The Greek flag had nine alternating stripes of blue and white. In the upper left corner is a blue square, inside which is depicted white cross.

Greece has been under Turkish rule since the 15th century. The Greeks have long considered the traditional color blue. That is why for Greek courts in Ottoman Empire Was installed special flag- on a red background, like the Turkish flag, there is a blue stripe. Sometimes there were flags with a white stripe, especially on the island of Crete. The cross was a traditional symbol of the struggle of Orthodox Greeks for liberation from the oppressive power of Muslim Turkey. In the XVIII century, the Greek patriots had flags with a white cross. The nationwide uprising that broke out in 1821 and then continued in 1829 took place under the most diverse banners with the most diverse images of crosses, the phoenix bird, the Virgin and saints. Most often the color of the crosses was blue or red. A red canvas with a white cross became the most common flag of the rebels, starting in 1821. But there were other options, for example, a red cross on a gray or white background. In Greece, red did not gain popularity.

In 1822, the blue flag with a white cross was adopted as the official state flag, and the independence of Greece was proclaimed. There is a legend about the origin of the blue and white flag. The legend says that defending one of the monasteries from the Turks, the rebels raised over it exactly a blue-white banner made from a monastic blue cassock and a white soldier's skirt. The flag of five horizontal white stripes and four black became the state flag in 1832. In 1833, the flag of the 1822 model with a white cross was restored again. In this year, Greece was proclaimed a kingdom. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the colors of the Greek flag coincided with the colors of the Bavarian flag and coat of arms. Under King Otto, the background of the Greek flag became blue.

Representatives of the Danish dynasty began to occupy the throne from 1863. Under them, the color of the Greek flag changed to dark blue. After that, several different flags simultaneously existed in the country. The traditional flag with a cross was the interior flag and featured the royal crown. The outer flag was identical except for the missing crown. As national symbol outside of Greece, a flag of blue and white stripes was used with a blue circle in the center, which featured a white cross. In 1923, the flag with nine stripes became the only one.

During the occupation, the flag of the Greek Liberation Front was a blue canvas with a white cross, in the center of the cross was a red triangle inscribed in a circle. In 1945-1949, Greek patriots fought under the same flag against the British invaders. Returning in 1944, the Greek government in exile used the old flags.

After the dictatorship of the "black colonels" was established in Greece in 1970, a nine-stripe flag with a cross in a circle became the national flag. An identical flag, only with a crown in the center, became the state flag. Greece was proclaimed a republic in 1973, but the crown remained on the flag. In 1975, after the overthrow of the regime, the blue flag with a white cross was declared the only flag. Then, in 1978, a nine-striped flag with a cross in the roof was finally adopted.

What was the first analogue of the modern Greek flag created from?

The national flag of Greece has nine equal width blue and white stripes. The blue color is closer to the azure shade. In the upper left corner is a blue square with a white cross.

Blue is the traditional color of Greece. Such commitment of the Greeks to the number 9 is not accidental. According to some authors, the number of stripes on the national flag corresponds to the number of syllables of the main revolutionary slogan during the struggle for freedom from the Ottoman yoke. Translated from Greek, it meant "Freedom or Death." This slogan led the Greek patriots. He gave them strength in a difficult struggle. According to other historians, the number of stripes on the Greek flag corresponds to the number of letters in the word "freedom". This word perfectly conveys the freedom-loving nature of the Greeks.

In colloquial Greek the state flag is often referred to as "kianolefki" or "galanolefki" - "blue and white".

According to the third version, the number of stripes on the flag corresponds to the number of muses in ancient Greek mythology. The muse of epic poetry was Calliope. Clio is the muse of history. Erotic works are inspired by Erato's muse. Euterpe was the patroness of music and lyric poetry. As the muse of tragedies, Melpomene is glorified. Polyhymnia is the muse of solemn hymns. The most familiar to our ears is Terpsichore, the muse of dance. Thalia is the muse of comedy and light poetry. Urania was the patroness of astrology. You can choose any explanation. Each is suitable in its own way. Explanations about why the flag has these colors are also interesting.

Blue and white in Greece can be the sky and clouds, the sea and the foam of its waves. Herodotus said that blue and white are the colors of the Greek people. They talk about a common language, religion, common blood, which, as he believed, the Hellenes blue color. The symbolism of the cross has many interpretations. The most interesting thing is that the cross is a tetractys - a symbol of Zeus and Helios. Ellin is the one who has the right, kind, bright and pure thoughts, that is, reasonable and wise.

According to one version, the five blue stripes on the flag of Greece represent the five oceans.

From the fifteenth century Greece was under the Ottoman yoke. The Turks allowed a special flag for private ships in Greece. The red flag was crossed by a blue horizontal stripe. Red is the main color of the Turkish flag. On the island of Crete there were flags with a white stripe. The cross has long become for the Greeks a symbol of the struggle for independence. This symbol is associated with Orthodox Christianity. Liberation from the Muslim yoke - that was the goal of the struggle of the Greek patriots.

The first flags with a white cross appeared with them in the seventeenth century. In 1821, an uprising was raised in Greece. It went on for eight years. Various banners were then used by the rebels. These were banners with the image of the Virgin, complex crosses, the Phoenix bird, and saints. The red banner with white crosses was the most common. But since red is the color of the Turkish flag, this color did not catch on.

The first flag of independent Greece was a straight white cross on a blue cloth and was reminiscent of the flag of Denmark, where the first king Otto was from. The flag of the original form is still used in the army.

In 1822, the independence of Greece was proclaimed, and the blue flag with a white cross was adopted as the state flag. There is a legend about the appearance of the blue-white banner, according to which the rebels, protecting one of the monasteries from the Turks, raised such a banner over it, made of a blue monastic cassock and a white soldier's skirt (according to an old tradition, Greek soldiers, like Scottish ones, wore skirts) .

In 1832 national flag became a flag of five white and four blue horizontal stripes. When in 1833 Greece was proclaimed a kingdom led by the Bavarian prince Otto, the flag of 1822 was restored, with a white cross. By coincidence, the colors of the Greek flag almost completely coincided with the blue and white colors of the Bavarian flag and coat of arms. The background of the Greek flag under King Otto became blue.

Since 1863, representatives of the Danish royal dynasty of Glücksburg began to occupy the Greek throne. Under them, the shade of the Greek flags changed to dark blue. Since that time, several official flags have existed simultaneously in the country for many years. The national flag inside the country was the traditional flag with a cross, in the center of which was placed a golden royal crown. There was no crown on the national flag.

The nine stripes of the flag of Greece, in addition to the designation of the sky, sea and clouds, the Greeks associate with the nine stripes on the golden shield ancient Greek hero Achilles.

Outside of Greece, as well as in its seaports and civil courts, another flag was used as a national symbol, consisting of five blue and four white stripes with a white cross in a blue roof. This system of flags lasted until the proclamation of the republic in 1923, when the only flag for 12 years was a nine-striped flag with a cross in the roof and was again restored in 1935 after the restoration of the monarchy.

During the years of fascist occupation, when the former government fled to Egypt, the struggle for national liberation led the Greek National Liberation Front. Its flag was blue with a white cross, in the center of which was the outline of a red triangle inscribed in a red circle. Under the same flag in 1945-1949, Greek patriots fought against the British invaders and their monarcho-fascist henchmen. The emigrant government of Greece, which returned to the liberated country in 1944, used the same flags.

In 1970, three years after the establishment of the dictatorship of the "black colonels" in Greece, a nine-striped flag with a cross in the roof was declared the national flag. The same flag with a crown in the center of this cross became the state flag (before that, it had been used as a naval flag for 107 years). In 1973, Greece was proclaimed a republic, but the crown remained on the state flag.

A year after the overthrow of the regime in 1975, blue with a white cross was declared the only state and national flag (lighter than the flags of 1970). The nine-striped flag with a cross in the roof continued to be used only unofficially, as a trade flag. But in 1978, it was this flag that was adopted as the only (state and national) flag.

The tradition of painting houses blue and white colors went to Greece from World War II. When the Germans who occupied the island of Santorini forbade proud Greeks from flying Greek flags, the people of Santorini painted their houses in the colors of the Greek flag overnight.

The flag of Greece is a rectangular panel with 9 horizontal stripes of dark blue and white flowers, as well as a white cross on a dark blue field at the top of the flag near the hoist. The flag was officially adopted in 1978. An interesting fact is that the legislation does not spell out what shade the blue color should be. Therefore, shades from blue to dark blue are used. Symbolism of the number 9. It is believed that the number 9 is associated with the phrase "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος", which means "Freedom or death". The number of syllables is 9. Also, 9 means 9 muses, goddesses of art and science. The aspect ratio of the flag is 2:3.

Historical flags of Greece

Flag of the Byzantine Empire (circa 15th century)

This flag belongs to military flags. Used as a military standard.

This flag was used by Greek nationalist patriots who participated in the uprisings against the Ottoman Empire. The flag was a white cloth with a blue St. George's cross.

Flag of Greece proposed by Fereos Rigas (1797)

Phereos was a Greek revolutionary poet.

Fereos Rigas was executed in 1797 in the Belgrade fortress

The territory (protectorate) of Turkey, which had broad autonomy, was previously under the rule of France, was captured by the combined forces Russian Empire and Turkey.

Flag of the "Eteria" society (early 19th century)

The members of "Eteria" were young Greek patriots in Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire, as well as Greek merchants who lived in the Russian Empire (directly - Odessa).

Flag of the Sacred Corps of 1821

The Sacred Corps was the first paramilitary unit that became the backbone of Greece. They fought against the Ottoman Empire.

He was a Greek admiral who fought in the War of Independence.

He was in the army of the Russian Empire in the rank of major general, commander of the 1st hussar brigade. Is national hero Greece. Participated in the struggle for the independence of Greece in 1820.

The flag raised by Andreas Londos at the start of the Greek Revolution of 1821

Andreas Londos was a member of the Revolutionary Achaean Directorate, colonel, minister, landowner, patriot.

Allied with Greece after the Balkan Wars.

Flag of Free Ikaria 1912

In 1912, the inhabitants of the island of Icarus revolted and drove out the Turkish garrison. After that, the island formed its own government, which was independent for 5 months. After it was decided to become part of Greece.

The national flag of Greece from 1822 to December 22, 1978

The flag had a proportion of 7:10.

The flag had proportions of 18:25.

The flag had proportions of 2:3.

The flag had proportions of 2:3.

Home / Countries / Greece / Flag of Greece

Description of the flag of Greece

The flag of Greece consists of nine horizontal stripes of white and blue flowers, with blue stripes at the top of the flag and at the bottom.

In the roof (upper left quarter of the flag) there is a white cross on a blue background. The nine stripes of the Greek flag represent the number of syllables that make up the Greek proverb "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" (read as "E-lef-te-ri-ya and Ta-na-tos", translated as "Freedom or Death"), as well as nine letters in the Greek word "Ελευθερία" ("Freedom"). According to another version, the nine stripes symbolize the nine traditional Greek muses.

The blue-and-white cross in the roof stands for the religion of Greece, Orthodox Christianity. The exact shade of blue used in the Greek flag has changed several times, but Lately the flag is characterized by a darker blue tint.

Blue and white colors have long been associated in Greece, they symbolize the sky and the sea, and cultural heritage nation. Colors used to mean Greek gods and goddesses such as Achilles and Athena. They may also have been used during Byzantine and Ottoman rule.

History of the flag of Greece

The blue and white stripes and the cross began to be used in the flag of Greece as early as 1822, when they were on the country's maritime ensign. This banner has been used as the coat of arms of Greece since 1828, along with the national flag, which at that time depicted only a blue and white cross. In the following decades, several designs of the flag changed.

Some rulers added their coat of arms or crown to the flag. The current flag of Greece was adopted as the national flag in 1978.

Flag of Greece

On the flag of Greece:

Nine horizontal stripes of equal thickness in blue and white

White cross in a blue square in the upper left corner of the flag

The meaning and history of the flag of Greece:

First adopted March 27, 1822.
In colloquial Greek, due to colors it is often referred to as "κυανόλευκη" [kyano lefki] or "γαλανόλευκη" [galano lefki], meaning "blue-white".

Some think the stripes mean blue sky or the sea (5 blue stripes according to the number of oceans) connected with white clouds or waves. Others believe that they symbolize the 9 syllables of the phrase "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" ("Freedom or Death", E-lef-te-ri-ya and Ta-na-tos), as folk legends say. There is also a version that the stripes symbolize 9 muses, goddesses of art and science.

For the first time the flag of Greece was established after the coronation of King Otto and was a straight white cross on a blue panel.

This design of the flag was reminiscent of the flag of Denmark, where Otto was from. The flag survived after the overthrow of Otto.

The flag of the original form is still used in the army. Before the flag became a modern political symbol, it was used and continues to be used for many decades. navy Greece.

Greece flag colors:

blue White

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Greek flag looks like a rectangle with 5 blue and 4 white stripes that alternate with each other. An equilateral cross is formed on the left side of the flag of blue and white stripes. This version of the flag was adopted in 1978. Previously, the Greek flag looked a little different and had a different meaning.

Flag of Greece: origins

IN Ancient Greece There was no national flag, each Greek policy had its own emblem. The similarity of the flag was used only in the army, as well as on ships setting sail.

The imperial colors of that time were considered red and blue. These shades were most often used on symbolism. imperial dynasty. Only in the 14th century during the period of domination Byzantine Empire the first official flag of the Greek lands appeared. In its symbolism, the St. George cross was used, the image of the emblem of the Paleologs was used.

When a coup took place in Greece, and it fell under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, the banner with George the Victorious on it became the flag. The St. George Cross - as a tribute to history, was preserved there along with the image of the saint.

In 1822, the provisional government of Greece approved a blue and white symbol with a cross on the left. Ten years later, with the onset of the monarchy, the flag was changed again, adding a crown to the canvas.

After the junta of the "black colonels" came to power, the state symbols began to look like before. The crown was removed from the canvas. In 1978, the main official symbol of the country finally received a modern design, and has not changed since then.

How do Greeks use their flag?

In Greece, as in any country, they are proud state symbols. There is a law governing the use of the flag in ordinary life. This legislative act contains the following postulates:

  • The flag is used on a permanent basis over all state and educational institutions;
  • During the period of mourning, the flag is slightly lowered;
  • Citizens can use official symbols on strictly defined days;
  • For desecration of the official symbol, administrative and criminal liability is provided;
  • The flag is used during major sporting events.

Law number 851 clearly regulates the algorithm of all manipulations allowed with the state flag.

It is important to know! " The Greek flag cannot be used as a logo, hung on the facade of private houses, covered with sculptures and other objects, used for commercial purposes».

If the use of the flag is specifically regulated, then its symbolism raises many questions.

What do the colors of the main symbol mean?

There are two versions explaining the choice of 9 stripes on the flag. According to one of them, the number "9" symbolizes the letters in the Greek word for "freedom". According to another, this number means the number of syllables in the revolutionary slogan "freedom or death."

The sea and its beauty are inextricably linked with Greece. Therefore, the blue color was chosen for the flag, as a reference to the maritime culture of the country. White was attributed to the foam that the waves create near the shore.

Herodotus argued that the blue-white combination is the unity of the Greek people and its unity with the help of language. This figure also put forward the version that the blue color here refers to the noble blood of the Greeks. After all, many of them consider themselves the true descendants of the Gods of the Greek Olympus.

The flag of Greece today is known all over the world, its image was unanimously adopted by the Greeks, and, as before, remains important and significant for them. The Greek official symbol, as before, is used on land and at sea. It is hung out at consulates in other countries, but is not sold as a souvenir, as a legal product.