Originally an American tradition, Flag Day has become a holiday celebrated around the world. Countries come together to celebrate their history and pride through the waving of what represents their home. None are more proud than the Czech people.
When the Czechoslovak flag was first created in 1918, it consisted of horizontal stripes of white over red as a symbol of the country's newfound sovereignty. Its colors, taken from the colors of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia, were considered exclusive, thus this version of the flag was short-lived.
Many versions of the flag were considered in the two years following. One suggestion was changing the flag to include 5 stars, symbolizing Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Silesia, and Carpathian Ruthenia. What was eventually adopted on March 30, 1920, was a flag of horizontal stripes of white over red with a Blue wedge coming in from the left. The added blue was made to represent the state of Moravia and Slavik unity. Moreover, this addition helped to distinguish the Czechoslovak flag from the similar Polish flag.
During German occupation, the Nazi party replaced the flag with three horizontal stripes of white, red, and then blue. It was declared that any other flag was a symbol of the resistance and banned from use.
After the Nazi party was removed from power, the previous flag was returned. In 1993, during the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, an agreement was struck between the two emerging countries that neither would use the previous flag of Czechoslovakia. Nonetheless, this flag was adopted as the national flag of the Czech Republic in 1993.
These days, the flag represents Czech pride across the globe. The white represents peace and honesty. The red represents courage and hardiness in war. The blue triangle represents three pillars of justice, truth, and loyalty. These are the bricks for which Czechia stand.
Written by Kelsey McDade
Government of the Czech Republic, vlada.cz, 2022, https://www.vlada.cz/en/clenove-vlady/historie-minulych-vlad/historie-statni-vlajky/the-czech-republics-national-flag-19198/, (accessed May 24, 2022).
Smith, Whitney, ‘Flag of the Czech Republic’, Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Czech-Republic, (accessed May 31, 2022).