In the sixteenth century, Spain was one of the richest and greatest states on the entire planet. Not surprisingly, the Spanish flag (pictures below) could be seen in almost any corner of the globe. The national symbol of the country in its present form was first introduced in 1785. Since that time, a tradition has arisen in Spain to raise a standard with a coat of arms above all buildings and institutions of national importance.
general description
By itself, the Spanish flag is a rectangular cloth that consists of three horizontal stripes. The upper and lower are red and the middle is golden yellow. The width of the extreme stripes is one quarter of the total. As for the central strip, it accounts for the remaining half of the entire width.
The national emblem of the country must be applied to the Spanish flag (the photo above is a confirmation of this). It is located in the middle lane a little to the left of the center. It should be noted that on the coat of arms you can see an image symbolizing the various regions of the state, as well as the kingdoms that were part of it. In the course of history, it changed from time to time, however, the combination of colors that is used on the canvas now, as a rule, remained unchanged.
Legend of the appearance
Among the inhabitants of the country there is a legend that the Spanish flag was once introduced by the king, whose name was Aragon. The ruler wanted to have his own banner and reviewed a number of options. In the end, he settled on one of the projects proposed to him. It was a banner depicting a heraldic field painted in golden color. Dipping two fingers in a goblet with the blood of animals, Aragon drew two red stripes along the edges. This, according to most modern scholars, is the symbolism of the Spanish national banner.
Official story
As mentioned above, before Spain was one of the most powerful states. At that time, there was no question of such a concept as the Spanish flag and coat of arms, since each of the many kingdoms that were part of it had its own symbolism. Initially, the modern, red-yellow, color scheme was chosen by King Carlos the Third Bourbon, who used this banner on the ships of his fleet. The fact is that the white flag that was in effect at that time (with the Bourbon emblem applied) was very easy to confuse with the standards of warships of other countries.
In 1843, Queen Isabella of the Second Banner was granted official status. During the Second Spanish Republic, starting in 1931, a strip of purple appeared in the design of the national symbol. Thus, the Spanish flag consisted of three lines of the same size. However, this did not last long. In 1936, after the end of the civil war in the country, the flag of familiar colors, only with the image of an eagle, became the state symbol. Finally, the republic (and, consequently, the previous banner) was finished in 1939, after the military rebellion of General Franco. 1978 was marked by the adoption of the Constitution of Spain. From this moment on, the red-yellow flag with the coat of arms officially became the state symbol of the country.
Symbolism of the coat of arms
It has already been noted above that the national emblem is applied to the yellow strip, a little to the left of the center. It is a kind of alliance of symbols of states that were part of the Kingdom during the Middle Ages. In particular, Leon is usually associated with a lion, Navarre with chains, Aragon with four red stripes on a golden background. Pomegranate symbolizes Andalusia. This is due to the fact that he was the emblem of the Granada emirate - the last Spanish possession in Europe, which professed Islam (during the Reconquista, Christian kings recaptured it). On the oval-shaped shield, you can see three lilies in azure, made in golden color and having a scarlet edging. They are a symbol of the Anjou branch of the Bourbons (the Spanish king belongs to it). The coat of arms is crowned with a crown, which symbolizes the fact that Spain is a hereditary kingdom. The columns on it are the personification of Gibraltar (in the Middle Ages it was called the Heracles pillars), which was previously considered the edge of the world.
National anthem
The national Spanish anthem is no less impressive, both in content and age. It is considered one of the oldest in the whole world. The name of the author has not survived to this day. Along with this, the first memory of him dates back to the end of the eighteenth century, when King Charles the Third was in power. The solemn song was approved by him as a national symbol and was called the “Royal March”. Since then, it has been performed at all Spanish celebrations. The modern arrangement of the anthem was made at the request of Juan Carlos II, the world famous musician Francisco Grau.