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Red and white Posted by on Mar 18, 2011 in Culture

Some people are confused with the Polish flag. Sometimes they see it only with red and white, sometimes white eagle appears on it as well. So I decided to explain it in today’s blog.

The official Polish flag for general use consists simply of two horizontal fields of equal size, with the top one white and the bottom one red. The flag that features Poland’s white eagle set against a red shield on the white field is known as a “bandera” (ship’s flag or ensign). According to Polish flag tradition, it is meant to be flown by Polish ships at sea and by Polish diplomatic missions and other official institutions abroad.  

Many Polish Americans, however, consider the eagle flag more distinctive and prefer it to fly from flag posts or display it at various functions.

The colors of red and white began appearing on banners and flags in the 17th century, although they were still not the official national colors. The SEYM (assembly) introduced Polish national colors in 1831, but they were officially recognized as state colors until Poland regained her independence in 1919, when the white and red flag was first flown. Polish institutions and offices abroad and airports, harbors and merchant vessels fly the flag with the national emblem.

Poland’s official crest is a white eagle with golden beak and talons, its head poised to the right, and set against a red shield. The eagle first appeared on coins minted in the 12th century and subsequently on the heraldic seals of the Piast dynasty. Toward the end of the 13th century, during the reign of Przemyslaw II, the Polish eagle was depicted with a crown.

Over the years, the Polish Eagle became a symbol recognized throughout the world. It is seen on flags, in Polish publications, on Polish American specialty items, and products imported from Poland.

Hopefully now this is clear.

Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)

 

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About the Author: Kasia

My name is Kasia Scontsas. I grew near Lublin, Poland and moved to Warsaw to study International Business. I have passion for languages: any languages! Currently I live in New Hampshire. I enjoy skiing, kayaking, biking and paddle boarding. My husband speaks a little Polish, but our daughters are fluent in it! I wanted to make sure that they can communicate with their Polish relatives in our native language. Teaching them Polish since they were born was the best thing I could have given them! I have been writing about learning Polish language and culture for Transparent Language’s Polish Blog since 2010.


Comments:

  1. sarunia:

    dzień dobry,
    już przepraszam za blędy.
    Zawsze kolega mnie mowił że kolory na fladze są simboły krew i śnieg…
    czy to żart? czy to prawda?
    dziekuję za blog, jest superczekawy i interesujące 🙂

  2. Alfonso Czaplinski:

    Olá amigos e irmãos poloneses!Paz seja com todos:Gostaria de agradecer pelas mensagens
    de apoio para o estudo da linguagem polonesa. Estou tentanto relembrar-me do ensino de meus pais e avós em meu tempo de roça.Era a nossa linguagem de casa. Abraços a todos, seu amigo e irmão; Nasze ludie!