Flag of Romania

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Flag of Romania

Use	Civil and state flag and national ensign.
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	1867 Re-adopted: Dec. 27 1989
Design	A tricolor of blue, yellow and red equal-width pales.

The national flag of Romania is a vertical tricolor of blue, yellow and red. The colours stand for the three historical provinces of Romania. The current design has been officially adopted in 1994 but has been in use since 1989. The first flag dates from 1834 but the colours by themselves have held special significance ever since the sixth century.

During the reign of the Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza and the first years of the reign of Carol I the colours were displayed horizontally, in the following order, from top to bottom: blue, yellow, red. Also it bore the coat of arms in use at that time in the center of the flag.

[edit] Design and symbolism

The current form of the flag was officially established via Law no. 75^[1] passed by the Romanian Government in July 1994.

This form had been in use ever since December 27, 1989, days after the Romanian Revolution took place.

[edit] Official design

The national flag of Romania is a tricolour consisting of three vertical colour bands (pales) of equal width: blue (hoist side), yellow, and red. The flag ratio is 2:3 (height/width), with the three colours each taking one third of the space.

[edit] Flag colours

The exact colours are defined by Romanian Law no. 75 as being "cobalt blue, chrome yellow and vermilion red". These are not actually colours but pigments ie. chemical substances used for coloring. They are thus unsuitable for digital use.

Note: Obtaining digital colour values from these pigments is a very subjective and complicated process. The only known reliable source of digital values for the Romanian flag is the "Album des Pavillons" book,^[2] quoted by "Flags of the World",^[3] which lists Pantone and CMYK colour codes, obtained by visual matching against new flags in natural sunlight. The following colours are those obtained from that source.

Please remember that these codes are not by any means absolute. In particular, it is recommended that you avoid using charts that claim to offer Pantone-to-digital conversions, since they are subjective as well. If you need digital colour codes, use the CMYK codes offered by the book mentioned above instead, since they are the closest thing to a reliable source.

Scheme	Blue	Yellow	Red
Pantone	280c	116c	186c
CMYK	100-70-0-10	0-10-95-0	0-90-80-5
RGB^[4]	0-69-230	255-230-13	242-24-48
Web^[5]	#0045E6	#FFE60D	#F21830

[edit] Meaning of the colours

The three colours stand for the three historical provinces of Romania, as a symbol of unity: Transylvania, Ţara Românească and Moldova.

Each colour, by itself, held important significance throughout history in one of the provinces. Their eventual unification within the national flag was a natural development.

[edit] Flag Day

Flag Day (Ziua Tricolorului) is held on June 26 and constitutes an annual holiday in Romania.^[6]

[edit] History

[edit] 6th century: Dacia Justinianus

One of the very first occurrences of the three official colours of today dates back to the Novella XI, issued on April 14, 535 by Emperor Justinian I. Among other things, it describes what was called "Justinian Dacia" (Banat and part of Oltenia) at the time, and contains a coat of arms for it.

"Ex parte dextra, in prima divisione, scutum rubrum, in cuius medis videtur turris, significans utramque Daciam, in secunda divisione, scutum coelesti, cum (signum) tribus Burris, quarum duae e lateribus albae sunt, media vero aurea."

Translation: "On the right, in the first section, a red shield, on which towers can be seen, signifying the other Dacia, in the second section, a blue-sky shield, with the ensigns of the Bur tribe, the sides are white, and golden in the middle."

[edit] 9th-19th centuries

The three official colours were encountered again after the IX-th century, when the Romanian people is considered to have formed. The colours made various appearances in the flags of the various Romanian principalities and noble houses, as chosen by rulers or nobility.

While the three colours were only used together coincidentally, it is a fact that each of them, by itself, held very important significance in the three historical provices of Romania.

The principality of Moldova used a red flag almost continuously starting from the XIV-th century. Similarly, Muntenia (or Ţara Românească) used flags which contained yellow or white starting with the XVI-th century. And while Romanians in Transylvania were not allowed to use a flag due to systematic oppression (see Unio Trium Nationum,1438), the Romanian noble families used sky-blue exclusively as the shield colour for their coats of arms.

[edit] 1600: the first unification

In 1600, prince Michael the Brave briefly managed to unite all three Romanian provinces, a historical feat which inspired many of the following nationalistic movements. As ruler of Wallachia and Transylvania, he managed to defeat the Moldovan army on May 18, 1600, and effectively united for the first time the three parts of today's Romania.

This state of affairs didn't last long due to the instability of the region which culminated with the assassination of Michael the Brave in 1601. Still, the three colours were used during 1599-1601 on diplomas issued by Michael's administration as a sign of appreciation to the various nobles who supported him. Over 20 diplomas have been recovered, which contain the three colours together on the crests and shields.

[edit] 1821: the Anti-phanariotes revolution

During the anti-phanariotes revolution of 1821, the three colours were displayed together on the flag used by Tudor Vladimirescu, the leader of the Wallachian uprising. While the main colour of the flag was white, the hoist had three sets of tassels, combining the red, blue and yellow colours two by two.

[edit] 1834: the first flag

The first official acknowledgement of the three colours together on the flag took place in 1834, during the ruling of Dimitrie Ghica, when the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire approved the adoption of a flag with the three colours placed horizontally (with blue at the bottom) and an eagle holding a crown and sceptre on yellow, for the use of all Romanian commercial and military units and ships.

This was the first official union of the three colours, and while it didn't hold a nationalistic meaning at the time, it was later taken as a symbol for the following nationalistic movements.

[edit] 1848: the revolution

1848 poster of the revolution displaying the flag

During the Revolutions of 1848, the newly formed Romanian Government stated in its Decree no. 1, from June 14, 1848, and later detailed in Decree no. 252, July 13, 1848, that the official flag was to be composed of three colours: "dark blue, light yellow and crimson red". The flag had vertical colours with blue at the hoist, and bore the inscription "Justice, Fraternity".

Horizontal colours had been used that same year at the National Assemblies at Blaj, on the Field of Liberty, on April 26. The Romanians there used white instead of yellow -- supposedly in solidarity with other European revolutionaries, such as the French and the Hungarians, who also used white for their flags -- and the inscription "Virtus Romana Rediviva" (Romanian virtue reborn). Eventually, however, all Romanian flags reverted to the yellow colour.

[edit] 1859: the Small Unification

The national flag is once again ratified in 1859, when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected as ruler in both Moldova and Ţara Românească in a surprise consensus of the Romanians in both.

This flag, used from 1859 to 1866, had once again the colours placed horizontally, with blue at the bottom.

[edit] 1867: Principality of Romania and Kingdom of Romania

Supposed state flag of the Principality of Romania

Kingdom of Romania state flag

The placement was changed back to vertical in 1867, with the arrival of Carol I as the ruler of the Kingdom of Romania (1881-1947). It has remained in this form ever since, with the blue colour at the hoist.

[edit] 1948: the Communist state

Flag of Communist Romania

The War Flag between 1966 and 1989. A similar version was used between 1948 and 1966.

In 1948, the Communist regime (1947-1989) replaced the former coat of arms (composed of traditional Romanian heraldic elements) with a new one, of Soviet influence. It consisted of a scene surrounded by sheaves of wheat wrapped with a ribbon of the national colours having the letters RPR (Romanian People's Republic) emblazoned on it. The scene depicts Romania's mineral wealth (the oil derrick, the forests, mountains) basking in the glow of the sun.

The red star at the top of the coat of arms symbolizes Socialism and was added in September 1952.

A third version, seen here, was adopted on August 21, 1965. The letters RPR were replaced on the main part of the scroll with ROMÂNIA, and on the left and right parts of the scroll the words REPUBLICA and SOCIALISTĂ were added, so that the inscription now read "Socialist Republic of Romania".

During this time period the Soviet propaganda promoted a fictive meaning of the flag colours. School children were taught that red stands for the blood of the fallen heroes, yellow for the crop fields and blue for the sky. The colours were also constantly mentioned in reverse order (red, yellow, blue) although the flag never actually changed. This order and the fictive meaning were even mentioned in the national anthem of that time.

[edit] 1989: the revolution

Romanian flag with the coat of arms cut out

The Communist coat of arms was eliminated during the days of the 1989 revolution, when protesters on the streets of Timişoara and Bucharest waved flags with a round hole cut in the middle.

A few days later, on December 27, 1989, the provisional government decided informally not to incorporate a new coat of arms into the official flag. The flag has maintained that form ever since.

[edit] Flag protocol

The usage guidelines described here are taken directly from Romanian Law no. 75.

[edit] Permanent use

The Romanian flag is to be on permanent display in the following places:

at public authority and institution buildings and headquarters;
at the headquarters of political parties, syndicates, educational and cultural institutions;
at frontier crossing points as well as international airports;
as official flag for any kind of ship which sails under the Romanian flag.

[edit] Temporary use

The Romanian flag is to be temporarily displayed on the following occasions:

on the Romanian National Day and other national holidays, in public places chosen by the local authorities;
during localized, national or international official festivities and occasions, where they take place;
during official visits in Romania by foreign chiefs of state or government officials, as well as important political persons representing the main international intergovernmental organizations, at airports, train stations, harbors and on the various roads they take;
during military ceremonies, according to military rules;
during sports competitions, on stadiums and other sports facilities;
during election campaigns, at the local offices of the electing committees and at the voting facilities.

[edit] Personal use

The Romanian flag may be displayed by people at their home or place of residence, as well as by juridical personas, other than those described above, at their headquarters.

[edit] Official use

The Romanian flag is to be displayed at the abroad headquarters of diplomatic missions and consulates of the Romanian state, as well as at the place of residence of the chiefs of diplomatic and consular parties, as specified by protocols. The Romanian flag is also to be displayed as a banner on the transportation means of the diplomatic and consular party chiefs, during their official movement about.

[edit] Mourning

The Romanian flag is to be displayed at half-mast during national mourning days, as designated by the Government.

[edit] With other national flags

The flags of other states may be displayed on Romanian territory only accompanied by the national flag and only during the visits of foreign officials, international festivities or reunions, on official buildings and in public places chosen in respect to the text of the law.

Display of the Romanian flag at manifestations which take place under the auspices of international organizations is done according to international regulations.

The flag of the European Council can also be displayed in places where the Romanian flag is displayed.

Wherever the flag of Romania is accompanied by one or more foreign state flags, they are to be arranged as follows:

when the Romanian flag is displayed together with one foreign flag, the Romanian flag will be placed on the left side, looking from the front of the flags;
when the Romanian flag is displayed together with several foreign flags and the total number of flags is odd, the Romanian flag is to be displayed in the middle. If the total number of flags is even, the Romanian flag is to be placed at the left of the flag with whom it shares the center, looking from the front of the flags.

All state flags on display will have identical size and will be placed at the same level.

[edit] Army flags of Romania

[edit] The Battle Flag

The Battle Flag (here, of the General Staff) Ratio: 2:3.

When used in a ceremony while it rains, the battle flag is protected by a transparent plastic envelope

Land Forces flags displayed at the National Military Museum in Bucharest (no longer in use)

The Battle Flag has been described by the Romanian Ministry of Defense as "the symbol of military honor, courage and glory". The flag incorporates in its design a golden eagle and various accessories, aside from the actual banner.^[7]

NOTE: The Battle Flag is not a "war flag" in the accepted vexillological sense,^[8] because it is not used in actual battle conditions, only for ceremonies and for unit identification purposes.

The golden eagle has its wings semi-open and holds lightning in its talons. It is placed at the end of the hoist, facing towards the flag. Underneath there is a supporting element which bears the inscription "HONOR AND COUNTRY" on the front and on the back the name of the military unit it belongs to.

The flag has a length and width of 100 and 66 centimeters, respectively. The colours follow the same placement as those of the national flag: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow and red.

The Romanian coat of arms^[9] is placed at the center, on the yellow field. In the four corners, at 5 centimeters from the edge, are depicted oak branches surrounding the symbol of the type of military unit that the flag belongs to.

The flag's edges away from the hoist have a border woven of golden thread, 5-7 centimeters wide, and at the two corners on the red colour there are two golden tassels 10-12 centimeters long.

According to the Ministry of Defense documentation,^[10] each military unit uses a different version of the Battle Flag as its official flag. Each type of flag differs as follows:

The name of the unit is inscribed on the hoist ornament, under the golden eagle.
The symbols on all four corners mark the type of military unit:^[11]
1. Two crossed golden swords (tip up) for the Land Forces;
2. A golden anchor for the Naval Forces;
3. Two wings, a helix, a rocket, a canon, and a radar (all golden) for the Air Forces;
4. A combination of the above, for the General Staff.

[edit] Army identification flags

As of December 1, 2005, there is an identification flag for each section of the Romanian Army: General Staff, Land Forces, Air Forces and Naval Forces.

Each such flag uses only one field colour: yellow for the General Staff, red for the Land Forces, light blue for the Air Forces, dark blue for the Naval Forces.^[12] They bear the respective coat of arms as an emblem, four symmetrically displayed golden five-pointed stars under it, and the symbol of the type of unit in the four corners (without the oak branches found on the battle flag).

The other side of these flags depicts Saint George, Saint Mary and Saint Ilie, the protectors of the Army's units (Land, Navy and Air Forces, respectively) and their name in golden letters, except for the General Staff flag, which depicts only the three Saints.^[13]

It is not clear when these kind of flags are used as opposed to the Battle Flag. Supposedly, they are intended for indoor use during specific ceremonies.^[14]

Ratio: 2:3
Romanian General Staff

Ratio: 2:3
Romanian Land Forces

Ratio: 2:3
Romanian Air Forces

Ratio: 2:3
Romanian Naval Forces

[edit] Miscellaneous flags

The official flag of any ship, be it civilian or military, is the national flag, not the Battle Flag.

There are several other types of military flags, such as rank flags, Coastguard flag, Naval Jack.

There's also the Flag of The President, apparently used only when the President of Romania is on board a ship, in particular circumstances.^[15]

Any military unit may at some point, due to a special reason, receive its own special flag by Presidential decree, which would henceforth replace the Battle Flag and remain the same regardless of any subsequent name change of that unit.

[edit] Similar flags

The Romanian flag is almost identical to the otherwise unrelated national flag of Chad. It is also similar to the flag of Moldova and the flag of Andorra, which differ in both ratio and by having coats of arms.

[edit] Flag of Moldova

Flag of Moldova

(obverse side, for comparison)

Historically, Moldova was a part of the Principality of Moldavia, which was later split, and became again part of Greater Romania, fully, in 1918.

Annexed by the Soviet Union under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, during 1940–1941 and 1945–1991 it was known as the Moldavian SSR and was forced to adopt a Soviet flag.

Upon declaring its independence on 27 August 1991, the Republic of Moldova chose a flag having the same colours as the Romanian flag but with a ratio of 1:2 in width to length, and the Moldovan coat of arms (also very similar to that of Romania) in the center of the obverse side.

[edit] Flag of Chad

Flag of Chad (for comparison)

Expert references (such as the Album des Pavillons (2000) book) state that the Romanian flag and the Flag of Chad differ slightly in the shade of the blue colour, with the Romanian colour being lighter: Pantone 280c instead of the Chadian 281c.

There has been occasional media controversy regarding the similarity between the post-1989 Romanian flag and the flag of Chad, since neither of them uses a coat of arms and are indeed almost identical. The most recent story dates from April 2004 and was created over a rumoured Chad contestation of the Romanian flag. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs settled it by stating^[16] that the Romanian flag had been registered with WIPO since 1997 and that no contestation had occurred in the legal 12-month period following the registration. In order to avoid future confusion with other flags, it has been suggested that the Romanian Coat of Arms be included in the centre of the Romanian flag, but no official action has been taken as of yet.

[edit] Flag of Andorra

Flag of Andorra (for comparison)

The Romanian flag is also similar to the unrelated flag of Andorra.

[edit] References and bibliography

^ Law no. 75 (in Romanian) (in English) passed on July 16th, 1994, defines the flag size and colours and establishes rules of use.
^ Album des Pavillons (2000): very highly regarded vexillological reference
^ Romanian section at Flags of the World
^ CMYK to RGB conversion formula
^ Web colors
^ Law no. 96 passed on May 20, 1998 (in Romanian) declares June 26 as the Flag Day.
^ Full description of the Romanian Battle Flag (in Romanian).
^ FIAV flag information codes as detailed at Flags of the World.
^ Full description of the Romanian coat of arms (in Romanian).
^ Ministry of Defense traditions involving military insignia (in Romanian).
^ Romanian military units coats of arms
^ Picture showing the four army identification flags during the National Day ceremony.
^ Picture showing the reverse side of the four Army identification flags.
^ Picture showing the four Army identification flags used during a military ceremony.
^ Flags of the Armed Forces overview at "Flags of the World".
^ "'Identical flag' causes flap in Romania" (BBC News article).

Flag history overview (in Romanian), from the site of the Romanian Presidency.
The Perfect Romanian Flag: research of the colours and size of the flag, can be used for creating digital representations.

[edit] See also

v • d • e

This article is part of the Romanian heraldry series

Coat of arms of Romania
Flag of Romania
Coat of arms of Bucharest
History of Romania