Myanmar flag

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Myanmar flag
Flag of Myanmar.svg
Vexillological symbol : National flag on land, trade and service flag at sea?
Aspect ratio: 2: 3
Officially accepted: October 21, 2010

The flag of Myanmar was officially introduced on October 21, 2010.

Description and meaning

In 2008, a new Myanmar constitution was adopted, which came into force in 2010. It also provided for a new state flag and a new state seal . The new flag will consist of three equally sized stripes in yellow, green and red. In the center there should be a large, white star with its tip pointing up.

  • Yellow stands for solidarity.
  • Green stands for peace, tranquility and the green environment.
  • Red represents courage and determination.

The color of the flag is in the tradition of the Japanese puppet state of Burma, which existed from 1943 to 1945.

Historical flags

Flag from 1974 at a 2007 demonstration in Newcastle

The first national flag of modern Myanmar, or Burma, emerged from a flag of the resistance movement that fought against the Japanese occupation in World War II . This was red with a white star in the upper left corner. After the country gained independence, the star was placed in the blue jack and five smaller stars were added to represent the ethnic groups. In 1974, Myanmar became a socialist republic, which was reflected in the symbolism of the flag. On January 3, 1974, a gear and rice ears were inserted into the blue jack, which stood for industry and agriculture. The fourteen stars corresponded to the number of administrative units within the country. The colors had the following meanings:

  • Blue stands for peace and quiet.
  • White expresses purity.
  • Red symbolizes courage, solidarity and determination.

When changing the national flag, it was stipulated that the old 1974 flag had to be retrieved by someone who was born on a Tuesday. The new flag should be set for the first time by someone born on Wednesday. One suspects astrological reasons behind this arrangement. The old flags should be burned.

  • Historic flag? The Golden Hintar flag, 1300 to 1500

  • Historic flag? Kingdom of Burma during the Konbaung dynasty, 1752 to 1885

  • Historic flag? Burma under British rule (1886–1937 province of British India , 1937–1943 and 1945–1948 separate colony)

  • Historic flag? Flag of the pro-Japanese Synyethe Wunthann Party, de facto flag of Burma, 1942 to 1943

  • Historic flag? State of Burma, 1943 to 1945

  • Historic flag? Burmese Union, 1948-1974

  • 5: 9 ? Burmese Union or Myanmar, 1974 to 2010 Historic flag National flag on land, trade and service flag at sea

  • Flag was proposed but never officially adopted? Flag proposal not implemented in 2007

similarities

The color sequence and arrangement of the flag of Myanmar corresponds to the flag of Lithuania . In addition, Myanmar ranks among the countries that use the Pan-African colors without reference to the African continent .

The flag of Myanmar, used until 2010, was very similar to the flags of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Samoas . There are no cultural or historical connections to the flag of Samoa, but there are suspicions that the flag of Myanmar was designed by Kuomintang in Burma .

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing , Taiwanese sports fans waved the flag of Myanmar, which was still valid at the time, as it looks like the Taiwanese flag from a distance. The reason for this is that Taiwan can only participate in the games as “ Chinese Taipei ” under a sports flag and the flag of Taiwan may not be used.

More flags of Myanmar

See also

literature

  • Karl-Heinz Hesmer: Flags and coats of arms of the world. History and symbolism of the flags and coats of arms of all states . Bertelsmann-Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh 1992, ISBN 3-570-01082-1 .
  • Whitney Smith , Ottfried Neubecker : The signs of people and peoples. Our world in flags and banners . Reich Verlag, Lucerne 1975, ISBN 3-7243-0115-4 .

Web links

Commons : Flags of Myanmar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Yahoo news Australia, October 21, 2010, Myanmar gets new flag, official name, anthem ( Memento of October 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ New constitution from 2008, picture of the flag on page 190 ( Memento from January 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) ( Burmese language ; PDF; 838 kB)
  3. ↑ Flags of the World - Japanese puppet state August 1, 1943 - 1945
  4. ↑ USAtoday, August 11, 2008, Taiwanese plan to skirt Olympics flag ban
  5. ^ World Flag Database - Myanmar