Throughout the country’s history, the pattern of Greece national flag has changed several times. Today, the official flag involves nine horizontal stripes. They are stripes colored alternating white and blue. In the upper left corner, there’s a white cross as well. The ratio of the flag is two to three.
You can find detailed Greece flag facts in the rest of this article below. Let’s start with its history.
History of the Greece Country Flag
First things first, the most recent flag of the country was officially adopted in 1978. Before this date, there were several other flag patterns used in Greece. For example, there was a different Greek empire flag used in the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s. Before that, the Ottoman Empire used to rule the country, and there was another type of flag back then.
During the reign of the Bavarian dynasty over Greece, there were royal medals added to the flag. Both the Greek navy flag and army flags included these royal medals. The dynasty ruled Greece between 1833 and 1862. During this period, the blue color was a light one, which was in line with Bavarian symbols. After the Bavarian reign was overthrown in 1862, they removed royal medals from the flag.
Then, king Georges 1 of Greece began to rule the country. At that time, a royal crown was included in army and navy flags.
In 1924, the crown was removed by the Ministries of Defense and Navy. It began to be used widely in different areas like the navy, consulates, ministries, and embassies. In 1935, crowns were again added to the flag. During the years of WW2, this flag that was used can be called Greece’s WW2 flag. Later, in 1967, the crown was once again removed by the Colonels, and the new flag began to be used. So, the Greek war flag was changed again.
In the year 1974, the government changed, as did the Greece round flag. The dimension and pattern of the flag were the most similar to the flag of today. It included a darker blue. There was a white cross centered on a blue background. It symbolized “the wisdom of God, freedom, and country”. This one was used on land. The Greece flag used at sea was different. It had four white and five blue horizontal stripes, arguably referring to the nine syllables in the battle cry of independence. It was “Freedom or death”. Today, the one with the central cross is used only by the military and for special purposes.
Greece Flag Meaning
After an introduction to its history, you may ask “What does the Greece flag mean”? In this section, you’ll get an understanding of the meaning of the national flag in Greece. Firstly, note that the shade of blue is not determined officially. Because of this, you may see different shades like dark blue and light blue.
For some, the white color on the flag symbolizes the purity of the fight for independence. For others, white symbolizes the waves of the seas and clouds of the sky. In this respect, the blue color symbolizes the seas and the sky.
When it comes to the nine stripes, there’s again no official meaning. However, most people believe them to symbolize the nine syllables of “Eleftheria i Thanatos”. This means “Freedom or Death”, which was the slogan of the Greek Revolution.
FAQ
What is the most ancient Athens flag?
There was an uprising in 1769, and the flag of that time had a blue cross centered on a white frame. It was popularly used as a Greek flag in 1821 in the Greek Revolution. For this reason, it can be called the Greek revolution flag.
How many blue stripes does the flag of Greece have?
There are five blue stripes and four white stripes in the flag of Greece country today.
Is there a special day for the Athens Greece flag?
Yes, there’s an official flag day in Greece. It takes place on October 27th.
How was the ancient Greece flag?
Greece flag history is rich, and the flag has undergone several amendments. According to sources, the earlier Greece old flag had a white cross against a light blue background.
Is there a Greece Cyprus flag?
There’s not an actual Greece Cyprus flag. However, more than half of the population in Cyprus has a Greek background. For this reason, you can see Greek flags being flown on special days in Cyprus.
Is there a Greece flag emoji?
On the most keyboard of phones, you can find the Greek flag png.
Does Athens use a different flag?
Athens flag is not different from the official flag used in Greece. The early Greek flag was the same as the Athens flag ancient.
