Flag of Sri Lanka. Description, meaning, history of the flag

The flag of Sri Lanka is filled with many symbols and meanings. They completely reflect the spirit of the country, the features of its culture and history. What's on the flag? What does it matter?

Flag of Sri Lanka: description

Most of the world's flags are dominated by simple geometric shapes or colored stripes. The flag of Sri Lanka (see photo below) has a more complex composition, each detail of which differs in symbolic meaning.

A thin golden frame along all sides of the flag serves as a contour function. Inside it, and the main composition unfolds. The flag of Sri Lanka is divided into two regions in the ratio 1: 2. Closer to the shaft is a narrower part. It is made up of two vertical bands of green and orange.

The area further from the shaft is wider. It is completely painted in dark red or burgundy color. In the very center of this area is a figure of a Sinhalese lion of golden color. He stands on three legs, and in the fourth he holds a sword. In the four corners of the burgundy field is on the golden petal.

Meaning of symbols

All four basic colors of the flag are symbols of religious communities. The green strip, which is closest to the shaft, means Islam and all those who profess it on the territory of the state. The orange bar shows the adherents of Hinduism. Bordeaux color is a symbol of Buddhism, which professes the majority of the population. Gold, bordering the flag of Sri Lanka, means all other religious communities in the country.

The central figure is the Sinhalese lion. It is the main historical symbol of the Sinhalese nation - the main population of the state. The lion embodies the ancestor of this people. It means purity, nobility of thought, wisdom and intellect. The sword in his paw is a symbol of independence and sovereignty of the state.

The golden leaves in the corners of the burgundy field are the leaves of the Bo tree. In Sri Lanka, it is sacred, because it was under him that Gautama Buddha acquired enlightenment. Four sheets of Bo embody the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.

History of changing the flag

The flag of Sri Lanka changed simultaneously with the change of the main political forces in the state. The most ancient state symbol had a golden Sinhalese lion on a burgundy field with four golden petals in the corners and a contour along the edges. The beginning of its appearance is difficult to trace, but the flag was already present during the existence of the state of Kotte (1412-1597 gg.).

During the period of Portuguese rule over the significant part of Sri Lanka, the Portuguese Ceylon flag was operating in the conquered territories (so called these territories). On the white panel was a shield of arms, which is now present on the flag of Portugal, with a golden crown at the head of the head.

After the Portuguese in the second half of the XVII century came the Dutch. In Sri Lanka, a tricolor red-white-blue banner began to operate. In the middle of the white strip there was a Latin letter V, and near its branches were placed the letters O and C.

From 1796 to 1948 the island was under the protectorate of the British Crown, so the flag was British. On the blue field in the opposite side of the shaft was the coat of arms of Ceylon. After liberation from the control of the colonizer, Sri Lanka acquired its historical coat of arms

In 1951, the green and orange stripes symbolizing Islam and Hinduism were added to the flag of Sri Lanka. In this form, it still exists.