Symbols of the Republic of Macedonia
Encyclopedia
After the independence of the Republic of Macedonia
from Yugoslavia
, the country made some changes in the national symbols. The flag was changed two times and today's flag includes an eight ray sun on a red background, while the coat of arms from the SR Macedonia stayed the same except the red star was removed.
The flag of the Republic of Macedonia depicts a stylised yellow sun on a red field, with eight broadening rays extending from the centre to the edge of the field. It was created by Pr. Miroslav Grčev
and was adopted on 5 October 1995 after a one-year economic blockade imposed by Greece
in order to force the Republic of Macedonia to remove the ancient Macedonian
Vergina Sun from the flag. Red and yellow have been considered the main colors representing Macedonia since the end of WWII. The new eight-rayed sun represents "the new sun of Liberty" referred to in the national anthem of the Republic of Macedonia, Denes nad Makedonija
. However a lot of Macedonians consider the Vergina Sun flag as flag of the ethnic Macedonians and the Macedonian diaspora
.
The coat of arms of Macedonia is composed of two curved garlands of sheaves of wheat
, tobacco
leaves and opium poppy
fruits, tied by a ribbon decorated with the embroidery of traditional Macedonian folk motives. In the centre of the ovoid frame are depicted a mountain
, a lake
and a sunrise
. These devices are said to represent "the richness of the country and it's struggle and freedom". The whole composition and design is based with the pattern from the emblem of the SFR Yugoslavia and does not have any roots in the historical heraldic coats of arms of Macedonia. The features of the national emblem contain a rising sun which symbolizes freedom, the Šar Mountains with its peak named Ljuboten
or mount Korab
and the river Vardar
. The emblem also contains poppy fruits; poppy was brought to Macedonia by the Ottoman Empire
in the first half of 19th century.
and the lyrics were written by Vlado Maleski in 1941. It was used by ASNOM and later performed as a popular song of the Macedonians during the time of Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a part of Yugoslavia. Later the song was officially adopted to be the anthem of the independent Macedonia.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, the country made some changes in the national symbols. The flag was changed two times and today's flag includes an eight ray sun on a red background, while the coat of arms from the SR Macedonia stayed the same except the red star was removed.
National flag
Miroslav Grcev
Miroslav Grčev is a Macedonian architect, graphic designer and caricaturist. He is known for having designed the current flag of the Republic of Macedonia and a popular proposal for a new coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.He started interesting in graphic design in the mid 1970s when he...
and was adopted on 5 October 1995 after a one-year economic blockade imposed by Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in order to force the Republic of Macedonia to remove the ancient Macedonian
Ancient Macedonians
The Macedonians originated from inhabitants of the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios...
Vergina Sun from the flag. Red and yellow have been considered the main colors representing Macedonia since the end of WWII. The new eight-rayed sun represents "the new sun of Liberty" referred to in the national anthem of the Republic of Macedonia, Denes nad Makedonija
Denes nad Makedonija
is the national anthem of the Republic of Macedonia. It was composed by Todor Skalovski and the lyrics were written by Vlado Maleski in 1941. It was used by ASNOM and later performed as a popular song of the Macedonians during the time of Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a part of Yugoslavia...
. However a lot of Macedonians consider the Vergina Sun flag as flag of the ethnic Macedonians and the Macedonian diaspora
Macedonian diaspora
The Macedonian diaspora consists of ethnic Macedonian emigrants and their descendants in countries such as Australia, Italy, Germany, Canada, the United States and others. It is a result of historical and modern day emigration. It is claimed that the diaspora numbers over a million people...
.
Coat of arms
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
leaves and opium poppy
Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
fruits, tied by a ribbon decorated with the embroidery of traditional Macedonian folk motives. In the centre of the ovoid frame are depicted a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
and a sunrise
Sunrise
Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight...
. These devices are said to represent "the richness of the country and it's struggle and freedom". The whole composition and design is based with the pattern from the emblem of the SFR Yugoslavia and does not have any roots in the historical heraldic coats of arms of Macedonia. The features of the national emblem contain a rising sun which symbolizes freedom, the Šar Mountains with its peak named Ljuboten
Ljuboten
Ljuboten is a peak of the Šar Mountains located at the border between Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia. Its height is .-Information:Ljuboten peak although not being the highest peak of the range, is certainly the most attractive and bewildering peak of the Sar Mountains. It is somewhat...
or mount Korab
Mount Korab
Mount Korab is the highest mountain of the Republic of Macedonia and Albania, its peak forming a frontier between the two countries...
and the river Vardar
Vardar
The Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of river is ....
. The emblem also contains poppy fruits; poppy was brought to Macedonia by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the first half of 19th century.
National anthem
Denes nad Makedonija (English translation: "Today Over Macedonia") is the national anthem of Macedonia. It was composed by Todor SkalovskiTodor Skalovski
Todor Skalovski was a famous Macedonian composer, chorus and orchestra conductor....
and the lyrics were written by Vlado Maleski in 1941. It was used by ASNOM and later performed as a popular song of the Macedonians during the time of Socialist Republic of Macedonia, a part of Yugoslavia. Later the song was officially adopted to be the anthem of the independent Macedonia.
Unofficial symbols
- Vergina flag (official flag from 1991 to 1995) is a stylized yellow sun centered on a red field with eight main and eight secondary rays emanating from the sun, tapering to a point. The Vergina SunVergina SunThe Vergina Sun — also known as the Star of Vergina, Macedonian star, or Argead Star — is the name given to a symbol of a stylised star or sun with sixteen rays. It was unearthed in 1977 during excavations in Vergina, in the northern Greek region of Macedonia, by archaeologist Manolis Andronikos...
is a 16-ray star covering what appears to be the royal burial larnax of Philip II of MacedonPhilip II of MacedonPhilip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
, discovered in VerginaVerginaVergina is a small town in northern Greece, located in the peripheral unit of Imathia, Central Macedonia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Veroia, of which it is a municipal unit...
, Greece, and it is believed to have been associated with ancient Macedonian kings such as Alexander the Great and Philip II, although it was used as a symbol in GreekGreek artGreek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the ancient period...
art long before the Macedonian period. The symbol was discovered in the present-day Greek region of Macedonia and GreeksGreeksThe Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
regard it as an exclusively Greek symbol. The Vergina sun on a red field was the first flag of the independent Republic of Macedonia, until it was removed from the state flag under an agreement reached between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece in September 1995. The Vergina sun is still used unofficially as a national symbol by the Macedonians and the Macedonian diaspora.
- The Golden Lion first appears in the FojnicaFojnicaFojnica is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located west of the capital Sarajevo. It lies in the valley of the Fojnička River, tributary of the river Bosna...
Armory from 1340. On the coat of arms is a crown, inside a yellow crowned lion is depicted standing rampant, on a red background. On the bottom enclosed in a red and yellow border is written "Macedonia". The use of the lion to represent "Macedonia" was continued in foreign heraldic collections throughout the 15th to 18th centuries. The lion was also used in the 19th century by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. After Macedonia proclaimed independence, a proposal by Miroslav Grčev was put forward in 1992 to replace the current coat of arms with this golden lion on a red shield, but was not approved. However, modern versions of this historical lion has been added to the emblem of several political parties, organizations and sports clubs in Macedonia and with the Macedonian diaspora.