What animal is featured on the Welsh flag. National symbols of Wales

In general, the whole of Great Britain is characterized by its own unique culture, traditions and symbols. The same can be said about the Principality of Wales, because it is an integral part of it. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the fact that the use of dragons in paraphernalia has become very popular throughout the region. The flag of Wales, the photo of which is located below, was no exception.

Image and colors

Currently, the Welsh national symbol is a canvas with horizontal stripes of white and green, on which a red image of a dragon is applied. In a literal translation from the name of the flag, it is translated as “Red Dragon”. Despite the fact that it was officially recognized in 1959, local residents began to use this symbol even during the time of the Roman Empire. Many monarchs were also very impressed with the combination of these colors.

First official mentions

The flag of Wales was first officially mentioned in literature in 1200. This manuscript was the legend "Llydd and Llevelis", which told how Britain was able to get rid of two dragons that fought among themselves all the time. All the inhabitants of the state suffered from this. According to legend, people dug a hole, which they then filled with honey. She lured the dragons, who got drunk and fell asleep, after which they were buried right there. Some time later, they managed to get out, and the fight continued. As a result, he turned out to be stronger and destroyed the white. In the first of them, the Welsh saw royal subjects, and in the second, the Saxons (a people that at that time captured many islands). This was considered a very good omen, which is why the red dragon appeared on the national symbol. However, this is just a legend.

Origin

As of today, there is no officially recognized version of how the flag of Wales appeared. Many Welsh researchers suggest that the scarlet dragon has long symbolized ancient warriors. Despite this, most historians claim that this emblem was brought on at the time of their conquest by the Romans. As for the combination of green and white on the cloth, such a combination was first used by the Welsh prince Llewelyn, and later used by the Tudor dynasty.

Historical changes

Throughout its history, the flag of Wales has been partially modified several times. For example, as of 1807, the red dragon on the national symbol was located on a green hill, located on a white field. Over a century later, in 1953, the so-called surroundings were replaced with a field of green and white. A crowned shield and the same dragon were applied to it.

Coat of arms

As of today, there is no officially valid coat of arms in Wales. His role in the country is performed by the royal sign, which is approved at the legislative level. It is used in all local laws and regulations. The sign is made in the form of a shield divided into four fields. Each of them contains images of lions. Two of them are on the red field, and the same number - on the golden one.

Unofficial symbols

As in many other states, not only the coat of arms and the flag of Wales are the national symbols of the country. In addition to them, the people came up with an unofficial sign for themselves here. Leek is considered to be such in the principality. There are two versions of why this particular plant was chosen by the Welsh. According to the first of them, during the protracted wars, the inhabitants of the country attached it to their hats. This made it possible to prevent the killing of comrades-in-arms and gain victories in battles. There is another version. According to her, in times of famine, the Welsh had no choice but to eat this plant. At the same time, many residents of the country noted its excellent nutritional and taste qualities.

Despite this, most Welsh consider the yellow daffodil as their unofficial symbol. The fact is that it begins to bloom on St. David's Day. However, this does not prevent local residents from wearing a leek sprig on their clothes even on this holiday.

Paradox

Throughout the entire period of the development of the country, the flag of Wales (pictures and photos from different eras are a vivid confirmation of this) has undergone minor changes. In this case, only the primary colors and the dragon remained untouchable. Such experiments were put to an end in 1959, when the flag was officially recognized. Despite being the only representative of Great Britain whose symbol is absent from the flag of the United Kingdom. This paradox cannot but cause an abundance of criticism and indignation among the inhabitants of the region.

Y Ddraig Goch) Approved Proportion

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• (English)

Story Geography Politics Population culture - Woman's talk, woman's talk! Alpatych said. - So I judge, Yakov Alpatych. I say there is an order that they won't let him in, which means it's true. Yes, and the peasants ask for three rubles from the cart - there is no cross on them! Yakov Alpatych listened inattentively. He demanded a samovar and hay for the horses, and after drinking tea he went to bed. All night long the troops moved in the street past the inn. The next day, Alpatych put on a camisole, which he wore only in the city, and went on business. The morning was sunny, and from eight o'clock it was already hot. Expensive day for harvesting bread, as Alpatych thought. Shots were heard outside the city from early morning. From eight o'clock cannon fire joined the rifle shots. There were a lot of people on the streets, hurrying somewhere, a lot of soldiers, but just as always, cabs drove, merchants stood at the shops and there was a service in the churches. Alpatych went to the shops, to government offices, to the post office and to the governor. In government offices, in shops, at the post office, everyone was talking about the army, about the enemy, who had already attacked the city; everyone asked each other what to do, and everyone tried to calm each other down. At the governor's house, Alpatych found a large number of people, Cossacks and a road carriage that belonged to the governor. On the porch, Yakov Alpatych met two gentlemen of the nobility, of whom he knew one. A nobleman he knew, a former police officer, spoke with ardor. “This is no joke,” he said. - Well, who is one. One head and poor - so one, otherwise there are thirteen people in the family, and all the property ... They brought everyone to disappear, what kind of bosses are they after that? .. Eh, I would hang the robbers ... “Yes, it will,” said another. “What do I care, let him hear!” Well, we are not dogs, - said the former police officer and, looking around, he saw Alpatych.

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An excerpt characterizing the Flag of Wales

- Did you enjoy the conversation, Madonna? - Karaffa asked sincerely.
“Thank you, Your Holiness. Yes, of course. Although, I would prefer to raise my daughter myself, as is customary in the normal world, and not give her into the hands of unknown people, just because you have some kind of plan for her. Isn't there enough pain for one family, don't you think?
- Well, it depends on which one, Isidora! Karaffa smiled. – Again, there is “family” and FAMILY... And yours, unfortunately, belongs to the second category... You are too strong and valuable to just live without paying for your opportunities. Remember, my "great Witch", everything in this life has its price, and you have to pay for everything, whether you like it or not ... And you, unfortunately, will have to pay very dearly. But let's not talk about the bad today! You had a wonderful time, didn't you? See you later, madonna. I promise you, she will be very soon.
I froze... How familiar were these words to me!.. This bitter truth accompanied me so often in my still short life that I could not believe that I heard them from someone else!.. Probably, this is indeed, it was true that everyone had to pay, but not everyone agreed to it voluntarily ... And sometimes this payment was too expensive ...
Stella stared in surprise at my face, apparently noticing my strange confusion. But I immediately showed her that “everything is in order, everything is fine,” and, silent for a moment, Isidora continued her interrupted story.
Caraffa left, taking away my dear baby. The surrounding world faded, and my devastated heart, drop by drop, slowly filled with black, hopeless longing. The future seemed ominous. There was no hope in him, there was no habitual confidence that, no matter how difficult it is now, but in the end everything will somehow work out, and everything will definitely be fine.

The flag of Wales, as we know it, was established in 1959. However, the elements that make up the flag were established much earlier. Already at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the image had a close to modern appearance. For three hundred years, they played with the components as if with a designer, either adding minor touches, or shuffling the existing moments. But first things first.

History and meaning of flowers

As mentioned above, the flag received a more or less stable content back in the seventeenth century, and more specifically, during the reign of the English Tudor dynasty. It was then that the two primary colors - green and white (family colors of the Tudor family), firmly entered the flag and successfully survived to this day. Over time, they decided to interpret these colors purely from a civic position, viewing them through a national prism. Thus, the white color began to symbolize spiritual pacifism in the souls of the inhabitants of the country, as well as the high moral principles of its citizens. The green color began to declare the self-identity of the state, the preservation of original features and cultural traditions.

According to another less common version, the appearance of green and white on the Welsh flag is directly related to the cultural symbol of the country, namely the leek. According to legend, Cadwaladr, the king of the kingdom of Gwynedd that previously existed in the north of Wales, during the battle with the Saxons ordered his soldiers to attach leek sprouts to their helmets so that soldiers could easily distinguish allies from the enemy. Since then, the heroic bow has been very revered in the country.

Dragon as an integral element of culture

The situation is different with the third element of the flag - the red Welsh dragon. It was brought to the territory of Britain (and in particular Wales) by the Romans, along the way making the island its own province.

Since then, the Welsh red dragon has firmly entered the cultural life of the population and regularly, in the form of a specific image or references, appeared in the works of the national epic. Historically, the image of the Welsh dragon began to be identified with wisdom, courage and valor.

The modern look of the flag

In 1807, a sample of the national flag was adopted, where the red dragon was located on a small green hill surrounded by a white field.

In 1953, the color scheme was aligned, the ratio of white and green is presented in equal proportions, and the image of the dragon was transferred to the shield and crowned with a crown. Since 1959, the appearance of the flag, familiar to our eyes, has been approved.

Country: Wales

Capital: Cardiff

Total area: 20,779 km²

Date of formation: 600 BC uh

Population: 3,113,000

Currency: Pound Sterling (GBP)

Phone code: 44

Colors: white, green

Figures: red dragon

Continent: ,

Brief information about the country: Wales

Wales - one of the four main administrative and political parts of Great Britain, in the past a conglomerate of independent Celtic kingdoms.

Wales located in the southwest of the UK.

Capital - Cardiff

State structure

Since Wales is part of the UK, its head is the monarch of the United Kingdom. Legislative power is divided between the London Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.

"Country of Friends" so the English call the land, which is famous for the abundance of beautiful old churches, vast green valleys and vast desert spaces, on which gloomy mountains are located. The Welsh call this area Cymru, while the British call it Wales. This is the only area in the whole of the UK where signs on shops, offices and government buildings, as well as road signs, are bilingual.

Flag of Wales
The modern flag of Wales is a panel painted in white and green, on which a red dragon is depicted. Although this flag was legally adopted in 1959, the red dragon has been directly associated with Wales since the days of the Roman Empire. Green and white colors have also been associated with Wales since the Middle Ages, because even under the reign of Henry VIII Tudor, all the troops that acted under the Welsh auspices were dressed in a green and white uniform.

Coat of arms of Wales

In the Principality of Wales, there is no legislatively approved national coat of arms - its role is played by the royal sign of Wales, which since 2008 has been the official highest heraldic symbol. This peculiar coat of arms is used by the Welsh National Assembly to certify legislative acts. The royal badge of the principality consists of a shield divided into fields, on each of which a lion walks, with blue claws and a tongue; two lions are on golden fields, two on red ones.

Symbol of Wales

The yellow daffodil has been called the flower symbol of Wales since the 19th century, and this happened because the word "cenhinen" can be translated both as a narcissus and as a leek. And since there are a great many yellow daffodils in Wales in the spring, that is probably why the daffodil has become another equally beloved and revered symbol of Wales.

Anthem of Wales "Land of my fathers"

Essential facts about Wales

• Wales attracts tourists with the richness and diversity of its nature.
• Along with English, the people of Wales also speak their own Gaelic or Welsh language.
• The Welsh make up about a third of the population of Wales and take care of their language: the press is published in the country, books are printed, TV presenters speak.
• The summer festival of poetry and music "Eisteddfod" is held annually.

The early history of Wales was created by the Celts, who arrived in this territory as early as the 1st century BC. Here was one of the main centers of the druids. Today, the territory of Wales boasts more than 150 monuments of Celtic culture, sacred graves and places of worship from those ancient times.

The Celts never built temples. Rites were held in secret places where large stone circles were built. The Celts have long had a developed economy and technology, they mined iron ore and used tools that are used by modern blacksmiths. The Celts minted their money. The ancient Celtic society was divided into estates: priests, warriors and tillers. The king ruled everything. The property of the king, at the same time, was public property.