Part of the territory of modern Macedonia many centuries ago was glorified by its king - the great ruler and commander Alexander the Great.
Historical Brief
For many centuries the Macedonian lands were conquered by other peoples: Serbs, Greeks, and Turks… Turkish domination. At the same time, the Bucharest Peace Treaty was concluded, according to which the territory of Macedonia was divided into three parts, which were distributed between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria.
In 1929, Vardar Macedonia became part of the Yugoslav Kingdom, which was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) a few decades later. The collapse of the SFRY was the beginning of a new history of Macedonia, which became an independent state, which now bore name "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
Flag of Macedonia: from socialism to independence
The history of the national flag as a symbol of the country had severalinteresting twists. The original version was created at a time when Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia. The flag of the Republic of Macedonia was red, and in the corner (near the staff) there was a golden five-pointed star, which is a symbol of socialism.
The first modifications were associated with the recognition of the independence of Macedonia. At the same time, the red canvas of the flag and the position of the star in the corner remained the same. But the star itself, having ceased to carry the socialist appeal, began to have 16 ends. And in the middle there were horizontal stripes of black color. There were three.
There was another option that caused a lot of disputes and conflicts with the Greek side. The fact is that Greece also had a province with the same name - Macedonia (this is part of the lands that were given to Greece under the Bucharest Treaty). The flag of Macedonia as a state, which at that time they wanted to approve, was very similar to the flag of the Greek province. They differed only in the color of the canvas, which was blue in Greece and red in Macedonia. Everything else was identical. In both cases, a golden sixteen-pointed star was located in the center. The Greek government also explained its protest by the fact that this symbol (the Vergina star) actually existed in ancient Greece. What archaeological excavations prove. On the territory of modern Greece, such a star was found on the tomb of one of the ancient rulers. It is for these reasons that the Republic of Macedonia was refused by the UN. The government urgently had to create a new flag, which now flies on the flagpoles of the sovereignMacedonia.
Description of the flag of Macedonia
The flag of Macedonia is a classic rectangle. The fabric is bright red. In the center is a yellow disc with a diameter of 1/7 of the length of the flag. The rays departing from it are directed in different directions and reach almost to the edges of the canvas. There are 8 rays on the flag in total. The disc and the rays are a kind of sun, symbolizing freedom. In the text of the anthem there is also a mention of the new sun, which shows the flag of Macedonia. A photo of the state symbol is posted below. This is the modern version.
The flag of Macedonia was approved on October 5, 1995. The relevant information is contained in the Decree of the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.
Coat of arms: a return to basics
In total, there were two main versions of the coat of arms in the history of Macedonia. The first reflects historical traditions: a red shield is crowned with a golden crown, and inside is a lion with an unusual forked tail. The earliest references to such a coat of arms date back to the beginning of the 20th century.
It is known that on December 31, 1946, the government adopted another draft coat of arms. It depicted the sun rising over a mountain near a lake. This composition was framed with a wreath. It contained ears of wheat, stems of tobacco and poppy, tied with a ribbon, the lower part of which was decorated with a traditional pattern. At the top was a five-pointed red star. And in 2009, the star was removed from the coat of arms.
Now many states have returnedto its historical symbols, including Macedonia. The flag and coat of arms are made in yellow.
The modern coat of arms differs from the original one in that the 5 prongs of the crown above the shield now symbolize the sovereignty and statehood of Macedonia. And the lion remained in its original form.
