Georgia celebrates State Flag Day today

Today Georgia celebrates National Flag Day.

Traditionally on this day, car processions with flags are held in different cities of the country, flags are hung from the windows and balconies of residential buildings and state institutions.

The flag of Georgia is a composition of five red crosses on a white background, symbolizing Jesus Christ and the four evangelists. Along with the coat of arms and the anthem, it is one of the main official symbols of Georgia.

The Parliament of Georgia approved the law “On the State Flag of Georgia” on January 14, 2004, after the “Rose Revolution”. On the same day, the white and red flag was hoisted over the parliament building and replaced the old symbol - the flag of the first Georgian Republic of cornelian color with black and white stripes.

Since the 12th century various sources reported mostly white-red colors of Georgian banners. The frescoes of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta (about XII century) depict a ship with red flags and golden crosses.

Interesting fact: The Georgian flag with five crosses is the second oldest flag in the world after the flag of Denmark.

The image of the Georgian flag - a white cloth with red crosses, is also found on Italian and Spanish maps of the XIV century.

In 2003, the red-and-white flag with Bolnisi crosses became the party flag of the political opposition - the United National Movement party, which opposed President Eduard Shevardnadze. The party's leader was former Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili, who later became the third president of Georgia.

After the “Rose Revolution” on November 23, 2003, Georgian Justice Minister Zurab Adeishvili, on behalf of the new leadership of the country, proposed to the Parliament to approve the white flag with red crosses as the main state symbol.

What were the previous flags of Georgia

The flag of the First Georgian Republic was a dogwood-colored banner with white and black parallel stripes in the corner. It was designed by Jakob Nikoladze and Joseph Charlemagne under the consultation of Ivane Javakhishvili.

The dogwood flag with black and white stripes was the flag of the First Republic of Georgia from 1918 to 1921.

After Georgia regained its independence in 1990, this flag was approved as a state symbol - this happened on November 14, 1990.

As for the flag of Georgia during the Soviet period, in 1921 the Bolsheviks approved a red (scarlet) color cloth with the inscription “SSRG” as the flag. Then the inscription began to be executed in Georgian.

Only in April 1951 a new flag designed by artist Severian Maisashvili was approved. It was a red cloth with a square and a circle with a sickle, hammer and a five-pointed star. There were 24 rays from the circle to the sides of the square, as well as a strip of blue color. Although the official symbolism of the colors was not established, it was believed that the blue color on the flag symbolized the Black Sea, and the square with rays - the cloudless sky of Georgia.

Reprinted from https://www.newsgeorgia.ge/