MINSK, 8 May (BelTA) – Belarus celebrates National Flag and Emblem Day on 8 May this year.
The holiday was established by a decree of the President of Belarus in 1995 and is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. According to Article 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus the symbols of Belarus as a sovereign state are the national flag, the national emblem and the national anthem.
The standard of the National Emblem and the National Anthem were approved by a decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus on 7 June 1995 in accordance with the results of the national referendum held on 14 May 1995.
The law of the Republic of Belarus “On National Symbols of the Republic of Belarus” was adopted on 5 July 2004. The law is aimed at legal regulation of the issues related to the national symbols of Belarus, established by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, and determines the description and order of their use.
The National Emblem of the Republic of Belarus is a green outline of the country superimposed on the golden rays of the sun rising above the globe. Above the green outline is a five-pointed red star. The emblem is framed by a wreath of golden rye ears, interlaced with clover flowers on the right and flax flowers on the left. Spikes are wrapped with a red-green ribbon with a golden inscription “The Republic of Belarus” at the bottom. The image on the emblem embodies the best qualities of the Belarusian people - diligence, aspiration for freedom and patriotism.
The National Flag of the Republic of Belarus is a rectangular cloth, which consists of two horizontally placed colored stripes of red and green. The Belarusian national red and white ornament is placed vertically near the flagstaff. The red color on the flag is the color of the banners of the Red Army and the Belarusian partisans who liberated their native land from the Nazi invaders. Green is the color of the forests and fields, a symbol of spring, hope and rebirth. The white color of the ornament reflects spiritual purity of the Belarusians. The flag is mounted on a staff colored in gold.
The emblem and flag of the Republic of Belarus reflect patriotic, historical and cultural traditions, the nature of the people and their spiritual potential. They bear bright features and are easily recognizable among all national symbols of the world community.
State symbols – emblem and flag of Belarus - are the history and future of the Belarusian state, the embodiment of the idea of national unity, the most important attributes of the sovereignty and independence of the Fatherland.
Belarus has a State Flag Square, located at the intersection of Pobeditelei Avenue and Orlovskaya Street in Minsk. Its grand opening took place on 2 July 2013. The square is a circle with a radius of 50 meters with a granite pedestal in the center, where the flagpole with the national flag is placed. There are seven granite steles with the emblems of the Belarusian regions and Minsk along the walkway. Symmetrically on both sides of the stairs are steles with the text of the National Anthem and a geographical map of Belarus.
On 8 May, the State Flag Square will host a solemn ceremony to honor the country's national symbols.
