Importance of National Flags

National flags serve not only as a means of identity but also as a symbol for a country's history and ideals. Although flags originated from a simple concept, today they represent much more than mere signage.

The U.S. flag flies over a military cemetery.

History

The Scottish use different plaids to identify the clan from which their families are descendants.

Even before people identified with nations, tribal groups and clans used flags to identify themselves as a unit. A scrap of a particular pattern of cloth, an emblem on a piece of leather, or a symbol painted on fabric -- any of these could serve as a flag for primitive peoples. The goal was simply to identify a leader or group to whom one was loyal.

Development

As populations grew and nations developed, flags became more than just a means of identification. They came to symbolize all that its people valued and fought for. A British general once described his infantry's flag in this poem: "A moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole, It doesn't look likely to stir a man's soul; 'Tis the deeds that were done 'neath the moth-eaten rag When that pole was a staff and the rag was a flag."

Modern Flags

During the 1600s, as groups of peoples began organizing into states and nations, flags became an important way to identify a country's territories and possessions. For its citizens, the flag grew into a symbol of pride and identity of a people and government.

Features

The flag of Israel includes a large blue Star of David.

Countries put a great deal of thought into the design of their flags. Colors, symbols, and layout of the design are all features that represent some principle or event that is significant to the country to which it belongs. For example, the national flag of Israel incorporates the Star of David -- a symbol internationally associated with Judaism. The flag also incorporates horizontal blue stripes across the top and bottom of the flag, reminiscent of the borders of a Jewish prayer shawl.

Usage

Today, people are expected to treat their flags with the same respect given to government leaders. To ensure that this happens, nations write laws dictating how flags should be handled and displayed. Punishment for mistreating a national flag varies from country to country.

Considerations

A country's flag may merely be a piece of colored fabric, but it is intended to represent so much more. For those who have fought battles to defend their country, the flag stands for all that they have suffered and sought to protect. For those who have immigrated from another nation, their adopted country's flag symbolizes the reasons they left their home and the principles that drew them to their new home. A flag represents not just the country but also its history and its future.

References

• The Israeli Flag
• Poem, General Sir Edward Bruce Hamley