The flag of Canada is the history and meaning of colors. What does the flag of Canada mean?

Each country has its own national symbols. First of all, it's a flag and a coat of arms. In order to emphasize the strength, power and freedom of its territory and its people, many countries put images of birds, animals, weapons, weapons and military uniforms on these figures. There are also states whose emblem and flag are absolutely peaceful. These include Canada. This country is in North America and borders the United States on the south . The flag of Canada is easy to learn from many others. It has a very memorable structure.

Dimensions

The flag of Canada, like many other countries, has a standard size, where the width is half the length. The sign is divided into three parts. The middle half is occupied by a vertical white line, which is twice as large as either side. Those, in turn, are painted in red. In the very center of the white line is a maple leaf with eleven ends. Its color is similar to the shade of the side strips - it is also red. The national flag of Canada acquired its modern look in 1964. Before that, he had to go a long way to make changes and additions.

The legacy of the "pioneers"

The history of the flag of Canada began when the foot of the French colonel first stepped into the territory of unknown land. The land of the country began to be divided and the British. At the end of the 15th century, over the vast expanses of the Canadian state, the flag was first weighed. It was a pennant of the English kingdom. It depicted the cross of St. George, traditionally painted in red.

However, even in such a vast territory, the French and the British could not find harmony. The struggle for fur production, ponds and forests turned into prolonged military battles. The result of the battles was the northern portion of the colony that had been recaptured from the British. It was then that the new flag of Canada - the pennant of the then ruling House of Orleans was raised above this territory. On the canvas of the French power symbol were depicted golden lilies.

"Union Jack" and "Red Ensign"

After a while, in 1620, the territory of the country once again became part of the British Empire. And again, in the peaceful before the arrival of the colonists, their banner rose up to the sky. Unity, strength, parallel and inextricable development of the country of the American continent and its colonists - this is what the flag of Canada of that time means. This pennant was called Union Jack. This symbol of the British government lasted almost ninety years.

He was replaced by a new flag of Canada. It was a red canvas, in the left upper corner of which was placed the pennant of Britain, and on the right side - a shield. The latter featured smaller images of the state symbols of Ireland, England, Scotland and France. It is noteworthy that this banner was the national symbol of the country until the beginning of the twentieth century. Already at that time, Canada was actually independent of the English throne by the country (dominion), although it was under his tutelage. Obtaining almost complete autonomy occurred in 1867, and since then it is considered the year of the emergence of a new state. "Red Flag", or "Red Ensign" - the so-called flag of Canada. Photos of the pennant have survived in many historical reference books and military encyclopedias.

National colors of the country

In the early twenties of the 20th century, the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland announced the new state symbol of Canada - the red and white coat of arms. The presence of these colors on the element is by no means accidental. They symbolized the first European countries, which became the Canadian "pioneers" - France and Great Britain. It's since that time that these two colors have become national.

It should be noted that the First World War was held for Canada under the banner of the Union Jack, and the Second - under the reign of the Red Ensign. And every time after the end of hostilities the government had a question about creating its own national symbol of the country.

Committees and their work

In the 25th year of the 20th century, a committee was first created, the main purpose of which was to create its own flag of Canada. However, due to unsatisfactory work, this structure was soon disbanded.

In the second half of the 20th century, the idea arose to create Canada's own national flag. To this end, a committee was again convened, consisting of 15 people representing various parliamentary parties. It is noteworthy that not only historians and specialists in heraldry participated in the creation of the flag of the country, but also ordinary people. The government of the country appealed to its residents with a request to provide their own version of the national symbol of the country. The Committee received more than two and a half thousand flag variants. Moreover, the proposals came not only from citizens who were living in the country at that time, but also from Canadians who settled abroad.

Animal themes or sports?

It should be noted that as a national symbol on the flag of the country it was proposed to place beaver, bison, goose, clover and even hockey sticks. However, the most popular was the maple leaf image. Almost every drawing contained a detailed description of the details of the banner. Many people, along with the image of the flag, also sent poems, stories and historical references. All materials that came to the committee's address are stored in the National Archives and are part of the history of the country.

Creating a modern banner of the state

The maple leaf on the flag of Canada was the most common symbol that residents wanted to see on the pennant of the country. The colors used were completely different: from red to yellow. Some images contained twelve leaves, each of which was associated with a separate state - a province.

The main criterion for the selection was the statement of the then then-Prime Minister of the country Lester Pearson that this national symbol should say without words about his ownership of Canada. Therefore, the committee approached this task with all responsibility. Three options have been proposed for the parliamentary hearing. The first is a variation on the theme of the previous red flag. The second is the image of several maple leaves, and the last one is a single variant of the leaf of the "syrup" tree. Fifteen days later, the country's parliament approved the final version of the country's flag. They became a single image of a red maple leaf on a white background with red stripes on the sides.

The role of designers

It is noteworthy that a grandiose work was done on the final version of the banner. At the last stage, designers were involved. They chose exactly that version of the maple leaf, which is depicted on the flag of the country and to this day. It is noteworthy that in Canada, grows a huge number of different types of maple trees. The basis of the national symbol was put a leaf of a sugar plant. It is from it that the syrup is popular all over the world. Interestingly, the shape of the leaf of this maple tree is different from the one depicted on the flag: the original has 12 more ends. Why such a rush?

The reason is as follows: on the waving wind the original 23-leaf sheet merges into one continuous spot, while the image of the symbol with the 11-th ends is well recognized even from afar.

Embracing the sky

On February 15, 1965, the first national flag was raised in Ottawa. A huge number of Canadians attended such a significant event for the state. Before the flag was raised, the school choir sang the national anthem of the country, called "Oh, Canada." Also, solemn speeches were made.

Some people experienced mild nostalgia and sadness at the descent of the old flag. However, the feeling of sadness quickly gave way to joy when Canada's first own national banner flared proudly in the sky.