Today marks the 400th birthday of the Union Flag. Listening to the radio this morning I was interested to hear that we can call the British flag Union Flag as well as Union Jack. Apparently, it is ok on dry land to say both.
It was 400 years ago today that King James VI of Scotland – James I of England – announced by Royal Proclamation the introduction of what was to become the Union Jack. You can read more about the history and the meaning behind the colours on our website.
In America, you are not allowed to use the national flag as part of any clothing, you can’t hang it on the ceilings and you can’t use it on napkins. In Britain, it is common to see our national flag stamped on anything from bedspreads to items of clothings including underwear. The Union Jack is not something we pay any formal homage to to retain our validity as citizens.
“The Union Jack represents the country as a whole, but also a community of individuals, with shared values and a long and often troubled history. It symbolises our ancient freedoms and traditions; the Crown in Parliament, trial by jury, habeas corpus, the presumption of the innocence and freedon of speech, our defence of the weak and defiance of the mighty.”
George Courtauld author of The Pocket Book of Patriotism.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Happy Birthday, Jack! (Union Flag)
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1 comments:
Just a question about the American flag thing. I mean, I have shirts with the American flag. But we aren’t allowed to let the actual ‘flag’ touch the ground or be torn.
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