MOSCOW, (RIA Novosti commentator Anatoly Korolyov) - For the first 500 years of its existence, Russia did not have a coat of arms, or a national flag or anthem.
In the middle ages, instead of a flag, the prince's troops carried a miraculous icon, and before embarking on a campaign or going into battle, the men would usually pray in front of the holy image. When St. Sergi Radonezhsky blessed Prince Dmitry Donsky before the decisive battle with the Tatars, he entrusted the Russian victory to the Virgin Mary.
Holy figures were also depicted on pennants and banners. An image of Christ featured most often. The banner served as a mythical protector or amulet and was called upon to protect the troops with the blessing of the divine power.
Orthodox crosses were sewn on to the banners carried by archers. Mythological creatures, such as griffons, centaurs and unicorns, were depicted on the banners carried by Peter the Great's first foreign regiments. Each regiment had its own mythical beast.
Uncertainty surrounds the origin of the national Russian flag, but the first traditional flag is generally dated to the reign of Peter the Great's father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The Tsar introduced a tricolor flag, the white, blue and red flag that we know today. The flag was designed for use by the Russian Caspian Fleet. It allowed Russian ships to be distinguished from the Arab and Turkish ships that also sailed in the Caspian Sea. A flag with three stripes was chosen because it was identifiable from long distances. At this time, the tricolor was essentially a signal flag and its colors did not hold particular significance.
Peter the Great adopted this flag in memory of his father. The new tsar wanted to be able to distinguish Russian ships from those of other nations at times of war, and it was with this aim that the flag began to signify statehood. When a ship flew a flag on its mast it signaled that the European norms of civilized war were to be observed: it indicated that the ship belonged to a sovereign state and that the ship itself was to be considered part of the territory of that state.
The Russian word for "flag" is the same as the English word, and derives from the Dutch name for the worsted pure wool fabric "Flagtukh" which due to its durability was used to make naval flags.
In his efforts to turn Russia into a civilized part of Europe, Peter the Great quickly approved several flags for the Russian navy and army. During his reign, a great many flags appeared. Almost every Life Guard Regiment had its own flags. For example, in 1700, the Preobrazhensky Regiment carried 16 standards. However, the symbolic meaning of these military flags was limited.
The tsar was concerned that there was still no national flag. In 1699, out of hundreds of different flags, Peter selected the white, blue and red flag that was usually flown by merchant ships. In so doing, he chose a flag that symbolized goodwill, neighborliness and peace. He correctly judged that it would have been highly inappropriate to choose a military standard as the national flag of Russia.
By now, the colors of the flag had definite symbolic meaning. The Russian national flag was a rectangular flag with three horizontal colored bands: white, blue and red. White represents nobility and duty and is the color of purity. Blue represented loyalty and chastity and was the color of love. Red represented courage and magnanimity and was the color of strength.
Experts in symbolism and mystical interpretation see a deeper meaning in the colors. They see white as symbolizing the rapid passing of time, blue as representing truth, and red as being the color of resurrection. Taken together, the colors signify rule over the Earthly Kingdom in the name of divine truth. The Russian national flag is the symbol of a messianic state, which considers the pursuit of good and truth its national calling. Russian history supports this interpretation of the symbolism of the colors of the flag.
Nicholas I changed the colors of the tricolor introduced by Peter the Great to black, yellow and red. He wanted the flag to share the colors of the Russian coat of arms. The new imperial flag depicted a black double-headed eagle against the golden background of the French shield. On the breast of the heraldic bird was the red coat of arms of Moscow. However, Alexander III restored the previous flag and the white, blue and red tricolor served as the Russian national flag right up until the 1917 revolution.
Following the Bolshevik revolution, the imperial flag and coat of arms were abolished, but the idea of the messianic state persevered. The red flag of the Soviet Union drew on the symbolism of the French revolution, when red signified the blood shed for the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. In the USSR the red color took on an additional meaning: it symbolized the rising sun.
On August 22, 1991, (following the attempted coup by the State Committee for the State of Emergency) a Supreme Soviet resolution on the national flag of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic) restored the imperial tricolor. A presidential decree confirmed this decision and declared 22 August Russian National Flag Day.
The symbolic meaning of the tricolor has changed slightly. White is seen to be the color of moral purity, the Christian faith and eternity. Blue is the color of truth and the Mother of God, the protector of Russia, the Virgin. Red is the color of strength and life. Taken together, the flag represents the eternal Virgin and the Giver of Life.
And so it could be said that the Russian flag is a kind of abstract icon that depicts, through the symbolism of color, the Mother of God holding the infant Christ.
The Russian flag is one of the flags of the world that declare the supremacy of faith over the state. Other such flags include those of Islamic states, where the color green and the crescent moon represent faith in Allah and his prophet Mohamed. The primary meaning of the star and stripes of the American flag is the unity of all the American states, the creation of a union for the sake of the common ideal of freedom.
Those who are well versed in the symbolism of flags see the row of flags outside the UN headquarters as representing the eternal competition and struggle between nations, ideals and national ambitions. Every country's national flag says something about the beliefs and desires of its people.
Under a special article of the Russian Criminal Code, it is a crime to deliberately damage, or even worse, destroy the flag.
For important state occasions attended by leading politicians, the Russian flag is normally raised to the accompaniment of the national anthem. This ceremony signifies the greatness of the state and speaks of its history.
