded an icon on which the Virgin is depicted. Also widely used were banners and banners with images of the faces of the saints, Jesus Christ and the Virgin. However, a single state flag did not appear in those days.
Appearance of the first banner
As already mentioned, a long time, viz.until the XVII century, a single state flag in our country did not exist. The first time mention of it appears in historical sources, dated 1667-1668 years. At that time Aleksei Mikhailovich Romanov, the father of Peter the Great, who began actively developing international trade, ruled the country.
Usual for us the colors of the flag of Russia appearprecisely at this time. Under them, the Eagle was launched, the first Russian military vessel. The ship was intended to guard the merchant caravans from marauders.
But officially this flag was introduced instate symbols only Peter the Great. In 1705 he issued a decree, according to which a white-blue-red flag was to be raised on each merchant ship. Peter himself worked on a sample of the national flag, making a paper outline of his image and determining the order in which the stripes should be placed on the cloth.
Flag during the Russian Empire
In 1858, already under the emperor Alexander II,a decree was issued, according to which streets of cities on holidays should be decorated with banners, flags and other items, painted in the colors of the arms of the country. Since 1865, the state colors of Russia have changed from white, blue and red to colors, in which the coat of arms is painted - black, gold and white. The imperial flag of Russia acquires the colors of the coat of arms and remains so until 1883.
In April 1883, Alexander III by his decreereturned the national flag a white-blue-red color, while the black and yellow-and-white tricolor was given the status of the dynastic flag of the reigning Romanov dynasty. According to another version, the emperor customary for us tricolor claims only for raising on merchant ships.
In 1896 - in accordance with the order of Nicholas II - the state flag of the Russian Empire began to look like today.
In 1914 the First World War began. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced one of the variants of the imperial flag, which looked like a national flag. The difference was that in the upper left corner appeared a yellow square with a picture of a black two-headed eagle. This composition at that time could be seen on the palace imperial standard. This flag was not official, as many people think, its task was to raise the patriotic spirit of the people in wartime. Its use was not mandatory. What is the significance of the flag of Russia in this variation? He was a symbol of the unity of the people and the tsar at that difficult time.
Russian flag at the beginning of the 20th century
In 1917, after the Februaryrevolution and abdication of the emperor from autocracy in favor of Mikhail's brother, who later transferred power to the Provisional Government (headed by Kerensky), Russia became a democratic republic.
Revolutionaries widely used the flag of redcolors. But in the spring of 1917 it was decided not to deprive the Russian tricolor of the state status and postpone the issue concerning the symbolism of the country until the special order of the Constituent Assembly. Thus, until April 1918, the white-blue-red flag remained the status of the state symbol of the country.
Post-Revolutionary Time
After the October Revolution was accomplished,the history of the flag of Russia, as well as of our country, made a very sharp turn. When the Soviet power came into its own, the Communists considered as their symbol a rectangular panel of red color, on which no additional elements were depicted. But this flag was not officially recognized, nor in any regulatory documents (the country was still called the Russian Republic, and the flag was officially considered to be a white-blue-red tricolor).
In 1918, the question of the stateflag, was discussed by the Council of People's Commissars. The decision following the meeting suggested that the All-Russian Central Executive Committee assign the status of the state flag to the red panel with the abbreviation of the PVSS, which was interpreted as the motto: "Workers of all countries, unite!"
However, this proposal was not supported. Status of the official flag of the RSFSR was awarded a banner of red color. But the decree, which proclaimed the official symbolism, did not contain specifying details that prescribe the color, size, location of the inscription, the length and breadth of the banner.
In July 1918, the firstConstitution. Her 90th article contained a description of what the Russian flag looks like: the status of a trade, naval and military banner. Officially the cloth had a bright red color, the left corner of it was occupied by the abbreviation of the RSFSR. In the Constitution of the country of 1937 there was a paragraph confirming the use of the flag described above as a national symbol of the country.
The new image of the Soviet flag
In 1947, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSRa resolution was adopted that recommended the adoption by the Union republics of their national flags on the basis of the banner of the country. What they did, adding their own individual bands. In 1954, the flag of the RSFSR acquired a new face: on the bright red cloth, a light blue strip appeared across the entire width of the shaft, a crossed sickle and a golden hammer appeared on the red background and a scarlet star framed by a golden rim above them.
Return to the tricolor
At the end of the 1980s, the statethe symbol again began to look the way the Russian flag looks today, the familiar red, blue and white colors returned to it. In 1991, during the August coup, the tricolor used forces opposing the Emergency Committee. After the GKCHP was defeated, the tricolor flag was used as the national flag of the RSFSR, but officially it was only in November of the same year, and the blue strip was replaced by an azure one. Since December 25, 1991, the RSFSR officially ceased to exist, and the Russian Federation appeared instead.
December 11, 1993, the country's president, BorisNikolaevich Yeltsin signed a decree that described the flag as a rectangular cloth consisting of three bands of equal width, the upper one of which is white, the middle one of blue, and the lower one of red.
The magic of flowers
Few of us think thatindicates the flag of Russia, more precisely, its colors. There are many versions about this, but there is no official interpretation. It is considered that white color symbolizes peace, purity, integrity and perfection (or freedom); blue represents permanence, faith and faithfulness (according to another version, symbolizes the Mother of God); with red color associated energy, strength and blood shed for the Motherland (or autocracy).
One can argue for a long time about what the Russian flag actually means. With certainty it can be said that these colors are a reflection of the Russian soul and character.
The connection of the flag of Russia with the flags of other countries
White, blue and red are also calledpan-Slavic colors. They were used in the process of creating the flags of many Slavic states. Among them are the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria. It should also be noted that the Russian tricolor presented its colors and the flag of the whole Slavic.
Other banners
The history of the flag of Russia is inextricably linked withthe history of the country itself, the state symbol changed with it. In addition to the official white-blue-red, each military department has its own special flag.
All the branches of the army have their own banners: the Navy, the Air Force, and the Airborne Troops. Every flag, if it does not depict the attributes of the kind of troops that it represents, its history is somehow connected with the symbolism of the banner.
A vivid example of this is the St. Andrew's flag, whichis the most famous of the military banners of our country and the main banner of the navy. Its name is associated with the name of the fisherman Andrew, the first of the disciples of Christ. He is the same Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Here it should be noted that the Scottish national flag is similar to our St. Andrew's flag. Heraldry also means the so-called St. Andrew's cross (on the cross of this form was crucified the apostle). But contrary to the statements of some Scottish politicians, the Russian naval flag has its own history, and its symbolism was not copied from the British highlanders. Styag appeared on Russian ships back in the time of Peter the Great and remains the main symbol of the Navy to this day.
Military flags of Russia are diverse and are stillone reflection of our history, demonstrating the development of the country and our armed forces. Already for three centuries the imperial attribute of the state introduced by Peter I is a national pride and symbol of the country.
Now the reader knows what the Russian flag looks like, as well as what its colors mean.
