Introduction
Flags and banners have been used for thousands of years and mean different things
to different people. Even so, the main reason that flags and banners are displayed is
that they represent entities, including a particular country, state, business, leader,
community or organization. They are visual symbols used for identification. In
addition to identification, individual flags are a symbol of pride and respect for the
ideals that the particular flag stands for. The colors and symbols of each flag
convey the ideas/ambitions/values of the country or organization. A flag is not just
a symbol, but a way for a country to portray itself to the rest of the world. These
flags are then made into national icons for each country. The flag is a sacred item
that holds great significance.
History of the UK, USA and Kazakhstan flags
Nowadays there are about 250 countries in the world. And every country has its
own unique flag. But only few know exactly what the flag of each State means.
Many do not even know what the colors on the flag of their own State mean.
The history of the flag of Great Britain, which is known to the whole world under
the name Union Jack - Union Jack, is closely intertwined with the history of Great
Britain.
In 1603, the year of Queen Elizabeth I's death, England and Scotland existed as
completely separate nations, each with their own monarch and parliament.
Elizabeth, being a spinster and therefore childless, expressed a deathbed wish that
her cousin, King James VI of Scotland, be named as her successor to the English
throne. Thus, the Scottish monarch was projected into the unique position of ruling
two nations simultaneously. He ruled Scotland as King James VI and England as
King James I. The flag, formed by combining the traditional English flag - the
cross of St. George and the traditional Scottish flag - the cross of St. Andrew,
became a symbol of the union of the two nations. It was ordered to raise on the
main masts of all English and Scottish ships, both military and commercial. The
name "Union" for the British flag first appeared in 1625. There are various
versions of how the name "Union Jack" appeared, but most researchers believe that
the name Jack originally meant a small flag set on the ship's mast. For several
years, the British flag, raised above the Allied Courts, was simply called Jack or
Jack flag, or King Jack, and in 1674 began to be called His Majesty Jack and
Union Jack. In 1649, after the execution of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell banned the
use of the Union flag. In 1660, the monarchy was restored and the flag was again
used as a symbol of loyalty to the navy to the crown. England and Scotland
remained independent states with separate parliaments, royal courts, flags, until
they were fully united in accordance with the Union Act in 1707. Queen Anne
adopted the symbolic flag of James I as the national flag of Great Britain. When
Ireland united with England on January 1, 1801, and modern Great Britain was
formed, the British flag included the cross of St. Patrick - a symbol of Ireland, and
the modern Union Jack appeared.
At the time of signing the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the United
States did not yet have an official national flag. The urgent need to create a new
flag of America was associated with the beginning of the War of Independence. It
is believed that the first flag used as the flag of the United States was the so-called
"Flag of the Great Union" ("Continental Flag", "Flag of the Continental Congress",
"First Marine Flag"). It practically repeated (with the exception of the number of
stripes) the flag of the British East India Company. For the first time, the
"Continental Flag" as a national flag was used on December 2, 1775 by Lieutenant
of the Continental Fleet, John Paul Jones, who raised it on the Alfred ship in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is known that the First Marine Flag was sewn by the
sewer Margaret Manny. Over the next year, the Continental Flag was used by
North American revolutionaries, including the future first US President George
Washington, as naval and army flags.
The first official national flag, formally approved by the Continental Congress on
June 14, 1777, was the Stars and Stripes. That first Flag Resolution read, in toto,
“Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and
white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new
constellation.” The designer of the flag—most likely Congressman Francis
Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Philadelphia—may
have had a ring of stars in mind to symbolize the new constellation. Today that
pattern is popularly known as the “Betsy Ross flag,” although the widely circulated
story that she made the first Stars and Stripes and came up with the ring pattern is
unsubstantiated. On Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry S. Truman officially declared
June 14 as Flag Day.
Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape,
design and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to
be added to reflect the admission of each new state.
In connection with the proclamation of the state independence of the Republic of
Kazakhstan, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to form a
working group for the preparation of new state symbols (coat of arms, flag,
anthem) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Created by the Presidium of the Supreme
Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan on January 2, 1992, the working group on
the preparation of new state symbols of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced a
truly national contest for the best projects of state symbols of the Republic of
Kazakhstan. Professional and amateur authors, residents of all regions of the
republic, representatives of different nationalities, as well as compatriots living
outside of Kazakhstan participated in this contest. For four months, the group was
working on a draft of the flag and the coat of arms. The working group held 14
meetings in which 453 sketches and 142 letters on the draft of the National Flag
were considered with the participation of the public. The draft flag favorably
differed from the existing national flag of the 1953 model. At the heart of the latter
is a red color, embodying the color of blood which was shed in the revolutionary
struggle. From the point of view of the canons of heraldry, red means threat,
rebellion. The class approach explains the presence on this flag of the image of a
sickle and a hammer (as an alliance of the peasantry and the working class) and a
five-pointed red star, supposedly symbolizing the solidarity of the working people
of the five continents in the name of the communist future. The only differences
between the flags of the former union republics were the bands of different colors
located on them, which in no way reflected their national identity. At the heart of
the project of the new flag lay common human values, awareness of the role and
place of Kazakhstan in the world community. Therefore, the choice was made in
favor of blue color, recognized by the peoples of the world.
A famous artist and designer Shaken Niyazbekov decided to develop his own
version of the country's flag. Before starting work on the project, Niyazbekov
studied a lot of literature about the flags of the countries of the world, trying to
avoid repetitions. In addition to the Niyazbekov flag, several other options passed
to the final of the competition. Some of them were very unusual, contained
national elements like shanyrak and a five-pointed star, and one of the proposed
options strongly resembled the flag of Uzbekistan. On June 4, 1992, the Supreme
Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a final discussion of the flag options
that reached the final. And Shaken Niyazbekov became the author of the current
state flag of an independent Kazakstan.
The uniqueness of patriotic symbols
Main element of Kazakhstan flag is its color. The light blue color is a symbol of
sky and water. The pure light blue color also symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity
of Kazakhstan people and the indivisibility of Kazakhstan country.
The sun is the source of life and energy. That’s why the silhouette of the sun
symbolizes life. Human being is not eternal and human life is measured in some
way by time. Nomads - the ancestors of Kazakhstan people - used the sun’s
movements to measure the time. The sun is also a symbol of wealth and
abundance.
If you look at Kazakhstan flag a little closer you will see that the sun’s rays are like
grain. And the grain is the basis of abundance and prosperity. The total number of
rays is 32.
Among the nomad people the golden eagle plays very important role. People of
different Kazakhstan tribes had the golden eagle on their flags for centuries.
The eagle symbolizes the power of the state and astuteness. For Kazakhstan people
as for people of the steppe the eagle is a symbol of independence, freedom and
flight to future. Also the eagle is strong enough to repulse anyone who is
preventing this flight to future. The eagle symbolizes the attempt of young
Kazakhstan state to become the important part of world civilization.
The line placed in parallel with Kazakhstan flag staff consists of national
ornamental pattern. It is Kazakhstan national ornamental pattern “koshkar-muiz” horns of the ram.
The Union Flag or Union Jack is so called because it combines the crosses of the
three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales,
of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been
part of the United Kingdom).
The flag consists of three heraldic crosses: the cross of St George, patron saint of
England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground. The cross saltire of St
Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground. The
cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white
ground.
According to ancient heraldic traditions, each color of the flag is a denunciation of
many symbolism: the white world is peace and honesty. Red - resilience, courage,
strength and valor. Blue - truth and loyalty, perseverance and justice.
The Welsh dragon does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the
first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was
already united with England and was no longer a separate principality.
It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham
when The Queen is not in residence. The Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant)
is flown at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral when The Queen is not in
residence.
On news of a Royal death, the Union Flag (or the Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion
Rampant) where appropriate) is flown at half-mast. The Royal Standard is never
flown at half-mast, as the Sovereign never dies (the new monarch immediately
succeeds his or her predecessor).
The flying of the Union Flag on public buildings is decided by the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport at The Queen's command. The Union Flag is flown on
Government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal
Family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday,
Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of
Parliament.
Without even looking at the flag, every American citizen should know that it's
comprised of stars and stripes. But what is the meaning behind these colors and
shapes? The design and colors of the U.S. flag are not random and weren't chosen
simply to look pretty; all of the aspects of the flag hold important meaning.
Stripes: The stripes were incredibly symbolic in both color and number.
Additionally, the stripe design signified sun-rays shining down; a strong image
when considering the birth of a new nation.
Red stripes were chosen to represent valor, courage and hardiness. White stripes
represented innocence and purity, a new country just born and starting on its own.
Even the number of stripes has meaning. The 13 stripes honor the original English
colonies; those men and women who worked hard and sacrificed much to make it
in the new world, the world becoming a new country.
Stars: Just as constellations in the night sky will stand ''forever,'' the stars on the
flag represented the idea of a constellation, the stars of the heavens. The stars on
the flag represent the number of states in the union of states.
Blue Star Field: The blue field on which the stars sit represents justice and
perseverance.
Not only is the flag full of symbolism, it is, itself, a symbol. Olympic athletes wrap
themselves in the flag when they have won gold. The flag flies high above the
crowd during the medal ceremony honoring both the athlete and the athlete's
country.
What was left on the Moon after man's first visit there? Footsteps and a U.S. flag.
The flag, in this instance, represented pride in space program and told the story of
the U.S. being the first to make it to the Moon.
In a military funeral, a U.S. flag is properly draped over the coffin. The flag is then
folded 13 times and handed to the surviving family. Pride in the country and the
service the person gave for his or her country is clear.
Whenever the U.S. flag is flown with other flags (such as those of a company or
corporation), the U.S. flag is flown higher than the others. This is a symbol of the
nation ranking above all others belonging to it.
Not only is the flag used as a symbol of pride, but it can also be used as a symbol
of distress or dismay. In times of social unrest, some may protest by burning the
flag. This is a symbolic action intended to express deep dissatisfaction with the
government or other actions occurring in the country.
Conclusion
Having a flag means that your country is free and unique since it is not under the
influence of any other countries. Your flag literally describes your country because
the symbol on your flag always has its meaning. Flag is the main symbol of each
state, reflecting the historical process of the country's formation, a national
peculiarity, determining what the state seeks in its policy, distinguishing this state
from all others. The study of the emergence of state symbolism, its evolution helps
to comprehensively present the course of the historical process, closer to
understanding the worldview of people of past centuries. This is the reason why
country flags are very important to any country around the globe. Flag is the power
of the nation, it is symbol of peace and unity of all people inside its vicinity.
References
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag#History
2) https://www.royal.uk/union-jack
3) https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/history-of-the-british-flag.htm
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States
5) https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-United-States-of-America
6) http://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/history/old-glory/
7) http://nowiknow.com/the-first-american-flag-was-very-british-looking/
8) https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-american-flag-symbolism-facts.html
9) https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Kazakhstan
10) http://aboutkazakhstan.com/about-kazakhstan-government/kazakhstan-flag
11) https://e-history.kz/en/publications/view/3250
12) http://www.kazakhstandiscovery.com/kazakhstan-flag.html