The Vexillist

Day of the Flag — March 1 — Ohio On March 1, 1803, Ohio officially joined the United States with no flag whatsoever. They took their time, too, going flagless for almost 100 more years. When the 1901 Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, NY called for a flag from each state, the Buckeyes had to get in the game. The flag's designer, Cleveland architect John Eisenmann, described it as "a triangular forked or swallow-tailed flag corresponding to the shape generally known as a 'cavalry-guidon' or 'broad pennant.'" The similarity to a cavalry guidon recalls the role of Union cavalry regiments in Ohio while the roundel at the hoist invokes the state's name. Its remarkable shape and stylish geometry were radical for its time, in which the "seal on a bedsheet" template was still considered contemporary. So different was the flag's impression on an American audience that newspapers likened it to the flags of Cuba, the Philippines, and even Japan in order to give their readers a solid basis for comparison. It remains a dazzling spectacle of geometry even now, as it's one of only two non-quadrilateral civil flags in the world. Yes, the other one is Nepal. Y'all already know. [V=] ❤️🤍💙 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #stateflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CalehJWMeEu/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 28 — Åland What do you get when you cross Sweden and Finland? Coffee massage? Angry Birds® Sauna? Well, if we're talking flags, and we always will be, what you get is Åland, also known as the Åland Islands. Its design is literally the flag of Sweden with a red, Finnish center. Located just off the southwest tip of Finland, the traditionally Swedish-speaking archipelago of Åland has had some fraught and ambiguous relationships with its nearest neighbors. As Wikipedia puts it, because the Vexillist is just too tired today: "When Finland obtained independence from Russia in 1917, many Ålanders feared they would lose their Swedish culture and language which led to the native population starting a movement to unite with Sweden. This led to Finland, Sweden, and Russia appealing to the League of Nations, who decided in favor of Ålander autonomy. Starting in the early 1920s, Åland unofficially used a blue and yellow tricolor flag until it was banned in 1935 by the Finnish government. In 1952, new laws gave Åland the right to make its own flag and a proposed flag resembling the Swedish flag with a blue cross inside was rejected by the president. The final design ended up being the first proposed model with a red cross inside to represent Finland." Since today is Kalevala Day, the holiday of Finnish culture (which is still a very strong force in Åland), it is fitting to give this flag a wider introduction wherever we can. [V=] 💙💛❤️ #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #kalevala #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CajGAbgMZ19/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 27 — Antigua and Barbuda Today is Flag Day in Antigua and Barbuda, commemoratimg the adoption of its national flag on February 27, 1967. It is another result of a successful flag contest, in which this design by Reginald Samuel beat out 599 other entries. As Whitney Smith's entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica explains: "The red background suggested the dynamism of the people working toward their own destiny, while the V-shape in the centre was for victory. The colours of that area symbolized local heritage: black was for the majority population and the soil, blue for the surrounding sea, and white for the beaches making the area a popular tourist destination. The golden sun was characteristic of the local climate. The flag was also favoured because it was unique in concept and design and easily recognizable." [V=] ❤️🖤💛💙🤍❤️ #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #antiguaandbarbuda #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CagT1iLsCFh/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — The February 26 Incident On this day in 1936, the Empire of Japan was rocked by a coup d'état attempted by a faction of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), in which they sought to eliminate their rivals. By the early 1930's, the IJA was essentially divided into two informal political coalitions. The Kōdō-ha ("Imperial Way) faction emphasized traditional Japanese culture and spiritual ideals over material innovation. They also ascribed to Hokushin-ron, a political doctrine that understood economic and territorial expansion as imperative to the success of the Empire. This view, sometimes called the Strike North Group, advocated attacking the USSR to assert control in Siberia and Mongolia. The Kōdō-ha were rivaled by the Tōsei-ha ("Control") faction, who were fans of Nazi ideas of nationbuiling, including central planning that fused military and economic institutions, technological innovation, and total war theory. They also sought to expand the Japan's footprint, but they advocated for marching west to expand into China and Southeast Asia. Several notable instances of violence between these two groups popped off from 1932 through 1935. In early 1936, a small group of Kōdō-ha units decided that they could correct what they saw as a perversion of traditional Japanese sovereignty by eliminating their competition within the nation's top political and military ranks. They chose Feb. 26 because they saw a chance to establish their men and their allies serve as duty officers at that times, giving them easy access to weapons and ammunition. After a night of heavy snow, this group (calling themselves the Righteous Army) began their attack at 4:00 a.m. Over the subsequent 48 hrs., the insurgency managed to assassinate a few of their high-profile targets (including two former prime ministers), but their attack was not a success. It was quickly suppressed and key participants were largely executed or imprisoned. But in that short struggle, the "Righteous Army" did make great use of its flag and slogan. To the Japanese Flag, they added in black calligraphy, "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors." [V=]🤍❤️🤍 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CadlowBMJ5_/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 25 — Peru Have you ever seen a flock of flamingos take flight in real life? The Vexillist has not, but it does sound like it would be a captivating image. That was what General José de San Martín witnessed when he arrived in Peru with his Army of the Andes. It is said to have been his inspiration in creating Peru's first national flag in 1820. That flag established the Peruvian trope of red/white divisions defaced by a coat of arms in the center. Its divisions were per saltire with red fly and hoist quadrants and white at the top and bottom. Once homegrown independence forces were established in 1822, so was a new flag. The new design featured a horizontal cockade-style design of equal bands (red/white/red from top to bottom). In the center was a symbolic representation of the Incan sun god, Inti, rendered in the same red with gold details. That flag proved problematic on the battlefield against the Spanish, as the battle flag they used at the time comprised the Cross of Burgundy with their national coat of arms also at the center. This is more understandable when we take into consideration the instances in which flags are present in wind conditions that do not consistently fly them to their full length. Plus, like, it's a battle and combatants rarely enjoy the chance to scrutinize images carefully. The solution was a modification to vertical divisions, a design that was employed until our #dayoftheflag February 25, 1825. In that year a coat of arms produced under the administration of Simón Bolívar replaced Inti as the national flag's central charge. Before being reestablished in the contemporary era (1950), its reign was interrupted by a short-lived dissolution of the country in which the north joined the Peru-Bolivian Confederation while the south established the Republic of South Peru. The Vexillist feels confident in saying most people would declare victory for the latter in any kind of aesthetic matchup. Sometimes the destination is less exciting than the journey, and that's okay. [V=] ❤️🤍❤️ #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #peru #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CabL1oPMryM/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 24 — Ukraine 🇺🇦 For followers of the Vexillist who are outside of (or new to) the flag community, you should know that it tends to be a very globally-minded community. We love flags for the way they inform us and connect us to other people. Today, our eye, and the eyes of the world are on Ukraine as it suffers an outrageous, unprovoked, and wholly unjustified invasion by Russia. The color combination of yellow and blue has its roots in pre-Christian ceremonial traditions, symbolizing fire and water. These colors (in a wide variety of designs) have been used to represent Ukrainian lands since the 12th century C.E. It arrived at it's current horizontal bicolor in 1848, when it was used in Lviv during the Spring of the Nations uprisings. It's use as a national flag in the contemporary sense began in 1917 when Ukraine fought it's war for independence from Russia. After being reconquered under the Soviet regime, it was outlawed and replaced with a series of Soviet designs. During that period it continued to be a known symbol of resistance, and it was restored to glory as the USSR began to dissolve in 1991. The Vexillist is also highlighting the flag of Ukraine's armed forces, which features the national coat of arms in the center of a magenta field surrounded by the outline of a Cossack cross. We pray for the safety, sovereignty, and victory of an independent Ukraine. [V=] 💙💛 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #ukraine #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaX_Nh_PXB-/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 23 — Mashramani Today's featured design is a fond favorite in the flag community, not only for its aesthetics but also for its ties to vexillology's most influential proponent. Guyana, which is located on the northern coast of South America, was under British control from [dates]. When the dissolution process began, a contest was initiated to find a flag for the soon-to-be independent country. A college student named Whitney Smith submitted a design (overlapping chevrons of yellow and green on a red field) and heard nothing back. When the flag was unveiled in 1966, Smith noticed the strong similarity to his own design (the colors were reversed and the fimbriations added), so he got in touch with the selection committee. Turns out, they'd been trying to get in touch with him. They loved his contribution to the process and later included him in a state dinner at the White House and he went on to essentially found the field of vexillology. So, that's the flag, but why today? Today is Mashramani, usually called Republic Day in English. Mashramani was born after a successful Carnival event was fused with the fervor of nascent patriotism. The name itself is a bit of an oddity. It may very well be the Arawak word for "festival," but the accuracy of that claim is debatable. Nevertheless, it was considered at the time to be a debate without any settlement, and therefore a safe name to choose for the celebration. In 1970, under Pres. Forbes Burnham, Mashramani (Mash for short) became an official national celebration, commemorated every February 23rd. It still incorporates many Carnival-esque elements, replete with parades, music, costumes, and dancing. [V=] ❤️🖤💛🤍💚 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #whitneysmith #vexillology #mashramani https://www.instagram.com/p/CaWF1UAM5rq/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 22 — St. Lucian Independence Day Today, the Vexillist wishes Happy Independence Day to the island of St. Lucia and kudos on a flag well done. The flag of St. Lucia "consists of a cerulean blue field charged with a yellow triangle in front of a white-edged black isosceles triangle." The blue represents the ocean while the white and black together represent a harmonious coexistence between racial groups. Yellow represents sunshine and prosperity. The overlapping triangles also allude to the Pitons, twin volcanic cones located in southwestern St. Lucia. [V=] 💙💛🖤🤍 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #organizationalflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaTpNXvsvc-/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 21 — Presidents' Day Every February in the U.S.A. we celebrate as one federal holiday the birthdays of two of our most influential Presidents, George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809). This year, the Vexillist marks Presidents' Day with a couple very relevant flags, and one that's tangential (but gorgeous). The first is Washington's Headquarters Standard, which flew over Valley Forge, PA, during the Revolutionary War. *It should be noted that there is a great deal of discussion and debate surrounding the dates and role of this flag, which the Vexillist encourages followers to explore. It is, however, a safe statement to say that it has lived on (with a circular arrangement of the stars) in its association with the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, a semi-ceremonial infantry division of the U.S. Army that has been disbanded and reactivated a number of times over the past couple centuries and change. The Guard's public duties include a role in general officer retirement ceremonies, state arrivals, and presidential inaugurations. Finally, as a special treat (and because we already talked about the flag(s) involved in Lincoln's assassination a while back), the Vexillist hopes you'll enjoy seeing the flag of Lincoln, Nebraska. The city was originally called Lancaster and was renamed in honor of Pres. Lincoln on July 29, 1869. Its new flag (adopted just over a year ago) was designed by artist Ed Mejia as an entry into an open competition. According to Lincoln.ne.gov, "[h]is design was inspired by the sight of Lincoln’s skyline emerging on the otherwise flat horizon as he first drove into town. He drew inspiration from art deco architecture and native artwork displayed inside the capitol building and used intersecting lines to capture the interconnection of technology, agriculture, and commerce that have drawn people to Lincoln throughout our past, present, and into the future." Happy Presidents' Day, everyone! [V=] 💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #historicalflags #cityflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaQ34p7M9DD/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 20 — Olympic Flag Substitutes Today, February 20, 2022, we witnessed the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. As the Vexillist has stated before, seeing flags at the Olympics is basically the Olympics of flags. At this Olympics, we were reminded once again that flags become a lot more important when the world is watching. Following revelations about state-sponsored doping within Russia's Olympic program, the I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee) ruled (a year ago yesterday, in fact) that Russian athletes participating in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games would compete under the heading of R.O.C. (Russian Olympic Committee). This initialism, which fans of the games will certainly recognize at this point, caused some consternation in the Republic of China, A.K.A. Taiwan. Taiwan itself has actually competed under a substitute flag at every Olympic Games since 1984, after it was denied its seat within the United Nations. In 1992, after a global consensus against apartheid had formed, South Africa's national flag was banned and athletes from that country competed under a flag specifically approved by the I.O.C. Of course, all these examples are relatively recent when compared to the All-German Olympic flag, which was flown from 1959-1968 for athletes from both sides of the Berlin Wall, out of a sense that the political divisions present at the time were not enough to treat these populations as truly separate nations. It is interesting that all of these flags still retain iconic design aspects of the national flags they replaced, from the tricolors to the charges. What's more interesting is how all of these examples show that the Olympics have long been a forum in which people are placed over politics. The I.O.C. seems to have (time and again) taken the position that, no matter how egregious a national government's behavior, the people of every nation deserve the chance to compete among the best. Is that the most upstanding policy? Let the Vexillist know your views in the comments. [V=] 💙💛🖤💚❤️🤍 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #organizationalflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaOLqXJMA9p/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 19 — Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan is a problematic fav. In the flag community, that's because the band toward the hoist would often be considered excessively busy. In the global community, it would be because Turkmenistan is a mad dictatorship that has been called the "North Korea of Central Asia." But today is the Turkmen Flag Day, and it's quite a flag. It features a crescent-and-star motif (a traditional symbol across Turkic cultures) but with five stars representing the country's five provinces on a green field to represent the dominant faith, Islam. Toward the hoist is a vertical red band that features five guls, traditional carpet designs, to celebrate the country's carpet-making history and to highlight the five most prominent tribes within Turkmen society. On the country's official seal and all of its military flags (not to mention on its enormous, vacant, marble buildings in its capital city, Ashgabat), you'll notice an octogram which is called the Islamic Star or Rub-el-Hizb ۞. It has been a prominent motif in Islamic art and architecture and illustrates the divisions of the Qur'an. What do you think? Do you find yourself loving in spite of yourself? [V=] 💚❤️🤍💚💚 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaLr5arsPwU/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 17 — Gambia Sometimes a straightforward look can be so charming. This is the flag of Gambia, which was adopted on the day of Gambia's full independence, February 18, 1965. Its tricolor is red for the sun, blue for its namesake river, and green for its land and agriculture, and is fimbriated with thinner white stripes for peace. It was designed by Louis Thomasi, an accountant, and is noteworthy for its lack of highly-political symbolism. [V=] ❤️❤️🤍💙💙🤍💚💚 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaJD6uiMZ2G/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 17 — Haiti Flags are like sitcom characters; they are often broad, familiar, and are prone to off-and-on relationships. This is the flag of Haiti, which was used from 1859-1964 and re-adopted on February 17, 1986 after being altered to a black and red bicolor during the Duvalier dictatorships. It should be said that the readopted design did reduce the size of the central charge. Speaking of which, the center is a white square featuring cannons arranged in a scene that, in Western European heraldic tradition, is known as a trophy of arms. In the center is a royal palm symbolizing independence topped with a Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty that was prominently used during the American and French revolutions, which influenced the Haitian revolution (and which was conspicuously absent on the Duvalier-era designs). The Haitian Revolution itself was associated with a number of different flags, and the Vexillist will need to revisit those soon. For now, you may hopefully enjoy seeing one flag used during the revolution, which was established in connection to the Marquis de Caradeu (1791). The unusual combo of black and purple, as well as the small canton against a stark, white field make it dazzlingly distinctive. [V=] ❤️💙 ❤️🖤 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #vexillology #haiti https://www.instagram.com/p/CaGpQhIsRTu/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 16 — Alabama Alabama is the home state of the Vexillist, and our current flag was adopted on February 16, 1895. Unlike states that incorporated the Confederate Battle into their designs, Alabama chose (with uncharacteristic subtlety) to base its flag on that of a much more obscure Confederate design. It was the submission of Rep. John W. A. Stanford Jr., whose father commanded the 60th Alabama infantry Regiment during the Civil War, and he based the design on the flag of his father's regiment. Of course, we should mention that his daddy's squad really just adopted the flag of a more famous Confederate unit, Hilliard's legion (pic 2). By placing the crimson saltire on a white field instead of a blue one, the Stanford design also recalls the Cross of Burgundy (pic 2), which flew over part of Southern Alabama when it was part of Spanish Florida (later West Florida). Today, Florida flies a nearly identical flag for this reason, but the saltire is defaced by the state seal of Florida. While it's still very deeply tied to our Ugly Civil War and Antebellum history, the Vexillist can tell you firsthand that it has enjoyed something of a rebranding in recent years. It is often displacing the "Rebel Flag" in many of the venues and situations one might have seen it years ago. It's an effort to show state pride without dredging up white hate. It's the much lesser of two evils. Is that good enough? I'm not sure. I've also not seen many redesign efforts that successfully communicate the state's identity without reincorporating the saltire or prominently featuring cotton. Or both. Here's hoping we're not stuck this way forever. [V=] 🤍❤️🤍 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #stateflags #vexillology #alabama https://www.instagram.com/p/CaD0uHzs7Ew/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 15 — Canada On June 15, 1964, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson put forward a resolution to change Canada's national flag from the colonial Red Ensign to a modern design that would represent all of Canada's citizens, not just those of Commonwealth heritage. Pearson specifically advocated for a design featuring, "three maple leaves conjoined on one stem — in the colours red and white then designated for Canada, the red leaves occupying a field of white between vertical sections of blue on the edges of the flag." Maple trees were (and are) a cherished feature of the Canadian landscape and their leaves an apt icon for the country. The blue sections were meant to represent the oceans of Canada's coastal borders. What followed was a fierce and divisive debate that stretched six whole months. A Special Committee was formed and, along the way, there were 3,451 suggestions. The most common elements were maple leaves, the union jack, fleurs-de-lys, and beavers. A last-minute submission by John Matheson of a design that historian George Stanley based on the flag of Canada's Royal Military College won the day on December 15, 1964. So ended the Great (Canadian) Flag Debate. Two months later, the new flag was inaugurated at a ceremony in Ottawa, and Feb. 15 has been Canada's Flag Day ever since. [V=] ❤️❤️🤍❤️🤍❤️❤️ #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CaBKc2mrWG2/?utm_medium=tumblr

Arizona officially joined the United States on February 14, 1912. It's flag features a copper star to highlight the state's copper production and places in against the backdrop of a setting sun to symbolize its position as a western state. There are 13 rays, one for each of the original 13 Colonies. Oregon also has its birthday of sorts today. It was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859. Its flag features that year at the bottom and "State of Orgeon" written out in gold text at the top. In the middle is the escutcheon from Oregon's state seal, which features a pioneer wagon. The fun twist here is that all of the above only applies to the front of the flag, what we call the obverse side. The reverse side features a gold beaver in the center. Flags with differing obverse and reverse sides were once common but have become nearly unheard-of. Fashions have changed and manufacturing a two-faced flag is more involved, and therefore more expensive. There are doubtless many worthy redesign efforts for Oregon, but some of us would be happy to just put the beaver on both sides. What do you think? [V=] ❤️💛💙🤎 💙💛 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #stateflags #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ-aG4CPj0q/?utm_medium=tumblr

Day of the Flag — February 13 — Flag of Macha Many flags have been influenced by geography but few have actually returned the favor. We're calling this the "Flag of Macha" design as shorthand. It is, for our purposes, meant to mean the three-stripe version of the war flag of designed by Manuel Belgrano, the Argentine statesman, during Argentina's struggle for independence from Spain. After the Second Triumvirate approved this design as a war flag, troops at the Salado River swore an oath of allegiance to it before moving on to a successful battle. That event took place on February 13, 1813. That river has since been called the "Río Juramento" ("Oath River"). The literal Flag of Macha is actually literally two Belgrano flags from this period which were found at a chapel near the village of Macha in what is now Bolivia. They have since been carefully preserved. [V=] 💙🤍💙 #dayoftheflag #flinsta #flags #nationalflags #argentina #vexillology https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ8ZiVCMmPK/?utm_medium=tumblr