Self-identification - this is what at one time singled out a person from the animal world, made him special and put him at the head of modern reality. The definition of oneself as a person or a person belonging to a class, or, for example, holding certain beliefs, led to the realization of the need to express one's "specialness", which has found a variety of incarnations around the world.
Types of self-determination
The trend to distinguish oneself from the crowd was essentially started almost in the Stone Age - with the advent of the need to distinguish between territory, prey or members of various communities. Different color schemes used when drawing a special pattern on the body spoke of belonging to one or another tribal organization. Over time, other phenomena began to play a similar role: specific weaving of hair, special amulets, unique clothes, tattoos, rings on the neck, or, for example, earlobes stretched in a special way. Some African tribes living far from civilization still have preserved traditions that began in ancient times.
The more common way of identification at the moment are flags. Each country, county or region has its own heraldry, and any football fan will be able to identify their favorite team by its flag.
Meaning of flags
Colored pieces of canvas, used since ancient times as a kind of markers, are not only a way to indicate involvement in a particular family, country, team or social movement. This is the easiest way to transmit information, invented by mankind.
The flag of each noble family previously flaunted certain symbols, pictures, with the help of which even the most illiterate person could learn basic information about the family. Rudiments of this phenomenon are preserved in the flags of countries. The blue and yellow flag of Ukraine, for example, conveys information about the numerous fields of the country, located mainly in the steppe zone. Fifty stars on the American flag convey information about the number of states, and thirteen horizontal stripes - about the British colonies that later formed the United States.
Any drawings, symbols and color schemes are extremely important in such cases. The now famous rainbow flag is no exception.
Modern interpretation
Our world tends to twist something to match the events that take place. This fate did not bypass the rainbow flag. If a global social survey were conducted to determine the meaning of this symbol, the vast majority would indicate a connection with sexual minorities.
Rainbow flag today has really become a way of identifying people who have resorted to gender reassignment surgery and those who are gay. It can often be found in the respective parades or as an accessory that emphasizes the wearer's features.
Thus, the rainbow flag today is clearly associated among people with the LGBT community, and in most of the globe it does not cause either bewilderment or discontent.
Roots in antiquity
It is quite obvious that the coloring of this symbol was borrowed from the surrounding nature, namely from such a phenomenon as a rainbow, familiar to mankind from time immemorial and described not only in the Bible, but also in all kinds of surviving pagan treatises.
For many nations, the rainbow remains today a symbol of transformation, rebirth and proximity to the divine principle. For the Bunshu during the Peasants' War, the rainbow flag signified hope, change, and a brighter future. And the famous German reformer Thomas Müntzer identified the seven-color emblem with the symbol of the Eternal Divine Union.
The rainbow flag, whose meaning was constantly changing, obeying the spirit of the times, has experienced many transformations and transformations.
Peace to the world
The meaning of this symbol, more familiar to modern mankind, was determined in the early sixties of the twentieth century. If you ask any representative of that era what the rainbow flag means, he will answer,that this is a sign of striving for peace and tranquility. In its current form, this banner was created by the famous Italian pacifist Aldo Capitini.
The value established then remains to this day, the confirmation of which took place in 2003, during the war in Iraq. At that time, every Italian could tell with confidence what the rainbow flag meant: seven-color emblems were then hung on almost every balcony as a call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Feature of the "world flag"
It is noteworthy that during this period the colors on the canvas were arranged in the reverse order - from purple to red, and the emblems themselves adorned the corresponding inscriptions: Pace, Peace, Paix or Shalom, which literally translated as "Peace".
Hippie Legacy
Representatives of this subculture, although they used the rainbow flag, the peace movement did not consider it the only purpose. It's no secret that hippies were absolute pacifists, but in their minds, the seven-color emblem symbolized friendliness, love, and tolerance.
By and large, today's sexual minorities borrowed this interpretation, making the rainbow flag their emblem. Nevertheless, the seven-color banners underwent a certain transformation: first, an eighth color, pink, was added to the usual colors, and then the number of shades was reduced to six (blue and the previously addedpink).
