1. INTRODUCTION
#Question: What do the colors of the flags represent?
Although it is not an exact science, the colors of the flags usually have a concrete significance, symbolizing the history, the land or the values โโof the territory / country they represent.
Since there is hardly any information on the Internet (surprisingly neither in Enlgish nor in Spanish), in this post I want to collect the main meaning of each of the colors of the flags and I also I want you to help me to complete it if you know of any flag whose color refers to something that is not included in this list. Let’s do it! 🤓
2. MEANING OF THE COLORS OF THE FLAGS
Red
The red color of the flags symbolizes:
- Blood.
- Courage.
- Strength or power.
- The struggle for independence, specifically the bloodshed caused for it.
- Communism or socialism.
- British heritage (it is one of the colors of the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom).
- Pan-Slavism or slavic inheritance (along with the blue and white color).
- Pan-Arabism or the Arab union (along with the colors black, white and green).
- Pan-Africanism or the African Union (along with the yellow and green color).
(*) A full red flag means danger and prohibition (beaches).
Blue
The blue color of the flags symbolizes:
- The sea. Very common in countries that are islands (surrounded by ocean), countries with access to the sea or territories with important lakes or rivers.
- The sky.
- Truth.
- Loyalty.
- Freedom.
- Justice.
- Peace.
- The rain.
- British or French heritage.
- Pan-Slavism or slavic heritage (along with the red and white color).
Yellow
The yellow color of the flags symbolizes:
- Gold or wealth
- Sun.
- Abundance of food (grain / wheat).
- Prosperity.
- Light.
- Hope.
- Generosity.
- Freedom.
- Sand / Desert
- Energy.
- Joy or happiness.
- Farming.
- Pan-Africanism, the African Union (along with the color green and red).
Green
The green color of the flags symbolizes:
- Landscapes, vegetation, fertility.
- The Islam.
- Hope.
- The Agriculture.
- Natural resources.
- Peace.
- Prosperity.
- Pan-Africanism or the African Union (along with the red and yellow color).
- Pan-Arabism or the Arab union (along with the colors black, white and red).
White
The white color of the flags symbolizes:
- Peace.
- Purity.
- Religion.
- Honesty.
- Harmony.
- Silver or mineral wealth.
- Snow.
- Freedom.
- Clarity.
- Unit.
- Dignity.
- Panarabismo or the Arab union (along with the colors black, red and green).
- Slavic Paneslavism or inheritance (along with the red and blue color).
(*) A full white flag means surrender in battles.
Black
The black color of the flags symbolizes:
- Determination.
- On some flags, it symbolizes the overcoming of the darkness of past times.
- The Islam.
- Fertile lands.
- Resistance.
- The soil.
- Death.
- War.
- Weapons.
- Hostility.
- Revolution.
- Victory over enemies.
- African heritage
- Pan-Arabism or the Arab union (along with the colors white, red and green).
(*) A full black flag indicates a no quarter fight. The color also represents mourning.
Orange
The orange color of the flags symbolizes:
- Courage and sacrifice.
- The sunrise or the sunset.
- Hinduism
Purple
The purple color of the flags symbolizes:
- Royalty.
- Wealth.
(*) The purple has represented the color of royalty since the ancient Rome.
3. REFERENCES
- Saberespractico.com (2020). Significado de los colores de las banderas. Text in Spanish. Avaliable [HERE].