The colours of African unity - red, green, yellow - are seen on one of the oldest African flags.
These colours were used for the national flag of Ethiopia in 1897; a year after Ethiopia determinedly defended itself from colonial Italy at the Battle of Adwa.
The flag’s tri-colour scheme was there since the early 19th c. and was formerly the official banner of the Ethiopian Empire’s Solomonic dynasty.
The royal flag often featured the symbol of a Lion of Judah, a crowned lion carrying a cross centred in the banner’s yellow mid-section.
The flag is understood to be a link between:
• the Ethiopian church
• the peoples, and
• the nation were united in the one flag
Whilst red is currently featured at the bottom of the horizontal tricolour this was reversed in the mid 19th century and the emblem was added in 1996.
What the colours symbolise varies depending on point of view. Generally speaking:
• red represents power or African blood spilled in defence of the land
• yellow for peace and harmony between Ethiopia’s various ethnic and religious groups
• green is almost always said to symbolize the land and its fertility
Other African nations, upon their independence from their colonial rulers so often adopted these three colours that they are known as the Pan-African colours.
Earlier to 1996, and to some extent even today, the ‘plain’ flag was commonly seen across the nation and the world.
Formerly, especially during the Derg regime, a number of different emblems were experimented with.
Nevertheless, the basic colour schematic has remained constant. Even the oppressive Derg did not dare to tamper with the colours’ layout. However simply it detached and changed the imperial emblem after Haile Selassie’s overthrow.
An alternative coat of arms featuring a five pointed star and rays over a cogwheel bounded by a wreath of leaves is now the featured emblem.
The star, which is a pentagram, is yellow on a blue disc, which lays on top of the green and red stripes.
The star confirms to Ethiopia’s bright future and possibly echoes the connection with the House of King Solomon, while the yellow rays which it emits are equidistant and are said to represent the equality of all Ethiopians regardless of race, creed, or gender.
Keywords: Ethiopia, flag, Battle of Adwa, Solomonic dynasty,
12 responses so far ↓
1 freank // Mar 15, 2008 at 7:09 pm
this is so cool the website teaches me so much
2 urmum // Jun 10, 2008 at 7:09 am
On the first day God created the Hillbillies
On the second day God created the anmals so the hillbillies could eat
On the third day God created the shotgun so the hillbillies could kill the anmals
On the fourth day God created the dunny so the hillbillies could do little poopies in private
On the fifth day God created the dictionary so the hillbillies could spell hillbillies
On the sixth day God taught the hillbillies how to make more hillbillies
On the seventh day he lounged about with a woman in heaven and guess what happened……………..Jesus appeared
3 kalonie // Dec 17, 2008 at 5:09 pm
wats up ethieopiens
4 Katlin // May 16, 2009 at 9:17 pm
what is the gold and the blue mean?
5 Mawich // Jun 24, 2009 at 12:53 pm
The current Government shouldn’t change the colour the flag
6 King Solomon // Jul 8, 2009 at 5:38 pm
This shows you Ethiopia never has access to sea or ocean. It is a land lock nation and need to accept that like any other nation and leave in peace with nieghbor.
7 courteney // Nov 24, 2009 at 12:23 am
Why are there 2 kinds of flags? Is the flag with the star more commonly used for ethiopia?
8 courteney // Nov 24, 2009 at 12:25 am
Was the flag with the lion used when ethiopia had kings, or did they just recently changed the flag???
9 Maddy_jay // Jan 12, 2010 at 4:59 pm
we should thke all of the skinny african people and stuff their faces with mc donals
10 Yegojamwork // Jan 14, 2010 at 5:51 am
The three colors of Ethiopian flag remain still the whole mark of every citizen of Ethiopia .
11 Ethio_Gurl ;]] // Jan 24, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Wuz up my fellow Ethiopians :]]
12 oshin // Jan 28, 2010 at 10:49 am
Hold this meddi (mediation) Red gold and green we all know Ethiopians Africans should already know that the real and true images the foundation the meaning of the truth is here in Ethiopia, It really could again stand for the true world the foundation for all things, the Lion protected you where is it gone the strength the power now.
Time the boarders are removed . . .
Africa has everything from Food, Gold, Silver, Copper, metals of all kinds, Diamonds, gems of all kinds, Oil, Rubber, Wood, minerals to make micro chips and the things that make the deadly deterrents. We have a rich educated Scientific body of people who just need to bump heads for Humanity Hu meaning BLACK . . . Think about it the white and yellow man the outside world needs us to function to live, who are they living off, tugging and twisting your balls and fucks you up the ass while we die and are killing each other. Its time to recognize reorganize (recocile my brother my sister our true leaders). Cut the strings, tear up the papers that say’s we own them. Time to draw up the African plan with our laws our African one currency one bank we are independent we have everything already . . . Close the gate and become one. China closed their gates and now look at them as a world power, but still 8% of their oil is sucked out from Sudan. Where is the Lion now ? on the English coin . . . think have a free thinking mind and mind! Bless Ethiopians the africans bless each other then bless your self . . . We have our own kings and Queens who can govern rule regulate influence the action . . . take ACTION
p.s Obama is bad news get ready do the research make time for your self
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