In all countries, the flag, emblem and anthem aresymbols of statehood. Finland is no exception. But this country has its own peculiarities regarding the sovereign symbols. Officially, the flag of Finland is approved in three different types: national, state and presidential. The history of this symbol, as well as the way it looks now, we will consider with you.
History of the flag
In 1556 Finland gained some freedom.from the Swedes who conquered the country in the 12th century. A new territorial entity — the duchy — adopted the coat of arms two years later. It was depicted a golden lion on a red background. The heraldic animal stood on its hind legs and had a crown on its head. In the right front paw, which was chained in a gauntlet, the beast held a silver sword. Leo propped up a silver-colored saber curve - a symbol of Poland, with which Finland, as part of Sweden, repeatedly fought. The whole image was edged with nine silver roses. Therefore, red and gold were the “life colors” of the state. In 1809, the country was conquered by imperial Russia. After the Crimean War, the question arose about the standard of ships that were assigned to the ports of the Baltic colony. Since it had the status of autonomy and was called the Grand Duchy of Finland, it was decided to give it its own flag. Shortly before, the brother of Russian Emperor Alexander II, Konstantin Nikolayevich, founded the yacht club in Nyuland and invented an emblem for him - a straight blue cross on a white background. The modern flag of Finland took this image as a base.
Liberation from Russia
What happened next?Finland’s de facto autonomy was illusive. The Grand Duke was the Russian emperor. In the years 1910-1916, the chauvinists carried out an intensified Russification; therefore, a tricolor appeared in the upper left corner as a symbol of the domination of the empire over the Suomi people. But as soon as the February revolution occurred, the Finns destroyed all signs of Russian domination.
Но граждане не могли придти к единому мнению.Some simply ripped off the lower band of the Russian tricolor, while others used red banners with a golden lion on it. In February 1918, the Senate adopted the flag of Finland: a scarlet cloth with a gold Scandinavian cross (the short crossbar of which is set vertically). But since during the war the “Reds” completely discredited themselves in the eyes of the population, in May 1918 the Senate decided to change the colors of the national banner. They became white and blue. The Finns recalled the words of their poet Sacarias Topelius, who in 1862 persuaded the Senate to accept these colors. He said that white is the snow-covered fields of the country, and blue is its countless lakes. However, in 1920, the soft cornflower-blue color was replaced by dark blue. Also changed and coat of arms. The lion on him lost his crown.
Modern state symbols of the country
Флаг и герб Финляндии были утверждены законом countries of June 1, 1978. He reversed the decree of the eighteenth year, with the amendments of the twentieth. The dark, almost black crossbars now became intensely blue. The right front paw of a lion turned into a human hand. However, the militarist sword has not disappeared anywhere - it is a symbol of readiness to fight off external enemies. There were also developed three incarnations of the banner and the date when the flag should be raised. Presidential oriflamma and the standard of the armed forces were taken separately. At the core, they are completely based on the national flag of the country, but are complemented by three braids and special symbol badges.
National flag of finland
Siniristilippu - “blue-cross” - so affectionatelycall your civic Finns. He is very simple. The national flag is a rectangular white cloth, where the length in relation to the width is 18: 11. It has a blue Scandinavian (that is, turned on its side) cross on it. The length of the cross member with respect to the main axis is three to eleven. The width of the blue stripes of the cross is strictly regulated: three to eleven in relation to the entire cloth. The horizontal (main) axis splits the flag strictly in half. As seen in the photo, the cross forms two pairs of white rectangles. Those that are closer to the flagpole, have proportions of 5: 11 banner width. And the length of rectangles at the free edge of the banner should be 10: 11 the width of the cloth. The cross bar divides in the proportion of five to three.
National flag of Finland
Синий крест на белом фоне красуется и на sovereign symbol of the country. This duality inherent in the flags of Finland gives rise to a lot of misunderstandings, because in other states only one sample banner has been officially adopted. But if you look, the situation is very simple. National banners can be raised by anyone on any occasion, right up to family holidays or funerals. They also decorated all the ships of Finland. And government banners are raised only on clearly-marked dates of official national holidays. In addition, they fly in flagpoles over the buildings of parliament, government and ministries, central government bodies and courts. They embellished the embassies of Finland, the central bank, the border service, the pension fund, and state higher education institutions.
What is the difference between the state andnational? Only the presence of the coat of arms at the intersection of the two crossbars of the cross. As we remember, he is standing on his hind legs a golden lion on a red background. The beast holds the sword in its paws and tramples on the saber. For beauty, the red square of the coat of arms is framed by a yellow border, the width of which is one-fortieth of the thickness of the crosses.
Flag of the President of Finland
Кроме национального и государственного стяга в This Scandinavian country also uses kielekkeinen valtiolippu, a flag with braids. What does the flag of Finland look like with “teeth”? It differs from its fellows in that three cloth triangles are attached on the free edge of the cloth. The base of the middle "braid" is adjacent to the blue base of the cross and is equal to its width. And the upper and lower triangles form the corresponding corners of the cloth in the free part. All three braids have cuts 5/11 in depth from the banner width, and their length should be one sixth to eleven of the free edge of the cloth. The standard with teeth symbolizes either the President or the military department of the country. A more accurate affiliation can be determined by drawing attention to the upper left rectangle (the one that is closer to the flagpole). There is the Cross of Freedom on the oriflamme of the President of the Republic. It is of golden (yellow) color.
Flag of the Finnish military
Kositsy is not only on the presidential oriflamme.The military flag of Finland, whose photo you see, is also notched. It is used by the Minister of Defense, the commander in chief, the central headquarters of the Armed Forces and its departments. In addition, three-prong banners adorn the stern of military vessels. On the banner of the Commander-in-Chief, just as in the Presidential banner, at the intersection of two crossbars there is an image of the coat of arms of Finland. The Armed Forces have a special icon in the upper left rectangle.
Swastika or runic sign?
Many people have a flag of the Finnish Air Force, the photo of whichyou see, causes shock. Swastika? Fascism? Far from it. This rune sign, denoting the sun and its circulation, was revered by the Finns long before Hitler set himself a manic idea to take over the whole world. Back in 1918, the swastika was recognized as a symbol of the Finnish Air Force. After the end of World War II, the Finns undertook to remove this odious badge from the banner of the Air Force, but they did not do that. They argued that the Nazis swastika oblique, while the symbol of the sun - a straight line.
