Flag of the Székelys
Use | Civil |
---|---|
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | 17 January 2004 |
Design | Azure rectangular flag with a golden horizontal band on its middle and a golden "sun-star" and a silver crescent moon at its upper left corner |
Designed by | Ádám Kónya |
The flag of the Székelys (Hungarian: Székely zászló; Romanian: Drapelul secuilor) is the flag used by the ethnic Hungarian Székely community of Romania. It is a blue flag with a golden strip and a "sun-star" and crescent moon, both perceived as ancient Székely symbols. Being designed by Ádám Kónya, the Szekler National Council adopted it in 2004 and is since then a symbol for the Székely people. The Romanian authorities have imposed some restrictions on under which conditions may the flag be displayed, which has allegedly fostered its popularity.
It is argued that both the symbols of the flag and its colors are traditional symbols of the Székelys. Regarding the latter, there is no fixed evidence, but the crescent moon and sun have been used since at least the 15th century in
Design
The flag of the Székelys was designed by Ádám Kónya and officially adopted in 2004. It is a blue rectangular flag with a ratio of 2:3. The azure (blue) background is cut by a horizontal golden bar in a 2:1:2 ratio. On the side of the flagpole within the upper blue bar is an eight-pointed golden star and a silver crescent moon.[1]
According to Kónya's original description of the flag, the eight-pointed "sun-star" symbolizes the eight historical
It has been claimed that the colors of the flag, blue and golden, were used in military flags of the Prince of Transylvania Moses Székely and that the blue and golden colors used in the coat of arms of the Maros-Torda County are proof of the colors' antiquity as Székely symbols, but this is not confirmed. Also, Moses Székely's flag was not blue and golden, but blue and white.[3]
Experts have also criticized that the sun represented in the Székely flag does not comply with
Red-black version
There also is another unofficial version of the Székely flag known by some people as the "old" or "battle flag" of the Székelys. In reality, this version has no historical precedent, as it was created in the second half of the 20th century in the area of Csíkszék using the basic colors of the typical Székely female folk costume as a "revolt" against the Romanian authorities. Today, it is mainly used by the people of Csíkszék, with some mistakenly considering it an old, traditional Székely flag.[5][6]
The black-and-red version is used by the Székely's World Alliance, registered in the
History
First Székely symbols and military flags
One of the oldest Székely symbols is a 15th-century coat of arms consisting on an
Possibly,
Before the 21st century, there was not any uniform flag for the Székelys. Until 1876, each Székely seat used its own symbols as an independent political unit, and then up to the
Modern flag
In 2003, the Szekler National Council was established. It adopted the blue and golden Székely flag and coat of arms by Ádám Kónya, based on old Székely emblems, as its own symbols.[2][5]
As this council is the main advocate of the
On the following years, the Székely flag would start to appear on several public buildings and also on Székely populated places such as Ciumani (Gyergyócsomafalva) in 2005, in Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy) in 2009, and other ones posteriorly.[11] The Romanian authorities responded to this with numerous final judgments issued since 2013, according to which the Székely symbols must be removed from all public buildings and spaces, including in their interior.[12][13][14] To strengthen this, a new law was adopted in 2015, which further restricted the use of Székely flags.[13]
According to some, the popularity and significance of the Székely flag can be attributed to a certain extent to the persecution and campaign against it of the Romanian authorities.[4][6] According to the Hungarian journalist Levente Balogh, "if they did not start a campaign against it, not many people apart from its inventor would be interested on it. In this way, however, it has also been burned into the minds of those who have little to do with the Székelys anyway, and today it is seen everywhere as a minority symbol persecuted by chauvinist authorities".[15]
It is also used in some places of Hungary. In fact, it started to be hoisted on the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest on 15 February 2013, as well as on several municipal buildings in the country.[16]
See also
References
- ^ "Határozat a Romániában élő magyar közösség nemzeti szimbólumairól (RMDSZ kongresszus)". Erdély.ma (in Hungarian). 23 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Kertész, Melinda (22 February 2013). "Mi is az a székely zászló?". Transindex (in Hungarian).
- ^ a b "Székely jelképek? - I. rész". Krónika (in Hungarian). 2 April 2010.
- ^ a b Makkay, József (25 August 2017). "A székely zászlóról szakértői szemmel". Erdélyi Napló (in Hungarian).
- ^ a b c d Izsák, Balázs (30 April 2010). "A székely jelképekről hitelesen – Kónya Ádám emlékére". Krónika (in Hungarian).
- ^ a b Farkas, Imola (19 October 2010). "A piros–fekete új divat". Székely Hírmondó (in Hungarian).
- ^ "Nyitóoldal" (in Hungarian). Székely's World Alliance. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Bálint, Kinga Katalin (5 March 2014). "Székely kokárdát is kitűzhetünk". Székelyhon.ro (in Hungarian).
- ^ Vass, Enikő (12 December 2001). "Tiltott Romániában az idegen zászló és himnusz". Index (in Hungarian).
- ^ Makkay, József (4 February 2019). "A székely nem revíziót, "csak" autonómiát akar – az SZNT folytatná a Székelyföldhöz csatlakozást kimondó határozatok elfogadását". Krónika (in Hungarian).
- ^ Wodianer-Nemessuri, Zoltán (13 June 2016). "Történelmünk a vádlottak padján". Magyar Idők (in Hungarian).
- ^ Bíró, Blanka (22 September 2013). "Folytatódnak a zászlóperek Háromszéken". Krónika (in Hungarian).
- ^ a b Kádár, Hanga; Csaba, Nánó (18 February 2017). "Az üldözött székely zászló". Erdélyi Napló (in Hungarian).
- ^ Pálinkás, István (25 February 2019). "Egy zászló eltávolítása több ezer kitűzött zászló lobogását eredményezi". DUOL (in Hungarian).
- ^ Balogh, Levente (13 December 2015). "Székely bicska a román trikolóron". Főtér (in Hungarian).
- ^ "Kitűzték a székely zászlót a Parlamentre". Origo (in Hungarian). 15 February 2013.