The flag of Belarus
Дзяржаўны сцяг Рэспублікі Беларусь · since 2012
Back to BelarusRed over green in the ratio 2:1, with a red ornament on a white band at the hoist taken from a towel embroidered in 1917. It is the 1951 flag of the Byelorussian SSR without the hammer, sickle and star and with the ornament's colours reversed, adopted after the referendum of 14 May 1995 in place of the white-red-white flag of 1918 and 1991. The opposition disputes the referendum and still flies the white-red-white flag, which the government has banned.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 2012
- Proportion
- 1:2
- Colours
- Earlier flags
- 8
- Designers
- 2
The colours
The colours of the flag of Belarus, in the order it has them
- 0166%
Red
чырвоныUpper stripe and the ornament
- HEX
#CE1720- RGB
206 23 32- CMYK
0 90 100 0- Pantone
1795 C
- 0230.4%
Green
зялёныLower stripe
- HEX
#007C30- RGB
0 124 48- CMYK
93 0 100 0- Pantone
355 C
- 033.5%
White
белыThe hoist band behind the ornament
- HEX
#FFFEFE- RGB
255 254 254
No law gives these codes. HEX and RGB are the colour this site draws the flag in; CMYK, Pantone and RAL are the values most often published for it.
Construction
How the flag is drawn
A red stripe over a green stripe half its height, with a vertical white band at the hoist, one ninth of the length, filled by a red Belarusian ornament.
- Stripes
- Red two thirds of the height, green one third
- Hoist band
- White, one ninth of the length, at the staff
- Ornament
- Red on white, filling the whole band since 2012. From 1995 to 2012 it measured 1/12 of the flag, centred in the white band of 1/9
- Colours
- Red x10 0.553, y10 0.318, Y10 14.8; green x10 0.297, y10 0.481, Y10 29.6; each ± 0.010 and ± 1.0 under CIE illuminant D65
Other forms
- Presidential standard
- The national flag with the national emblem in gold and red, at 5:6. In use since 1997 on buildings and vehicles to show the President's presence.
- Flag of the Armed Forces
- Granted by decree in 2001, at 1:1.7, with the ornament along the hoist, the coat of arms and the words Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus in gold on the front, and a red star in a wreath of oak and laurel on the reverse.
Meaning
What each part stands for
- Red
- Power, courage, honour and energy, according to the presidential website
- Green
- Hope, health, youth, renewal, diligence, creation and natural harmony
- White
- Purity, innocence, accord, wisdom and knowledge
- Ornament
- The centuries-old culture of the nation, and bread, harvest and procreation. Such patterns are woven into the ručnik, the ceremonial towel
Who drew it
- Matrona Markevich
- Peasant from Kostelishche in the Sianno district who embroidered the ornament in 1917
- Nikolai Gusev
- Artist of the 1951 flag of the Byelorussian SSR, on which the present flag is based
History
How the flag of Belarus got here
- 1918
Belarusian People's Republic
1918 → 1919
A white-red-white horizontal flag, later carried by the Slutsk Uprising and other formations of the national movement, and used under the Nazi occupation of 1943 to 1944.
- 1919
Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR
1919 → 1920
A plain red flag.
- 1919
Byelorussian SSR
1919 → 1927
Red with the gold letters SSRB in the upper hoist, set by the first constitution of the republic.
- 1927
BSSR
1927 → 1937
The constitution of 1927 changed the letters to BSSR.
- 1937
Hammer and sickle
1937 → 25 Dec 1951
A hammer and sickle and a red star were placed above the letters, and the proportion was fixed at 1:2 for the first time.
- 1951
The red and green flag
25 Dec 1951 → 19 Sept 1991
Adopted by decree: red for the revolution over green for the forests, with a white-on-red ornament at the hoist and a gold hammer, sickle and star in the upper corner. Mikhail Katsar, Markevich's brother, sat on the commission that created it.
- 1991
White-red-white again
19 Sept 1991 → 7 Jun 1995
After independence the white-red-white flag was restored as the state flag. The government has since banned it, citing its use by wartime collaborators; the opposition, the 2020 to 2021 protests and the diaspora have kept flying it.
- 1995
The referendum flag
7 Jun 1995 → 10 Feb 2012
The 1951 flag without the communist symbols, and with the ornament reversed to red on white, adopted after the referendum of 14 May 1995. The ornament measured 1/12 of the flag, inside a white band of 1/9.
- 2012
The wider ornamentIn use
10 Feb 2012 → today
An amendment to the state standard widened the red ornament to fill the whole white band. Nothing else changed.
The law
What defines it, and who flies it
- 14 May 1995
Referendum
Turnout 64.7%; the new flag was approved by 75.1% to 24.9% of those voting. The opposition disputes the conduct and the legality of the vote.
- 7 June 1995
Presidential Decree No. 214
First describes the flag and its use: red two thirds, green one third, the ornament one ninth of the length, 1:2, on a gold staff.
- 2008
State standard STB 911-2008, National Flag of the Republic of Belarus
Issued by the State Committee for Standardisation. Sets the colours as CIE coordinates and the ornament. An amendment of 2012 widened the ornament to fill the white band.
In use
Flown permanently on the President's residence, both chambers of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, the courts, the prosecutor's offices, the National Bank and local councils and executive bodies
Flown on diplomatic missions, at border checkpoints, on Belarusian-registered sea and river vessels, at military units, at polling stations on election and referendum days, and at sports arenas during championships
Citizens and organisations may use it on public and family holidays and other memorable dates, with due respect
Flown on a staff painted gold, with a diamond-shaped yellow finial holding a five-pointed star
Insulting the flag is a crime under Article 370 of the Criminal Code
The Day of the National Emblem and Flag falls on the second Sunday of May
Coat of arms
The arms of Belarus
