Flag of the Netherlands
Proportion | 2:3 (not formalised by law)[1] |
---|---|
Adopted | 1575 (first full colour depiction)[2] 1596 (red replacement for orange)[3][4] 1937 (red reaffirmed)[5] 1949 (colours standardised)[6] |
Design | A horizontal triband of red (bright vermilion), white, and cobalt blue |
Marine Geus or Prinsengeus Naval jack | |
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | Late 17th c. (in use)[8] 20 April 1931 (formalised) |
Design | 12 segments in the national colours of red (bright vermilion), white, and cobalt blue |
coat of arms of the Kingdom, surrounded by a crown and the insignia of the Military Order of William . |
The
Description
The
Scheme | Red | White | Blue |
---|---|---|---|
Chromatic | X=18.3 Y=10.0 Z=3.0 | Y=100.0 | X=7.5 Y=6.6 Z=25.3 |
CMYK | 0.83.78.32 | 0.0.0.0 | 77.47.0.48 |
RGB | (173,29,37) | (255,255,255) | (30,71,133) |
Hexadecimal
|
#AD1D25 | #FFFFFF | #1E4785 |
RAL | 2002 | 9010 | 5013 |
In this definition, the colors are defined using
The Dutch flag is almost identical to that of Luxembourg, except that it is shorter and its red and blue stripes are a darker shade.[18] The similarity of the two flags has given rise to a national debate to change the flag of Luxembourg, initiated by Michel Wolter in 2006.[19]
Symbolism
Each band of colour in the Dutch flag holds some symbolism for the country. The red band symbolizes bravery, strength, valor, and hardiness; the white band, peace and honesty; and the blue band represents vigilance, truth, loyalty, perseverance, and justice.[20]
Another theory as to why the Dutch flag has these colours is because some researchers claim that they used to be a symbol of society: red symbolises the people, white the church and blue the nobility.[21]
History
Middle Ages
At the end of the 15th century, when the majority of the Netherlands provinces were united under the
Prince's Flag
In 1568 provinces of the
The colour combination of orange, white, and blue is commonly considered the first Dutch flag.
Statenvlag
Red as replacement for orange appeared as early as 1596, but more often after about 1630, as indicated by paintings of that time. Red gradually replaced orange (1630–60) as a sign of political change and growing dissociation of the Republic from the House of Orange.
The red-white-blue triband flag as used in the 17th century is said to have influenced the designs of both the seminal
Flag of the Batavian Republic
With the
Modern flag
In 1813, the Netherlands regained its independence and the Prince of Orange returned from exile and contemporary newspapers report that the red-white-blue flag was flown decorated with an orange Pennon/pennant and solid‐coloured orange flags were displayed in many places in the country as a sign of allegiance of the people to the House of Orange.[2]
Just before the outbreak of World War II, the Prince's Flag resurfaced again. Some people were convinced that orange, white, and blue were the true colours of the Dutch flag, particularly members of the
It was only on 16 August 1949 that the exact colour parameters were defined by the Ministry of the Navy[14] as bright vermilion (red), white and cobalt blue. The pennant is usually added on King's Day (Dutch: Koningsdag, 27 April) or other festive occasions related to the Royal Family.
Display and use
The flag is customarily flown at government buildings and military bases in the Netherlands and abroad all year round. Private use is more uncommon. Only on national holidays is there widespread private use. At the birthdays or weddings of specific members of the Royal House, an orange pennant is added to the flag. There are special non-holiday festivities or remembrance occasions when the flag is flown, such as at the homes of students who have just graduated. The flag is then often accompanied by the graduate's school bag hung from the tip of the flagpole. The flag can also be displayed at times of sadness at half-mast (or a black pennant is added to the flag when hanging at half-mast is not possible) as a sign of respect or national mourning.
There are a number of flag flying days in the Netherlands. The holidays on which flags are put out by the government, according to the flag instruction, are:
Date | Occasion | Half-mast? | Orange pennant? |
---|---|---|---|
31 January (1 February) | Birthday of Princess Beatrix | No | Yes |
27 April (26 April) | Koningsdag (King's Day), birthday of King Willem-Alexander | No | Yes |
4 May | Remembrance of the Dead (flags are put out at 18:00 until sunset, which is at ca. 21:10) | Yes | No |
5 May | Liberation Day | No | No |
17 May (18 May) | Birthday of Queen Máxima | No | Yes |
Last Saturday of June | Veterans' Day | No | No |
15 August (16 August) | Formal end of World War II (surrender of Japan) | No | No |
Third Tuesday of September | Prinsjesdag (only in The Hague) | No | No |
7 December (8 December) | Birthday of the Princess of Orange | No | Yes |
15 December (16 December) | Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day) | No | No |
The dates mentioned in parentheses are the dates when the flags are put out, should the original scheduled flag day fall on a Sunday, when possible. Exceptions are Remembrance of the Dead and Liberation Day, should one of them fall on a Sunday, the flags are put out anyway.
The
When a member of the Dutch Royal House is born, the flag instruction will be determined some weeks before the child is expected. In the most recent occasions – in 2003, 2005 and 2007, when Princess Máxima was expecting Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane respectively, it was announced that immediately upon announcement of the birth, the flags would be put out with the orange pennant. However, because Amalia and Ariane were born while darkness already fell (and Amalia was born on a Sunday), the flag day was postponed until the next day.
Flags of current countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Flag of Aruba
The national flag of
Flag of Curaçao
The flag of Curaçao is a blue field with a horizontal yellow stripe slightly below the midline and two white, five-pointed stars in the canton. The blue symbolises the sea and sky (the bottom and top blue sections, respectively) divided by a yellow stroke representing the bright sun which bathes the island. The two stars represent Curaçao and Klein Curaçao, but also 'Love & Happiness'. The five points on each star symbolise the five continents from which Curaçao's people come.
Flag of Sint Maarten
The flag of Sint Maarten is the national flag of the Dutch part of Saint Martin island, which is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was adopted on 13 June 1985. It resembles the war flag of the Philippines.
Flags of former countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Suriname
The pre-independence flag of
Netherlands Antilles
Within the flag of the Netherlands Antilles there were five stars that symbolise the five islands that made up the country. While the colours red, white and blue refer to the flag of the Netherlands. A six-star version was used until 1986 when Aruba became its own country within the Kingdom. This original version was adopted on 19 November 1959. This flag fell into disuse when the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved on 10 October 2010. The islands of Sint Maarten and Curaçao obtained their separate country status within the Kingdom and the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are now overseas entities of the Netherlands.
Flags of former colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
-
Flag of the Dutch East India Company
-
Flag of the Dutch West India Company
-
Flag used by the Dutch West India Company in Dutch Brazil
Dutch West India Company
New Holland (Brazil)
The flag of Dutch Brazil, or New Holland, also known as the flag of Dutch Brazil, was the flag used by the Vereenigde West-Indische Compagnie (English: Dutch West India Company) for the territories that were under its control in Brazil from 1630 until 1654.
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes in the colours of the flag of the
New Netherland (United States)
The orange-white-blue Prince's Flag directly inspired historical and modern day flags in the former Dutch colony of New Netherland in what is today the East Coast of the United States. The colony of New Netherland used the Statenvlag of the Dutch Republic, and was one of the territories under control of the Dutch West India Company. The flag of New York City, originally called New Amsterdam, was designed after the Prince's Flag. Furthermore, the flags of other counties, cities, and institutions in this region are designed after the Prince's Flag, such as Albany (originally Beverwijck), Schenectady County, New York, and Jersey City.
-
Flag ofSchenectady County
-
Flag of Albany, New York
-
Flag of The Bronx
-
Flag of Ulster County, New York
-
Flag of New York City
-
Flag of Manhattan
-
Flag of the mayor of New York City
-
Flag of the New York City Council
-
Flag of Jersey City, New Jersey
-
Flag of Westchester County, New York
-
Flag of Nassau County, New York
-
Flag of Sussex County, Delaware
-
Flag of Hofstra University
-
Flag of Brooklyn, New York. Not inspired by the Dutch flag but contains the Old-Dutch words "Een Draght Maekt Maght" (Dutch: Eendracht maakt macht, English: Unity makes strength), a motto was originally used by the Dutch Republic.
Dutch East India Company
Netherlands East Indies
For the majority of the existence of the
The flag of the Netherlands has been said to be the origin of the
Netherlands New Guinea
The Morning Star flag (
South Africa
The flag of the
-
Flag of Nieuwe Republiek
-
Flag of Klein Vrystaat
-
Flag of the South African Republic (Transvaal)
-
Flag of Griqualand East
-
Flag of Republic of Swellendam
-
Republic of Graaff-Reinet
-
Flag ofUtrecht Republic
-
Lydenburg Republic
-
Flag of Orania
As the Prince's Flag was the first created
Dutch flag-inspired
The modern red-white-blue Dutch flag is the oldest tricolour flag in use, and directly inspired these historical and modern day flags:
-
Flag of the Netherlands, as reference
-
Marine Geus (Naval Jack)
-
Hesse-Nassau
-
Flag of Nimba County
-
Flag of Labuan
-
Flag of Johor Bahru
- The design of the French flag was adopted after the French Revolution, where the revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped red-white-blue flag of the Netherlands.[12][11]
- The flag of Hesse-Nassau is identical to that of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal house originates from the Duchy of Nassau.
- The flag of Nimba County, Liberia similar to the Dutch flag, superimposed with Liberian flag in the canton.
- The flag of Labuan and flag of Johor Bahru in Malaysia similar to the Dutch flag, with a crescent and star in the center.
- The flag of Chin National Front in Myanmar similar to the Dutch flag, with two hornbills in the center.
Pan-Slavic colours
The Russian flag in turn is believed to have influenced many flags of other Slavic countries, resulting in many red-white-blue styled tribands in other parts of Europe.
-
Flag of Russia, as reference
-
Flag of Yugoslavia (1918–1941)
Prince's Flag-inspired
The orange-white-blue Prince's Flag directly inspired many historical and modern day flags. Especially flags in the former colonies of New Netherland and South Africa are designed after this flag. See the flags in the former colonies section above for more examples.
-
Prince's Flag, as reference
-
Variant on the Prince's Flag
-
Naval jack Brielse Geus
-
Flag of New York City
-
Flag of Orania
Cross of Burgundy-inspired
-
Cross of Burgundy, as reference
- The flag of Shanghai Municipal Council in Shanghai International Settlement included multiple flags to symbolize the countries have participated in the creation and management of this enclave in the Chinese city of Shanghai. The Dutch flag was put along with old Swedish civil ensign (spread vertically), the Austrian flag and old Spanish merchant ensign at the lower shield, and all of them were upside down.
See also
- Flags of provinces of the Netherlands
- List of Dutch flags
- Flags of the Dutch royal family
- Dutch national flag problem
References
- ^ "Neerlandia. Jaargang 61". dbnl (in Dutch). Neerlandia. 1957. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Poels, Jos (August 2011). "The Orange Pennant: The Dutch Response to a Flag Dilemma" (PDF). Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Vexillology, Washington, D.C., USA: 888.
- ISBN 9781438108322.
- ISBN 9781405338615.
- ^ "Flag of the Netherlands". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "Bijlage H Maten en categorieën vlaggen Koninklijke Marine". Overheid (Dutch Government) (in Dutch). Appendix H, chapter 2. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum. Archived from the originalon 14 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ Ham, Willem van (2016). "De Prinsengeus: een vlag voor de boeg" (PDF). Vlag! (19): 19. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Europe: Netherlands — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. CIA. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Worthington, Daryl (17 October 2016). "Why Are So Many Flags Red, White and Blue?". New Historian. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-1134066964.
- ^ a b "Flags That Look Alike | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
- ^ a b Poels, Jos (August 2011). "The Orange Pennant: The Dutch Response to a Flag Dilemma" (PDF). Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Vexillology, Washington, D.C.: 892.
- ^ a b "Ceremonieel & protocol – Ministeriële- en Defensie publicaties". Overheid (Dutch Government) (in Dutch). Appendix H, section 2. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "Flags of the World (2006)". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ NEN 3055
- ^ "Ceremonial and protocol – Ministry of Defense". Overheid (Dutch Government) (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Flag of the Netherlands". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Change the Luxembourg flag?". luxtimes.lu. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Dutch Flag". Vexillology Matters. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Margriet, Redactie (27 April 2021). "Dít is de verklaring van de kleuren van de Nederlandse vlag". Margriet (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b Jean Rey, Histoire du drapeau, des couleurs et des insignes de la Monarchie française vol. 2, 1837, p. 515.
- ^ Jean Rey, Histoire du drapeau, des couleurs et des insignes de la Monarchie française vol. 2, 1837, p. 516.
- ^ "Ontwerp, postzegels Nederland 1972 Nederlandse vlag – Geheugen van Nederland". www.geheugenvannederland.nl. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9781134066964.
- ^ JC de Jonge, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandse zeewesen, deel 1. 's Gravenhage, 1833, p. 75.
- ^ C. de Waard, "De Nederlandsche vlag" in: Het Vaderland (1900).
- ISBN 9781465543110. Greenway, H. D. S. (19 August 2014). Foreign Correspondent: A Memoir. Simon and Schuster. p. 228.ISBN 9781476761329.
- ISBN 9780874369571.
- ^ Poels, Jos (28 April 2000). "Rood-wit-blauw of oranje boven". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Wilhelmina en De Minister van Staat, Minister van Koloniën, Voorzitter van den Raad van Ministers (19 februari 1937): Koninklijk Besluit nr. 93, Zell am See.
- ^ ANP-bericht 24 februari 1937
- ^ Indonesian flags at Flags of the World Retrieved on 27 May 2011.
- ISBN 9781134066964. Retrieved 29 January 2019.