National Flag Day of Russia

Dear colleagues! We congratulate you on the Day of the National Flag of Russia! On August 22, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decided to consider the historical flag of Russia - "a panel of equal horizontal white, azure, and scarlet stripes" - as the official national flag of Russia. The Russian tricolor has a more than 300-year history. The white-blue-red flag appeared at the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries, was first raised on the first Russian warship "Eagle" under Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. But the tricolor became known under his son Peter I, who himself drew a sample, determining the order of horizontal stripes, and ordered to raise the white-blue-red flag on all merchant ships. Until the XIX century, the tricolor practically did not go beyond the fleet, and on land it was used in connection with the geographical discoveries of Russian navigators. When the Russian expedition explored the coast of Southern Sakhalin, two flags were raised on the shore-the St. Andrew's flag celebrated the merit of the navy, the state white-blue — red flag-a new possession of Russia. On the eve of the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896, our modern tricolor was approved as the national flag. Officially, the colors were interpreted as follows: red meant "sovereignty", blue — the color of the Mother of God, under the cover of which Russia is located, white — the color of freedom and independence. These colors also meant the commonwealth of White, Small and Great Russia. In Soviet Russia, for more than 70 years, the national flag was a red banner with a hammer and sickle. Now, after the return of the tricolor, a different interpretation is most often unofficially used: white means peace, purity, purity, perfection; blue is the color of faith and loyalty, constancy; red symbolizes energy, strength, blood shed for the Fatherland.