Estonian flag
The colors of the Estonian flag embody national ideas. Estonians have always believed in a happy future for their people and have strived for freedom. The flag consists of the following colors: blue, black and white, which was originally chosen by the Estonian youth for their student union. Then, in 1881, young intellectuals believed that it was these colors that reflected devotion to the national idea and symbolized the people and the Estonian land..
The blue color personified the sky over the native land, its lakes and sea bays. Black in this case symbolized devotion to the homeland, despite age-old troubles and foreign rule, as well as the color of the Estonian national costume. White color reflected the faith of a hardworking and pure people in human happiness, a decent life, a bright future.
On May 23, and according to the new style on June 4, 1884, the blue-black-white flag was first consecrated by the pastor in the Otepää branch. Until that time, Estonia had never had its own national flag. According to a unique metaphor, the colors of the tricolor reflect the entire history of the Estonian people: blue spoke of the independence of the people in antiquity, black symbolized the loss of freedom, and white promised a return to independence. People who have national dignity always strive for independence.
Much of the history of the Estonian people has been marred by foreign invasions and seizures of power. Not surprisingly, the Estonian flag has a black stripe in the tricolor. In the 13th century, the crusaders forcibly incorporated the Estonian lands into their order, after the Livonian War, Sweden began to consider the land of the Estonians theirs. And when Russia defeated Sweden in the Northern War, it turned Estonia into its province. At the end of the 19th century, when the idea of the colors of the flag was born, Estonia, like other Baltic states - Finland and Poland, was under the rule of the Russian Tsar. Of course, at that time, Estonian patriots could not help but dream of sovereignty for their homeland..
The Estonian National Army fought the War of Independence 1918-1920. under the banners of the blue-black-white banner, believing that these are the best colors for the Flag of Independence. The moment the flag was hoisted over the tallest tower in Tallinn, this tower, called Long Hermann, became a symbol of independence for every Estonian, and the national flag flying on it symbolized the rule of the free Estonian people. On June 27, 1922, the Estonian Parliament legislated the blue-black-white flag as the flag of an independent state.
When Estonia became one of the fifteen Soviet republics, the national flag was banned and a red flag fluttered on the tower of Long Hermann. For fifty years, the blue-black-white flag was banned, but today Estonia is a sovereign state and is proud of its flag and its history.
