Flag of Ethiopia – Colors, Meaning, History ??

As one of the first countries in Africa to adopt Christianity, Ethiopia’s flag is a symbol of their religious beliefs and the sovereignty of the state. The flag was first hoisted on 6th October 1897. Since then, the flag’s design has changed as the country transitioned from an empire to become the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. This flag is a symbol of the country’s deep, rich history and is an icon of the African strength. It is celebrated every 16th of October during Flag Day.

History of the Flag of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world. The country’s history can be traced as far back as 2 millennium BC. Historians note that Ethiopia adopted Christianity around the same time that the Romans did. At around 8th Century BC, the D’mit kingdom formed Ethiopia and distinguished it from Eritrea.

The flag of Ethiopia is tri-colored red, green, and yellow. These colors have a traditional significance to Ethiopians. The three colours have always been displayed long before the adoption of an official flag in 1897. Before the rectangular flag came to use, Ethiopia flew a tricolored pennant. Red was at the top of the flag followed by yellow and green.

Later, Menelik II, the emperor of Ethiopia introduced a rectangular tricolored flag. This flag consisted of red, yellow, and green stripes. At the center of the flag is the first letter of Menelik’s name, written in Amharic. When Menelik died in 1913, his initials were removed from the flag. From 1914 to 1936, the flag had no insignia or initials. However, in 1941, a new flag was adopted. This flag had the imperial coat of arms. It consisted of a lion holding a staff topped by a cross and with a ribbon. The ribbon has the same tricolors as the flag. This coat of arms is known as the ‘conquering lion of Judah.’ It symbolized that Emperor Menelik I was the son of the Biblical Queen Sheba and King Solomon. The lion with the conquering lion of Judah was officiated in November 1932. This was after the coronation of Haile Selassie.

Ethiopia was never colonized. However, the country has been influenced by Islam, Judaism, and Italy. Nonetheless, Italian Ethiopia lasted from 1936 to 1941. The flag consists of green, white and red horizontal stripes. The white line appeared at the center between red and green at the right. The insignia of Italy was at the center of the flag with a crown of the empire at the top. For much of the 20th century, Ethiopia was under the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie. He is attributed with the modernization of Ethiopia from 1916 up until his death in 1930. While Haile Selassie was in power, the flag with the lion of Judah insignia was in use. However, the fight against Italy, particularly, the second Italian Abyssinian War and occupation from 1941-1936 interfered with the use of the Ethiopian flag. Italy sought to reassert their dominance by using their flag.

Although Ethiopia had earlier defeated the Italians in 1896 and attained recognition as a legitimate state by the Europeans, they still had to fight Italian occupation again. Ethiopia joined forces with the British to defeat Italy in 1941. In 1974, Haile Selassie was overthrown, and a militaristic regime took over. This resulted in the adoption of a new flag under the new leader president Mengistu Haile Mariam. The new system was Marxist. As a result, the new flag had Marxist designs, such as a red star, a sheaf of wheat, and rays of light emanating from the star. The insignia also had unique features such as the obelisk of Axum. This represented an earlier Kingdom of Tirge. Included in the emblem were a cogwheel, a ribbon, a spear, and a scepter.

In 1991, a civil war broke out, and Mengistu Haile Mariam was overthrown. The new regime was established under Menelik Zenawi and known as the Federal Democratic Republic. A new flag was adopted, as well. It consisted of a green-yellow-red tricolor with no insignia. On 6th February 1996, a flag with a central blue disk, a yellow outline, and a rayed star was adopted. The star symbolizes the unity of the people of Ethiopia whereas its rays represent prospects of the future. Blue symbolizes peace, red symbolizes the sacrifice for freedom and equality, yellow is a symbol of hope, and the green represents the fertile land of Ethiopia. This flag is in use up to date.

What is the meaning behind the colors of the Flag of Ethiopia?

Colors
After 1996, the flag of Ethiopia was slightly modified and officially launched on 28th August 2009. It consists of the colors green, yellow, and red. Officially, the colors mean:

Green: Development of the country, the fertility of the land and labor
Yellow: Hope and love for the country
Red: strength, and the bloodshed for freedom

Aside from the precise meaning, there are various other interpretations of the flag. Christians of the country associate the colors with the Holy Trinity:

Green represents the Holy Spirit
Yellow represents God the Father
Red represents Jesus, the son of God

Also, the colors symbolize Christian virtues. Green symbolizes hope. Yellow represents peace, natural wealth, love, and the church. Red represents the power of the blood of the Martyrs and members of the faith.

Unofficially the interpretation of the flag associates colors with territories in the country:

Red represents the region of Tigre
Green represents Shewa
Yellow represents Amhara

These colors became Pan African colors. The yellow in the flag is replaced with black in the Pan African flag as a symbol of the Black community.

Emblem
At the center of the flag is a blue circle with a yellow star and rays of light emanating from the star. The blue symbolizes peace and democracy. It is also a symbol of hope, equality, and justice. The star symbolizes the diversity and unity of the people of Ethiopia. The equally long rays of light emanating from the star expresses hope for the future. The ensign in the flag was incorporated after the fall of Marxism.

Shape
The flag of Ethiopia is based on the width to length proportions 1:2. The horizontal green, yellow, and red are equally shaped. According to the constitution of the country, the flag should have the size 210 by 420 cm when hoisted at significant squares. The banner on significant government buildings is 135 by 270cm. The blue disk has a diameter that is ½ the length of the hoist. The circumference of the emblem curves on the midpoint of the width of the red and green stripes. The size of the emblem increased over the years. The symbol is more significant than the emblem of the flag used in 1996.

Interesting Facts about the Flag of Ethiopia

Since 2009, the Parliament of Ethiopia banned flags that did not contain the insignia. However, a plain tricolored version of the flag is considered a civil flag.
The design of the current flag is associated with the designer Abebe Alambo. However, it is not clear whether he designed the original version or simply made the modifications that led to the modern version. He created the flag on 6th February 1996.
The use of the Ethiopian flag without an emblem could land you in jail for one year, or you can pay a fine of up to $214.
The Ethiopian flag inspired the design of the banners of many of the African countries associated with the Pan-African movement. These countries include Senegal, Congo, Cameroon, Togo and Burkina Faso. The flag also influenced countries outside of Africa.
Ethiopia is the oldest independent state in Africa. Their history as a country that fought against colonial intrusion invented the tradition of the strength and unity of Africa. This is why the colors of the flag were adopted in the Pan-African movement and as an anti-colonial symbol.
Originally the tricolor design of the flag was adopted as a sign of the legitimacy of the imperial elite. The religious and political symbolism of the flags gave the monarchy legitimacy over the country and the Orthodox church.
The flag of Ethiopia is popularly associated with the Rastafarian religion. It inspired legendary reggae artists such as Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey and many more.
The flag is believed to represent the rainbow and goes by the name ‘Keste Damena’ or as it is commonly translated ‘the bow of the clouds.’
The word ‘bandira’ which is used to refer to the flag of Ethiopia, was derived from the Italians.
Whereas the colors of the flag are a national symbol, the Bolivians use the same colors during their festivities.
The first flag, pennant, was in use for 25 years. In the initial banner, the green stood for fertility, hope, and prosperity; the yellow stood for gold and religious freedom, whereas the red stood for blood.
In 1958, Eritrea was absorbed into Ethiopia. The flag of Ethiopia was used in Eritrea on 23rd December 1958 up until 1962. At the time, Ethiopians claimed Eritrea as a lost province and sought to unite it with the country. However, Eritreans sought their independence separate from Ethiopia.
The flag is hoisted in schools every morning before classes start and lowered after classes. The hoisting and lowering are done ceremoniously with the students present.
During public holidays, the flag is hoisted on the eve of the holiday and lowered in the morning of the public holiday.
You can spot the flag in any principal government offices, public buildings, and schools.
The country’s National Flag Day falls on the second month of the Ethiopian calendar, Meskerem.