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National
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The current national was formally changed on
June 7 ,
1995 , following the result of a
Referendum voted on by the Belarusian people in the previous month. This new design replaced a historical flag used by the
Belarusian People's Republic of 1918, before
Belarus became a
Soviet Republic , and again after it regained its independence in 1991. The current flag is a modification of the
1951 Flag used while the country was a republic of the
Soviet Union . The 1995 flag has been the basis of several flags used by government bodies.
A few groups have continued to use the previous flag, though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of president
Alexander Lukashenko . The 1991 flag is still used in protests against the government and by the Belarusan diaspora. International independent observers have said that the referendum that selected the current flag did not meet democratic standards.
The national flag of Belarus, as described in a decree on
June 7 ,
1995 ,:
is a rectangular cloth consisting of two longitudinal stripes: red upper stripe and green lower stripe that are two-thirds and one-third of the flag width respectively. A vertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern, which occupies one-ninth of the flag's length, is placed against the flagstaff. The flag’s ratio of width to length is 1:2. The flag is fixed on a flagstaff painted golden (ochre).
The flag does not differ significantly from the flag of the Byelorussian SSR, other than the removal of the
Hammer And Sickle and the red star, and the reversal of red and white in the hoist pattern. The only thing that was not mentioned in the decree is the width of the red ornament pattern in the white strip. One suggestion that was given is that the width of the red ornament is 1/12th of the width of the flag.
The red color of the flag signifies the past history of Belarus, as the color used by the Belarusian forces at the
Battle Of Grunwald , and of the
Red Army when they were fighting
Nazi Germany during
World War Two . Green stands for the bright future ahead of Belarus, and also represents the many forests located in the country. While the colors of the flag are red, green, and white, the exact shades have not been determined by either law or decree. Several websites and publications, such as the
Flags Of The World and ''Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives'', have estimated the color shades in either the
Pantone color scheme, or as
CMYK Color Model or
RGB values.
There is a decorative pattern displayed on the hoist of the flag (and previously on the 1951 flag). Designed in 1917 by Matrena Markevich, the pattern is commonly used in Belarus to show local plants and flowers. These patterns are also woven into outfits, and also used for a traditional woven craft called
Rushnik s. Rushniks are traditional towels decorated with the ornamental pattern that are used for ceremonial events. An example of their use would be a host offering his guests rye bread and salt, which would then be served on a rushnik. Rushniks are also used at religious services, funerals, and other social functions. On the current flag, the ornamentation is used to symbolize the cultural past, and the unity of the Belarusian people.
A flag finial is an ornament that is placed on top of the flagstaff as a piece of decoration. Belarusian law states that if the flag is used by government bodies for certain occasions, such as ceremonies and other solemn events, the Belarusian flag is to use a finial. The finial is shaped like a diamond, and at the bottom portion of the finial is a gold star. The star, according to law, has five points and must be of the same design as the one in the
Belarusian Coat Of Arms . The entire finial is of a golden color with a golden shaft where the pole can be slid into the base of the finial. If the flag belongs to a military organization, ribbons can be placed on this golden shaft. The finial is similar in design to that previously used with the Soviet flag, except that the Soviet-era finial was silver-colored and had a hammer and sickle and star placed in the cut area.
Law Facility]]
By law, the Belarusian flag is supposed to be flown daily, weather permitting, from the following locations:
- National Assembly of Belarus
- Council of Ministers of Belarus
- Courts of Belarus, and offices of local executive and administrative bodies
- Above buildings in which sessions of local Councils of deputies are carried out
- Military bases or military ships owned by the government
- Buildings used by Belarusian diplomats
The Belarusian flag is also officially flown on these occasions:
- Sessions of local executive and administrative bodies
- Voting/polling places
- Sports arenas during competitions (note that the IOC has its own rules on flag display)
The flag is also displayed on vehicles used by Belarusian diplomats and various government officials (such as the President and the Prime Minister).
The law allows for the flag to be used for special occasions, such as memorial services, and family holidays, and it can be used by various groups of people, such as public organizations, companies, and
NGO s. The regulations were issued in the same decree that created the Belarusian flag.
''Main article:
Flag Of Byelorussian SSR ''
Flag of the
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic , 1951 to 1991]]
The flag of the
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by decree on
25 December 1951 .
The flag had a length to width (and the other fourteen
Union Republics ). The main portion of the flag was
Red (representing the
Revolution ), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests). A pattern of white drawn on red decorated the hoist portion of the flag; this design is often used on Belarusian traditional costumes. In the upper corner of the flag, in the red portion, a gold
Hammer And Sickle was added, with a
Red Star outlined in gold above it. The
Hammer represented the
Worker , and the
Sickle the
Peasant ; according to
Soviet ideology, these two symbols crossed together symbolized co-operation between the two classes. The red star, a symbol commonly used by
Communist parties, was said to stand either for the five social groups (workers, youth, peasants, military, and academics), the five known
Continents , or the five fingers of the worker's
Hand . The hammer, sickle and star were sometimes not displayed on the reverse of the flag.
Before 1951, several different flags had been in use since the Revolution. The earliest flag was plain red, and was used in 1919 during the existence of the
Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR . After the formation of the
Byelorussian SSR , the lettering ''ССРБ'' (SSRB) was added in gold to the top hoist. This design was changed in 1937, when a hammer and sickle and red star were placed above the letters; at the same time, the typeface was changed, and the text of the lettering was altered to ''БССР'' (BSSR). During the 1940s, the hammer and sickle and red star were removed from the flag, and a gold border was added to the letters. This flag remained in use until the adoption of the 1951 flag.
