Flag of Georgia (country)

The flag of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს სახელმწიფო დროშა, romanized: sakartvelos sakhelmts'ipo drosha), also known as the Five-Cross Flag (ხუთჯვრიანი დროშა, khutjvriani drosha), is one of the national symbols of Georgia. This beautiful flag has a rich history, dating back to the time of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia. It features a white background with a red cross in the center, and four smaller red crosses in each corner.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, people in Georgia began to remember and celebrate their history again. This led to the flag being brought back as the official flag of the country in 2004. Today, the flag stands as a proud symbol of Georgia’s past, present, and future.

History

The current flag of Georgia was first used by people who loved their country after Georgia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the late 1990s, many people recognized this design as an important historical flag of Georgia.

In 1999, many Georgians, including important leaders of the Georgian Orthodox Church, wanted to bring back this flag. But the leader at the time, Eduard Shevardnadze, did not agree. Later, in the early 2000s, the main opposition party, the United National Movement led by Mikheil Saakashvili, used the flag as a symbol of hope and change during the Rose Revolution.

Finally, the flag was officially adopted by Parliament on January 14, 2004. President Saakashvili approved it soon after. January 14 is now celebrated each year as Flag Day in Georgia. In 2021, an old coin from the time of King David IV was found, showing a design very similar to Georgia’s flag today.

Design

The flag of Georgia has five crosses. Some people think they stand for the Five Holy Wounds, while others see them as representing Christ and the Four Evangelists. The flag is a white rectangle with a big red cross in the middle that touches all four edges. In each corner, there are four smaller crosses called bolnur-katskhuri, also known as the Georgian Cross or the Grapevine cross, and they are the same red color as the big cross.

Military flags

Military groups in Georgia have their own special flags and signs. These include flags for the Georgian Armed Forces, the Georgian Coast Guard, and standards for the Minister of Defence and the Chief of General Staff.

Previous flags

See also: List of flags of Georgia (country)

Early Georgian states

The first Georgian flag was used by the early Georgian state, the Principality of Iberia. It had a red cross on a white background, much like the flag of England. The Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti used the same design.

Medieval Georgian flags

During medieval times, Georgia had many different flags. King Vakhtang I used a white flag with a single red cross. Queen Tamar used a flag with a dark red cross and a star on white. Some flags from this time showed a large cross with smaller crosses in each corner.

After the collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia

After the Kingdom of Georgia broke apart, different regions like the Principality of Mingrelia, the Principality of Samtskhe, the Kingdom of Kakheti, and the Kingdom of Imereti each had their own flags.

Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)

From 1918 to 1921, Georgia was an independent country called the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Its flag had a dark red background with black and white bands in the top-left corner. This design was chosen through a contest and won by painter Iakob Nikoladze. The Soviet Union later took over Georgia and changed the flag.

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1991)

Main article: Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

During Soviet rule, Georgia used several versions of the red Soviet flag. These flags included the name of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, a red hammer and sickle with a star, and a blue sun and bar. In 1990, just before Georgia left the Soviet Union, the government changed the flag back to the one from 1918 to 1921.

Georgia (1991–2004)

The flag from 1918 to 1921 was brought back in 1991 when Georgia became a country again. But many people did not like this flag because it reminded them of a difficult time after the Soviet Union fell apart. The colors had meanings: the wine-red stood for good times past and future, the black was for Russian rule, and the white was for hope for peace. This flag was later replaced by Georgia's current flag after the Rose Revolution. Some supporters of former president Zviad Gamsakhurdia still use this flag today.