The Colombia's flag Is one of the patriotic symbols of the Republic of Colombia along with the national shield. This is used by different instances of the national Government and may come up with variants according to the use given.
The colors of the Colombia flag are yellow, blue and red. Its meaning varies depending on popular beliefs or the official version.
According to Law 28 of 1925, it was established that the day of the flag was to be held on August 7 of each year in commemoration of the victory of Simón Bolívar in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819. The flag by obligation must be exhibited In all official locations commemorating the history of the country.
The flag of Colombia is framed in a rectangle divided by the colors yellow, blue and red in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The yellow color occupies the upper half of the rectangle followed by blue and red, each occupying a quarter of the remaining space.
Although there are no exact regulations on the dimensions of the rectangle, a proportion in which the height is 2/3 of the length has always been handled.
What do the colors of the flag of Colombia symbolize?
One of the first descriptions as to the interpretation given to the colors of the Colombian flag came in 1819 from the Angostura Congress by Francisco Antonio Zea .
In such an event would be created what would be known as the Gran Colombia . Zea stressed that the yellow stripe represents"the people who love and love the federation".
For its part, the blue strip is an allusion to the seas that separated the territory from the yoke of Spain and the red as an oath to prefer a war than to fall again under Spanish rule.
In this same tone it is believed that the colors are the same in the flag of Spain, but with a blue in the middle that expresses the same meaning as the one posed by Zea.
At present the meaning expressed by official institutions differs in certain respects from the most popular beliefs.
Yellow is commonly seen as a symbol of the gold wealth held by the territory in pre-Columbian times and officially represents"the abundance and wealth of our soil, but also sovereignty, harmony and justice."
The blue color represents the two oceans that bathe the Coasts of Colombia And it is added that it is the means that"unites us to other peoples for the exchange of products".
Finally, the red color is popularly seen as blood shed by the patriots in the struggle for independence, but today has wanted to give a turn to this notion to mean"the blood that feeds the heart and gives movement and life , Which means love, power, strength and progress.
History of the Colombian flag
Francisco de Miranda Was the person who originally created the yellow, blue and red flag of Greater Colombia, which Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, with certain variations, share today. Miranda pointed out at least two sources of inspiration for this flag.
In a letter written to Count Simon Romanovich Woronzoff and to the philosopher Johann Wofgang von Goethe, Miranda describes a conversation he held with the latter at a party in Weimar during the winter of 1785.
In this it is allusion to how the 3 primary colors are the generators of the infinity of tones that we can appreciate and they become a metaphor of the humanity itself.
Miranda also lived a long time in Russia and from there other theories about the origin of these colors emerge. Some believe it is a tribute to the Empress Catherine II of Russia as a poem to the blonde colors of her hair, the blue of her eyes and the red of her lips.
However, the belief that predominates is the choice of these colors because they are the most prominent in a rainbow.
By 1814, in the United Provinces of New Granada the use of a flag of yellow colors was maintained, green And red that were distributed horizontally and in equal proportions.
This version was the one used by the military in the battle of the Marsh of Vargas the 7 of August of 1819 and that would end in an eventual independence process.
On December 17, 1819, the Congress of Angostura decreed that the flag to be used was that of Venezuela, created by Francisco de Miranda, for being the best known. This decision was taken since this symbol was the one that Simon Bolivar carried in his passage through the countries that he was releasing.
The Republic continued to use the Venezuelan flag until 1834 when it was established that, for the Republic of New Granada, the position of the fringes should be changed from horizontal to vertical in equal proportions:
"They will be distributed in the national pavilion in three vertical divisions of equal magnitude: the most immediate to the pole, red, the blue central division and the yellow extremity." This version would be used until 1861.
In 1886, General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, acting as president of the United States of Colombia, ordered the current layout of the flag with the Decree of November 26, 1861, which reads:
"The colors of the national flag of the United States of Colombia are: yellow, blue and red, distributed in horizontal strips and occupying the yellow color half of the national pavilion in its upper part, and the other two colors the other half, divided In equal stripes, the blue in the center and the red in the bottom".
Since then, the national flag of Colombia has remained without major changes in its colors or distribution. Only decree 838 of 1889 was issued, by means of which all the flags that in their center carried the national coat of arms were modified.
To this they were removed the stars that adorned its edge and the inscription happened to be that of the present"Republic of Colombia".
References
- University Francisco Jose de Calda. PATRIOTIC SYMBOLS. [Online] [Quoted on: March 23, 2017.] udistrital.edu.co.
- Presidency of the Republic of Colombia. Patriotic symbols. [Online] [Quoted on: March 23, 2017.] wsp.presidencia.gov.co.
- Horváth, Zoltán. Flags of the World. [Online] August 13, 2015. [Quoted on: March 23, 2017.] flagspot.net.
- Jaume Olle. Historical Flags. [Online] [Quoted on: March 23, 2017.] angelfire.com.