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Ethiopia

changed on 1996-02-06

by Graham Bartram, 1996-07-22

1996 flag
Meaning of the flag
Flag Article from 1994 Draft Constitution
The Lion on the Flag

See also:

1996 Flag

This is the new Ethiopian flag, based on information and a picture from the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC. The circle only just overlaps the top and bottom bands. The pentagram is actually made of five Y-shapes, each rotated 72 degrees around the centre of the star to make the new one.
Graham Bartram, 1996-07-22

This description reminded me on some Ethiopian stamps I have picturing (what I think is) the state's coat of arms. It has a fourteen pointed star and a cog wheel (and something more in the middle). The stamps are (my rough judging) from the early 70's.
     W.Smith shows similar arms in his 'small book' where the star is golden on the blue disc (and cog wheel etc.). He states that the 14-pointed star represents 14 provinces of the state.
     The book is from 1980, so it might be that there were some changes in the design of the arms (Eritrea was then a part of Ethiopia).
     But on the other hand, the 14-pointed star might be inserted in the flag to represent Ethiopian claim on Eritrea.
Zeljko Heimer, 1996-05-31

Meaning of the flag

The green-yellow-red flag appeared in 1897. It was the flag of Ethiopia that became the basis for the panafrican colours. Before the end of the Ethiopian Empire the colours were interpreted as: red for power and faith; yellow for church, peace, natural wealth and love; and green for land and hope. The colours were also interpreted as having a connection to the Holy Trinity, and the three main provinces. At first the flag was used as three separate whimps, and arranged in rectangular shape on 1897-10-06, with red at the top. At some point the order of colours was changed.
Zeljko Heimer, 1995-12-14

Article from 1994 Draft Constitution

Draft constitution of 1994-12-08

Article 3 The Ethiopian flag:

The Ethiopian flag consists of three horizontal bands of equal size, the uppermost green, the middle yellow and the nethermost red.
The National Emblem on the flag shall reflects the equality of the Nations, nationalities, peoples and religions in Ethiopia and their aspirations to live in unity.
Each member state of the Federation may have its own flag and emblem. Particulars shall be determined by their respective parliaments.

Remarks:

I don't know what the Emblem/coat of arms of Ethiopia looks like, so if someone finds it on the web or elsewhere, we could find out if a new flag was adopted. IIRC the flag of Ethiopia after communism was plain green-yellow-red, so with an emblem on it, that makes a new flag.
I read that Ethiopia was a federation and, being in Germany, a federation, I know that all federations in the world have states which have flags of their own. It is clearly mentioned in the constitution that all the Ethiopian states may have flags.
Here are the member states:
Afar
Amhara
Benshangi
Gambella
Harar
Oromia
The Peoples of the South
Somalia
Tigre

Pascal Vagnat, 1996-06-05

The Lion on the Flag

In an atlas that I have from 1969, there is a flag chart, showing the Ethiopian flag with the golden crowned lion. It is reproduced here from the Ethiopia home page at the Abysinnian Cyberspace Gateway. The lion is golden (or orange?) and outlined with black. Since W. Smith claims that the pure green yellow red flag was adopted (reintroduced) in 1941 (although he indicates it as civil flag and ensign), this might be the state's (government) flag.
Zeljko Heimer, 1996-06-12

The North American Vexillological Association met in Trenton, New Jersey a few years ago (1986 IIRC, FOTW member Don Healy was our host) and the son of Haile Selassie (a local resident at that time) was invited to be our guest Dinner Speaker. Mr. Selassie was presented with a very nicely made reproduction of the Ethiopian flag with the Crowned Lion holding the flagstaff with the cross finial on the obverse and St George and the Dragon on the reverse. Mr. Selassie told us about the symbolism of the flag, and he stated that the Cross that the lion carried was a pre-Christian symbol. Since I was highly suspicious of this explanation, I asked him "If the cross on the Ethiopian flag is a Pre-Christian symbol, what does it represent?" Unfortunately I did not get a coherent answer, or at least not one that I could understand. IMHO the cross refers to the Coptic Christians. But that incident in Trenton does serve to remind me of the use of the cross in the Ethiopian flag during the Imperial era.
Nick Artimovich, 1996-06-12

Mr. Selassie may have been confused or it may have been deliberate obfuscation and superstition (which I have occasionally noted in ancient cultures as they seek to legitimize their antiquity). Imperial Ethiopia claimed direct descent from King David of Israel (hence of the Lion of Judah in the flag and in the emperor's title), but these pre-Christian symbols apparently mingled with Christian ones pretty early in the history of the Christian church.
T.F. Mills, 1996-06-12

The State flag was modified after Haile Selassie's overthrow by removing the crown from the lion's head and by changing the Cross finial to a Spear point. This version lasted only a few years until the Socialists took over and radically changed Ethiopia's symbols. But they didn't mess with the basic green/yellow/red flag!
Nick Artimovich, 1996-06-12

The lion is the old emblem of the emperor, and was part of the first Ethiopian flag hoisted on 1897-10-06, but then the order of the colours was red over yellow over green. I don't know when the order was change to the green-yellow-red, but this tricolor without any device was reintroduced in May 1941. AFAIK, the flag remained the same.

However, one should consider that W. Smith states that the pure green-yellow-red flag is used by civilians on land and sea (when his book was issued Ethiopia still included Eritrea and its coast on the Red Sea). He does not mention what kind of flag the government or army uses.
Zeljko Heimer, 1996-06-06