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A flag (from Old High German fano m. 'Cloth', 'flag', ancient Germanic fanōn m. 'Cloth', related to Latin pannus 'cloth' , 'rag' and ancient Greek πήνος 'fabric' ) is a single or multi-colored, empty or with pictures or symbols, usually rectangular piece of cloth , which is attached to a flagpole or a flagpole, usually with nails and decorated tips and represents a community (association, guild, church, troop).
Terms
Colloquially, the words flag and flag are often used synonymously. In Switzerland, the federal, state, municipal and other "flags" are called flags - it is said Swiss flag , not "Swiss Flag".
history
As a tribal or field symbol , flags have been known in the Orient since early antiquity. They also found numerous uses in the Roman army . Since the 11th and 12th centuries there were even special in Italy and Germany flags car , called Karraschen ( Carroccio ). The later Middle Ages referred to the flag as a banner or panier. Before the First World War , all branches of the army (except artillery ) carried flags. The flags of the cavalry were called standards .
Their area of application expanded over time and a. as an advertising medium (see beach flag ).
use
Originally, the flags served as a point of reference for soldiers and troops during combat. Hence the name Fähnlein for a certain number of fighters in the 16th and 17th centuries. From this connection of the units to their flag also germinated their meaning as a symbol of military honor and loyalty (see also oath of the flag that the soldier had to take, desertion as a serious offense of a soldier).
meaning
As a result, the flag became a kind of sanctuary , which was both consecrated by the church and kept in a special place. Not only the members of the military, but also the flag itself received the military honors. Selected people were used as standard-bearers, the ensigns , mostly Junkers with officer rank. Later this task was also given to deserving NCOs or candidates.
The defense of the flag was always a military duty. Conquering an enemy flag was an act of glory; losing your own was considered a disgrace. The names of the soldiers or officers who fell with the flag in hand were placed on a silver ring on the flagpole. Flags damaged in battle also received silver rings on which the incident was noted. Old age and traces of combat operations have always been considered a special decoration of the flags. Conquered flags and standards were the most beautiful trophies for victory and were not given out even after the conclusion of peace, but rather placed in the armory or in churches.
With the change of war techniques and especially the abandonment of the closed battle line , the flag lost its importance as a tactical standard. Since 1900 z. For example, the field artillery of the German Reich is no longer a flag, but every battalion of infantry, hunters and pioneers as well as the first battalion of a foot artillery regiment . In the First World War, the flags were still taken, but brought home with the start of the trench warfare.
However, flags are still used to show the new affiliation in annexed or occupied countries or regions, such as the red flag on the Reichstag building in May 1945.
Procession flags
Traditionally, flags play a major role in church processions . Procession flags and banners of the church groups and associations are carried in the procession . The processional way, for example at first communion , at bishops' visits , anniversaries and primaries as well as the blessing altars on Corpus Christi are decorated with small processional flags placed on the roadside, usually in the colors yellow-white, blue-white and red-white.
Church flags
Church flags are not legally protected like state and municipal flags. At the beginning of the 20th century, a uniform flag for each of the two major Christian denominations developed in Germany. Before that, parishes and higher-level units carried their own flags in some cases.
Catholic church flags
The Catholic church flag is based on the flag of the Vatican City . The banner flag is divided into two vertical stripes (yellow and white).
Protestant church flags
The Protestant flag consists of a white background on which a large, purple cross (over the entire length and width) is depicted.
Ecumenical flag
An ecumenical flag created in the 1920s by the Practical Christianity Movement consists of a vertical and horizontal white bar that meet in the middle. The background is red, so the flag resembles the Danish flag.
Christian flag
The Christian flag is common in America and Africa .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Church flags. Retrieved July 15, 2017 .