 | |
| Other names | Η Γαλανόλευκη, Η Κυανόλευκη |
|---|---|
| Use | National flag and ensign    |
| Proportion | 2:3 (and also 7:12) |
| Adopted | 22 December 1978 (Naval Ensign 1822–present, National Flag 1969–70; 1978–present) |
| Design | Nine horizontal stripes, in turn blue and white; a white Greek cross throughout a blue canton. |
The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White (Γαλανόλευκη, Galanólefki) or the Cyan-and-White (Κυανόλευκη, Kyanólefki), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The blazon of the flag is Azure, four bars Argent; on a canton of the field a Greek cross throughout of the second. The official flag ratio is 2:3.[1] The shade of blue used in the flag has varied throughout its history, from light blue to dark blue, the latter being increasingly used since the late 1960s. It was officially adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus on 13 January 1822.
While the nine stripes do not have any official meaning, the most popular interpretation says that they represent the syllables of the phrase Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος ('Freedom or Death'): the five blue stripes for the syllables in Ελευθερία, the four white for those of ή Θάνατος.[2] The total of nine stripes is also said to represent the letters of the word ελευθερία ("freedom").[2] White and blue symbolise the colours of the Greek sky and sea.[3]
- ^ The Flag, from the site of the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic
- ^ a b Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra: Η καθιέρωση της ελληνικής σημαίας ("The adoption of the Greek flag"), Hellenic Army General Staff, 2003.
- ^ The Flag Bulletin, Volumes 14–17, Flag Research Center, 1976, p. 63: "Greeks wanted this color for their flag because they have always looked at the blue sky and the blue ocean."