The Lithuanian flag consists of the colors yellow, green, and red arranged horizontally with yellow at the top followed by green then red at the bottom. The flag was first used as the Lithuanian national flag in its first independent period in the 20th century, from 1918 to 1940. The flag was abandoned after the Soviet Russia occupied Lithuania from 1940 to 1941 followed by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. During these periods, the use of the Lithuania flag was prohibited. In 1994, three years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Lithuania re-adopted its flag.
The yellow color on the flag of Lithuania symbolizes the sun and the prosperity of the land while the green symbolize the forests, vegetation, liberty, hope, and the countryside in general. The people of Lithuania who lost their lives fighting for the independence of the country are honored by the red color, which symbolizes the blood they shed and the lives they lost. The flag must have the right shades of the colors for it to be officially recognized. The right sheds are made according to the Pantone Matching System.
The flag is often credited to the Lithuanian exiles who lived elsewhere in Europe and the US in the 19th century. The three colors were commonly used in traditional dresses. The red and green colors were selected in a debate during the Vilnius Conference in 1917. The conference hall was decorated with small green and red flags by Antanas Zmuidzinavicius. Tadas suggested that a green color be added between red and yellow. A three-man committee comprising of Antanas, Tadas, and Basanavicius was formed to put all these flag ideas together and come up with a flag. They presented their idea to the Council of Lithuania. Although they included Vytis to the tricolored flag, the 1922 Constitution omitted the court of arm and settled for the current yellow, green, and red flag
Previously, Lithuania had a flag that was used for several centuries. It was red in color, with a white knight riding on a horse. The width to length ratio was 3:5, just like the current flag. The flag was in use since around the beginning of the 15th century to 1918. Originally, it was used as a banner, up to 1905, when Jonas Basanavičius suggested that the banner should be made the national flag. It was, therefore, the national flag from 1905 to 1908. This flag is currently referred to the Lithuanian Historical flag.
This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018
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