Belarus

Belarus
Adopted	February 10, 2012 (modified colors in 2019)
Designed by	Belarusian government, based on design by M.I. Gusyew
Proportions	1:2

The flag of Belarus is a horizontal bicolour of red and green, with the green stripe on the bottom one-half the thickness of the red stripe on top. On the hoist of the flag is a vertical red and white representation of the Belarusian national ornamentation.

Symbolism

Ornamentation

The national ornamentation was added in 1951 when new pattern of the Soviet flags was introduced , it is based on a common pattern on rushnik rugs in Belarus. Its original author was a peasant Ms. Matrona Markyevich from the village Kastsilishcha. The ornamentation was modified in 2012.

The elements of the ornamentation have symbolism as follows:

• the central rhombic figure symbolises the rising Sun;
• the horn-like figures to the left and right of it symbolise wealth and welfare;
• the figure inside of the rhombus there is the "key to happiness";
• the rectangular figure with the smaller rectangles adjoining from the left and right is the "votive sign", expressing the desire for fulfilling of the hopes;
• the pattern figure symbolises bread (that was absent from the original embroidery, added after some discussion).

Allegedly the rhombic ornamentation reflects the pattern on a section of a mammoth tusk.

Colours

Color	Symbolism
Red and Green	The color of the former Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The red and green stripes are borrowed from the Belarusian coat of arms.
White	Traditional Byelorussian colors.

History

The first Belarusian flag was a white-red-white triband, which was adopted by the Belarusian People's Republic (March to December 1918). Its colours were based on those of the Republic's coat of arms Pahonia, which had a white horseman on a red background. The white colour also alludes to the name of the country (Belarus, "White Rus"). Allegedly a similar flag was already in use in the 15th century. A variant of the flag containing the Pahonia still continues to be used around pro-democracy protests.

The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1919 and lasted till 1991. In 1922 it became one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union. From 1919-1951 its flag was a red banner with the golden inscriptions CCРБ (SSRB, Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus) or БССР (BSSR, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) in canton.

From 1941-1944, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, and the occupational administration allowed to use the white-red-white flag of 1918. It appeared on arm patches of Belarusian volunteers in the German Army and Waffen SS.

In 1951, the republic adopted a new flag (similar to the current one) according to the new pattern of the flags of the Soviet republics. It was the only flag of a Soviet republic with a kind of national motifs in it (the ornamentation).

The republic proclaimed its independence in 1991, and the white-red-white flag was re-adopted. It was controversial due to being used by the pro-Nazi collaborationist government. Currently it is officially prohibited, but it is still used by opposition groups.

The flag was changed in 1995, and was based of the flag of the BSSR. The flag was modified in 2012, with a new ornamentation.

Byelorussian People's Republic
March-December 1918

Byelorussian SSR
1919-1937

Byelorussian SSR
1937-1940s

Nazi-occupied
1941-1944

Byelorussian SSR
1940s-1951

Byelorussian SSR
1951-1991

Republic of Belarus
1991-1995

Republic of Belarus
1995-2012

Republic of Belarus
2012-2019

Republic of Belarus
since 2019

Other flags

More information on List of Belarusian flags and the flag's own Wikipedia page.

The presidential standard is the national flag of Belarus in a ratio of 5:6, with the Belarusian national emblem in gold and red, in the right side of the pattern.

The flag was adopted in December 11^th of 1997, and along with the national flag, was later modified on 2012.

The flag of the country's ground forces (also known as the land forces) is a red background, with the emblem of the Land Forces in the center. The flag of the country's air force consists of a blue background with eight golden rays radiating from the emblem of the air force.

The flag of the Armed Forces of Belarus is a red background with the ornamental pattern at the hoist of the flag. At the fly of the flag, is the national emblem of Belarus, with some golden text in Belarusian both encircling and on the bottom of the emblem.

The flag was introduced in 2000, and was later modified following the change in the national flag in 2012.

Flag Colors

Color	Color Name	HEX RGB	Color of
	Lava	#ce1720	Red parts of the bicolor and pattern
	La Salle Green	#007c30	Red part of the bicolor
	White	#ffffff	White parts of the pattern