希臘國旗的意義

希臘自古便昃民主政治體制;開啟歐洲文化先河的希臘, 自西元前4世紀起便一直受他國的統治, 1830年脫離土耳其而獨立, 成為近代化國家. 國旗中藍色代表海洋, 白色代表天空, 十字象徵基督教信仰; 藍與白的9條條紋是取自希臘語 自由或死 的9個音節而來.

此外, 希臘尚有一種 陸旗, 也就是藍底上有一個白色十字架, 現在的國旗稱為海旗. 在1969年代, 希臘是以海旗為正式國旗; 1975年改用陸旗 , 但是到了 1978年2月又再正式改用海旗為正式國旗.



圖片參考：http://www.globalflag.idv.tw/dq/grc.gif




國旗解說
國旗左上用了十字架，表示希臘人信仰基督教，十九世紀希臘人反抗土耳其統治時即使用了十字的旗幟。藍色與白色是以前王族徽章的顏色，藍色代表天空與大海，白色象徵純潔與和平。藍白相間的條紋共有九條，來自獨立戰爭的口號「不自由毋寧死」的希臘語有九個音節。
愛琴海諸島既是神靈的故鄉，也是世間凡人的度假勝地，鐘情於「跳島」的游客絡繹不絕。與希臘國旗一樣，愛琴海只有兩種顏色：湛藍的海與天，純白的雲與房子

希臘〈希臘語：Ελληνική Δημοκρατία〉，歐羅巴洲之一國也。地處巴爾幹半島南，北臨保加利亞、馬其頓，東接土耳其，南濱地中海，都雅典，據地十三萬一千九百五十七公里，民約一千一百二十四萬四千餘人。
希臘之史悠久，為西洋文明之祖，公元前即有眾多城邦，抵波斯，入埃及，盛極一時。公元前一六八年服於羅馬帝國，後為拜占庭帝國，都君士坦丁堡，一四五三年都陷，奧斯曼帝國占希臘，至一八二一年方完，國復立。

圖片參考：http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/COA_of_Greece.svg/100px-COA_of_Greece.svg.png
國徽：希臘國徽線條簡樸流暢，充分體現了人民對基督的忠誠，以及 對和平的熱愛。希臘國徽的圖案是綠色橄欖枝環繞著一枚藍地白 十字盾徽。藍、白兩色是代表希臘國家的色彩，象征天水之間的這 塊凈土。希臘人把橄欖視為和平與智慧的象征，傳說油椰欖是希臘人最崇拜的智慧女神雅典娜所種植，而根據《圣經.舊約全書》所言，橄欖枝連同鴿子是平安、友好、和平的使者。

The meaning of the pattern and colours of the Greek flag helps to understand the inner word of the Greek people. Flags have been used since the Revolution of the Greek Nation against the Ottoman Empire, in 25th March 1821. The founders of the modern Greek state choose this pattern and colours to express themselves. The National Flag of Greece appears on the top of the page. Although it is difficult to unreveal the true intentions of the people responsible for the selection of the pattern and colours of the flag an interpretation give us a best approach.

The number of the lines is based on the number of the syllables in the Greek phrase: "Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος" (Ε-λευ-θε-ρί-α ή Θά-να-τος / E-leu-the-ri-a H Tha-na-tos), which means "Freedom or Death". Freedom or Death was the motto during the years of the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. According to another interpretation the number of lines reflects the number of letters in the Greek word for Freedom which equals 9. This word stirred the heart of the oppressed Greeks, it created intense emotions and inspired them to fight and gain their freedom after approximately 400 years of slavery.

The line pattern resembles the wavy sea that surrounds the shores of Greece. The interchange of blue and white colours makes the Hellenic Flag on a windy day to look like the sea that surrounds the land. Only the quaint islands are missing!

The square Cross that rests on the upper left-side of the flag and occupies one fourth of the total area demonstrates the respect and the devotion the Greek people have for the Orthodox Church and signifies the important role of Christianity in the formation of the modern Hellenic Nation. During the dark years of the Ottoman rule, the Orthodox Church helped the enslaved Greeks to retain their cultural characteristics: the Greek language, to continue the Byzantine culture, which itself was a continuation of the Hellenistic culture which in turn was based on the classical Greek culture, and generally the Greek ethnic identity, by the institution of the Crypha Scholia (hidden (night) schools). The Crypha Scholia were a web of schools that operated secretly throughout Greece and were committed in transmitting to the Greeks the wonders of their ancestors and the rest of their cultural heritage. Today, Christianity is still the dominant religion among Greeks with about 98% of them following the Eastern Christian Orthodox Faith. For 2000 years!!!. Therefore the existence of the Cross is justified.

The two colours, blue and white, symbolizes the blue colour of the sea that surrounds the land and the whiteness of the restless Greeks waves. According to the mythic legends, the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite emerged from these waves. In addition, it reflects the blue of the Greek sky and the white of the few clouds that travel in it. According to another interpretation the blue and white symbolizes the similar colours of the clothing (vrakes) of the Greek sailors during the Greek War of Independence.