| Name | lábaru |
|---|---|
| Use | Civil flag |
| Proportion | n/d |
| Adopted | Unofficial (Fluttered for the first time in a public building on July 21, 2006, in Comillas, Cantabria). |
| Design | Purple cloth on which there is what would be called in heraldry a "saltire voided " made up of curved lines, with knobs at the end of each line. |
The Lábaro is a modern interpretation of an ancient military standard (called Cantabrum) of the Cantabri people from pre-Roman Iberum. It consists of a purple cloth on which there is what would be called in heraldry a "saltire voided " made up of curved lines, with knobs at the end of each line.
Additionally, and according to the definition of the Royal Academy of the Spanish language, Lábaro is the roman standard (as in military ceremonial flag) on which, under Emperor Constantin's rule, the cross and the Monogram of Christ (XP: Chi-Rho) was drawn. By association of ideas, Lábaro can refer just to the monogram itself, or even just the cross.
Etymologically, the word comes from (p)lab- which means to speak in a number of Celtic languages, many of which have derivatives. For example, in Welsh llafar means "speech", "language", "voice". Ancient Cornish and Breton have lavar, "word", and ancient Irish has labrad: "language", "speech".[1]
Today, certain social and political groups in modern Spanish autonomous community of Cantabria advocate the use of this ancient standard instead of the current flag.[2]