Day of the State Emblem and State Flag of the Republic of Belarus

Every second Sunday in May Belarus celebrates the Day of State Symbols - the flag and coat of arms The date was approved by Presidential Decree in 1998 (No 157) Symbols of statehood existed in the republic before, changing along with the country The first images of the coat of arms on the territory of Belarus appeared in the 10th century Symbols used on the coats of arms of that time: - a trident (a weapon with a tip with teeth), - a galloping horseman In the 20th century, the image of the coat of arms changed several times The current version was adopted in 1995, based on what was developed in Soviet times It replaced the coat of arms with the image of a chase (the official symbol of the country in 1991-1995) The shape of the coat of arms is a circle, in the center the outline of the country is depicted in green on a silver background on top of the sun's rays over the globe At the top of the coat of arms is a red star The image has a border of ears of grain intertwined with a red and green ribbon On the left on the coat of arms are flax flowers, on the right are clovers In the middle of the tape there is an inscription - “Republic of Belarus” The coat of arms symbolizes the inviolability of borders (the outline of the country), prosperity (the image of the state in the rays of the sun), the memory of ancestors, and hard work (wreaths of ears of corn and flowers) The colors of the Belarus flag are taken from the Soviet past For a short period (1991-1995), the country lived with a white-red-white flag (in 1918-1919 it was adopted by the Belarusian People's Republic) In 1995, in a referendum, Belarusians voted for the return of the Soviet flag and coat of arms (with changes) The country's flag consists of two colors: red and green The stripes have different widths, the red one is twice as large as the green one Along the shaft there is a vertical strip with a national ornament (in 1912 its design was changed) The red stripe means unity, brotherhood, military valor Green color is associated with nature The ornament is a symbol of the spirituality of the nation On the second Sunday of May, when the country celebrates the Day of State Symbols, many official events take place, in which all residents of Belarus take part