The
Flag of Greece - Description of the Greek Flag
As the
above picture of the Greek Flag indicates the overall
background is
Blue and white
The description of
the Greek Flag is as follows:
Nine equal
horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white
Blue square in the
upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross
The cross
symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of Greece
According to
Ancient and Heraldic traditions much symbolism is associated
with colors. The colors on the Greek flag represent the
following:
White -
peace and honesty and the White colour of the Greek waves
Blue -
vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice and
the blue of the Greek Sea
The
basic style shown in the picture of the Greek flag is
described as the Greek Cross reflecting the
central design of the flag pattern
All Flag
pictures depict flags flying, from the viewer's point of view,
from left to right
The shape and flag ratio of the Greek flag is described as
7:12
The upper
left quarter of the flag is called the Canton and pictures
the Greek Cross
The Meaning
& History of the Greek Flag
The Greek cross
symbolises Greek Orthodoxy and the nine stripes are one for each
of the syllables of the phrase "Freedom or Death" - "Eleutheria
H Thanatos" (E-ley-the-ri-a i Tha-na-tos)
"Freedom or Death"
was the motto used during the 19th century during the years of
the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire
The line pattern
was chosen because of their similarity with the wavy sea that
surounds the shores of Greece
The Greek Flag was
adopted during the Revolution of the Greek Nation in 1821
Flag
Terminology - Did you Know ?
The design and description
uses specific flag terminology based on Heraldic principles
Animal blazons should always appear
with the heads facing the flag - staff side
The Study of the Flags is called
Vexillology
Your interest in flags makes you a
Vexillologist!
Increase your knowledge - Play the
Flag Quiz
Flag History &
Evolution:
The idea of
flying a flag grew from the requirements of ancient warfare and
the battlefield
Shields were
painted with emblems to identify Friend or Foe
Warriors
needed to know where their leaders were - the custom of carrying
a pole was adopted
An emblem
such as a shield, animal or religious device was attached to the
pole for identification
The emblems
were also used for identity and to cover suits of armour - Coats
of Arms were born
These
emblems were the forerunners of modern flags
The Romans
were the first to use a cloth flag - they were square and
fastened to cross bars at the end of spears - the idea of
fastening a flag to the side of a pole soon followed
The strict
rules of Heraldry are still used when designing an emblem and
creating a modern flag
Greek
Flag Etiquette
Greek Flag etiquette is very strict and is is
essential that Flag protocols and rules are followed correctly
Basic
Flag
Etiquette applies to all nations, including Greek as follows:
Etiquette relating to the order of
precedence for the flag
National Flag of
Greek
State Flag of Greek
Military Flag of
Greek (in order of creation date)
Other Flag of Greek
The United Nations uses alphabetical order
when presenting a national flag including the Greek Flag. Their flag etiquette ensures
that no one country's flag has precedence over another country's
flag
The
National flag of
Greek should never be flown
above another national flag on the same staff as this would
suggest superiority, or conversely, inferiority of one flag, or
Nation, over another
The Greek flag should never be allowed to drag
along the ground
A tattered or faded flag of
Greek should be removed
and replaced with a new flag
Due care and
consideration must be taken to ensure that the Greek flag is
always
flown the correct way up
A Flag of Greek, when in such
condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display,
should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning in
private with all due care and respect
Terminology & Etiquette in Greek Flag display
Hoist - the
act or function of raising the Greek flag, as on a rope
Half Staff
or Half Mast - the Greek flag is hoisted to half of the potential
height of the flag pole to denote grief and mourning
Performed
by first raising the Greek flag to the top, then lowering the
Greek Flag halfway
Distress -
denoted by flying the Greek flag upside-down
Manner of
hoisting - The Greek flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered
ceremoniously
No
disrespect should be shown to the Greek flag
The Greek flag
should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a
manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in
any way
The Greek
flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it,
nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure,
design, picture, or drawing on the flag of any nature
The
Greek flag should be hoisted first and lowered last
International Flag relating to Greek
Flag usage forbids the
display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation
in time of peace
We hope that the presentation of facts
and information regarding Greek Flag Etiquette has
provided a useful resource
Greece
Location:
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean
Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and
Turkey
2900-2000 BC
The Bronze Age - Early Aegean cultures emerge
2500 BC -
The Minoan civilization
1200 BC -
The Trojan War and the destruction of Priam's city at Troy (Ilium)
1050-750 BC
- The Dark Ages of Greece and the fall of the Mycenean
850 - 700 BC
- Development of the Greek Alphabet
776 BC - The
First Olympic Games
750 -700 BC
- Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey
750-500 BC -
The Archaic Period
730-710 BC -
the First Messenian War and the Spartans conquer southwest
Peloponnese
650 Rise of the tyrants
621 BC
Draco's code of law
600 BC Coin
currency introduced
500-323 BC -
the Classical Period
505
Cleisthenes founds democracy in Athens
490-479 BC -
the Greek / Persian Wars led by Xerxes
468 BC -
Sophocles writes his first tragedy
461-446 BC -
The Peloponnesian Wars begins between Sparta and Athens
449-432 -
Construction of the Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens
441 BC -
Euripides writes his first tragedy
443 - 429 BC
Pericles becomes leader of Athens
430 BC
Plague in Athens
431-405 BC -
Second of the Peloponnesian Wars between Sparta and Athens
420 - 410
Construction of Temple of Athena Nike
399 BC -
Socrates is tried and executed for his opposition to the Thirty
Tyrants
386 BC -
Plato, student of Socrates, founds the Academy
384 BC -
Aristotle, student of Plato, is born
359 BC -
Philip II becomes the king of Macedon
356 BC -
Alexander the Great, son of Philip II, is born
333 BC -
Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeats the Persians at Issus
and is given Egypt by the Persian Satrap where he builds a
capital at Alexandria
323 BC -
Alexander the Great dies at Babylon
323-31 BC -
The Hellenistic Period
300 BC -
Ptolemy I founds museum in Alexandria
224 BC -
Earthquake destroys the Colossus of Rhodes
200 - 196 BC
First Roman victories over Greece
197 BC -
King Philip V loses to Roman forces at Kynoskephalai
86 BC - The
Roman General Sulla captures Athens
267 AD - The
Goths sack Athens, Sparta, and Corinth
286 AD - The
Roman Emperor Diocletian divides the Roman empire in two forming
modern Greece (the Byzantine Empire)
641 AD - The
Slavs overrun Greece
The above information provides a
concise background to the Ancient Greek civilisation
Concise History of
Greece & its Flag
1204-1261AD
- The Crusades and the Latin rule of Constantinople
1207 Marco Sandolo founded the Duchy of Naxos
1387 - the
Ionian Islands are brought under Venetian rule
1453 - Byzantium / Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Turks
15th Century
- 19th Century - Greece under Turkish rule
1538 - the
coasts of Crete are attacked by the pirate Khair-ed-din
Barbarossa
1566 - the
fall of Chios - the Ottoman Turks control of all the east Aegean
islands
1626 - a
famine on Crete reduces the population by a fifth
1797 - the
Ionian Islands are conquered by France
1821 - Greek
revolution and declaration of national independence
1832 - A 17
year old Bavarian prince, Otto, is crowned King of Greece
1864 - the
Ionian Islands become part of independent Greece
1878 -
British rule of Cyprus
1912 - King
Constantine leads the Greek army against the Turks in Macedonia
to victory
1912 - 13 -
the Balkan Wars
1913 - Crete and the Northeast Aegean Islands become part of
independent Greece
1914 -1918
World War I
1923 - the
exchange of Greek and Turkish populations (the Greco-Turkish
population exchange)
1939-45 -
World War II
August 1945
The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
"Around the World in 80
minutes!"
A combination of information
regarding a Nation's flag, History, Geography and Current Events
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In just a short period of time this
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The
Greek Flag and Nation
We hope that the presentation of facts
and information regarding the Greek Flag and Country has
provided a useful educational resource. To improve your
knowledge of Flags and Vexillology still further check out the
Flags and Nations Index and test your knowledge with our
interactive, multi-choice, picture-based Flag Trivia Quiz Game - it's fast and
it's fun! If you answer all questions correctly you will earn the
right to enter the Vexillologist Hall of Fame!
