Macedonia

Republika Makedonija, Republic of Macedonia, FYROM

Last modified: 1997-09-03 by alessio bragadini
Keywords: macedonia | makedonija | fyrom | former yugoslav republic of macedonia | balkans | europe | sun | eight | sixteen |
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• Old Flag of Macedonia
• Proposals for the Flag of Macedonia
• Change of the National Symbols
• Party flags
• Macedonian flag law

See also:

• Prefecture of Thessaloniki, or "Greek Macedonia"
• CIA World factbook for information about Macedonia

Flag of Macedonia in 1992

This is the flag addopted at independance - red with golden 'Vergina' sun.
zeljko heimer

Proposals for the Flag of Macedonia

The above is the Macedonian flag as originally designed. Due to political pressured, the government of the Republic of Macedonia has proposed to eliminate the blue in the center - of which are present in this image nonetheless, for completeness.
sacha shopov

"Flagmaster" of the Flag Institute Bulletin, # 080, 1995 has an article concerning the flag of Macedonia, and a design suggested by that institute. It appears to be horozontally divided, red over blue, surmounted overall by a gold or white spread-wing double-headed eagle and three sixpointed stars arrainged in the spaces between the wings and necks and between the two necks. The report also states that a group of parliamentarians will form a committe to look over entries submitted some three years ago.

bruce ward 01-MAR-1996

Change of the National Symbols

I found in rec.culture.europe a FAQ about Macedonia written according the greek point of view. Greece protests the use of "greek" symbols and names made by Macedonian Government. Among these controversial symbols there is the device (like a sun) which appears in the middle of Macedonian flag. Here is how the author describes its origin:

2) Why does Greece object to the use of the `Vergina Sun' on the FYROM flag?

The Vergina Sun, the emblem of Philip's dynasty, symbolizes the birth of our nation. It was the first time (4th century BCE) that the Greek mainland (city-states and kingdoms) with the same language, culture, and religion were united against the enemies of Asia in one league. At the same time the fractured Greek world grew conscious of its unity. And, in this sense, we have never been apart since then. The `Sun' was excavated in Greece in 1978, and it is sacred to us.

Most of the above claims are of course highly controversial. This emblem was found on tomb 2 at Kutlush (to give Vergina its pre ethnically cleansed name). However there is no agreement that this is the tomb of Philip II nor that this emblem (which appears with a variety of numbers of arms) was either the dynastic emblem of the Argeads (the ruling house ofMacedonia) or of the country itself. The emblem isn't specifically Greek or Macedonian - it is found in the Near East thousands of years before it turns up in Europe and ironically features as a decoartive motif on one of the reliefs of Persian Immortal Guardsman found at Darius' palace at Susa.
andy t. fear

From LIMES 3/95, an Italian review of geopolitics, here's a piece of the interview to Kiro Gligorov, President of FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), about the national flag:

LIMES: In the quarrel with Greece, what's more important: the name of the State (that Greece wants to cointain no reference to "Macedonia") or the flag (Greece does not like it because it contains the Vergina sun, a symbol related to Alexander the Great) ?
GLIGOROV: The name of the State.
LIMES: Therefore you are ready to change the flag.
GLIGOROV: We can try to make an agreement on anything but the name of the State.

Still from the same source, here's a strophe from the FYROM anthem, takne from a school text entitled "Mojata Tatkovina Republika Makedonija" (My homeland, hte Republic of Macedonia):

"Today on Macedonia rises
 a new sun of freedom.
 The Macedons figth
 for their rights.
 Again waves the flag
 of the Republic of Krushevo,
 Goce Delchev, Pitu Guli,
 Dame Gruev, Sandanski."

The coat-of-arms is described in this way:

"The coat-of-arms is composed by a double bent garland of ears of wheat, tobacco and poppy, tied by a ribbon with the pattern of a traditional costume. In the centre of such a circural room there are mountains, rivers, lakes and the sun; where the ears join there's a red five-pointed star. All this represents'the richness of our country, the struggle and the freedom'".

OMRI reported on 14. September that an agreement has been signed between Greece and Macedonia: 'Greece recognizes Macedonia's sovereignty and will lift its embargo, while Macedonia will change its flag and amend its constitution to stress that it has no claims on Greek territory.' and further: 'Greece and Macedonia have 30 days to implement these measures, and the agreement will remain in effect for seven years or until a definitive accord is signed.'
I guess this means we will have a new Macedonian flag within a month.
jan oskar engene 15-SEP-95

My bet is on it being a gold lion rampart surmounted with a crown on a red field - this imagery was very much in evidence as a sort of prototype national emblem when I visited Macedonia in 1989.
stuart notholt 15-SEP-95

It was announced on 13 September that Greece and Macedonia have signed an agreement whereby Macedonia will change its flag and its name (despite the proviso made by Kiro Gligorov in the interview relayed by Giuseppe Bottasini on 28 August last. In this Gligorov said he was ready to change the flag and would 'try to make an agreement on anything but the name of the state').
Under the agreement Macedonia is recognised by Greece as 'The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' but will have to find a new name that does not include the word 'Macedonia.' The 'Star of Vergina' will have to be removed from the flag.
In return Greece will lift its economic embargo and allow Macedonia to develop ties with the European Union, and use the port of Salonika.
The field is open here for keen vexillographers to send in designs for a new flag. Send your designs to the Ministry of Information, 91000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
By the way, the coat of arms described in Giuseppe's despatch was that of the 'former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia' , ie the one in use before secession. But letters from Macedonia still use it, so maybe they haven't yet designed a new one.
william crampton 16-SEP-95

For the record, here is the relevant bit of the interim agreement between Greece and Macedonia in which Macedonia agrees to give up its flag:

Article 7, Paragraph 2:

Upon entry into force of this Interim Accord, the Party of the Second Part [Macedonia] shall cease to use in any way the symbol in all its forms displayed on its national flag prior to such entry into force.

My understanding is that although Macedonia has been forced into changing her flag by Greece's illegal blockade she won't change her name, and that this issue has been left outstanding.
a.t. fear 18-SEP-95

I picked the following text related to the Macedonian to-be-flag on MAK-NEWS 20/09/95 (M.I.L.S. - MACEDONIAN INFORMATION AND LIAISON SERVICE):

TWO OPTIONS FOR NEW FLAG
Today's Nova Makedonija writes that the Republic of Macedonia will have a new national flag as soon as on October 5, when the parliament session on the issue is to take place. The paper states two options for the flag, both having red color as a background and a golden-yellow symbol as a central figure. The first solution for the symbol would be a rising or setting half-sun, while the second will be a sun with rays going horizontally, vertically or diagonally across the flag.
The paper also finds out that parties included in Parliament are already discussing the possible look of the new flag.

MP'S TO SUGGEST NEW FLAG?
(Vecer, 20 September 1995)
Sources close to the Macedonian Parliament presidency say that next Thursday or Friday, a procedure is to begin at Parliament to adopt a new flag. In a package along with the flag, MP's will discuss about the already forgotten law on a national coat-of-arms.
The dynamics of activities at the session has not yet been precisely determined, but the procedure will be designed so that it is completed before the 30-day dead line, agreed on in last week's agreement Macedonia signed with Greece in New York.
As days are numbered, the 16-sun-rays flag that represented Macedonia since August 1992 will be replaced in a short procedure. Meaning, the proposal to pass a new law on the flag, as a first stage, will be presented at the same time with the definite version of the suggested law, which is a third stage. In this way, MP's will skip over the usual practice to debate over a draft law. Thus shortened, the procedure will enable MP's to get the entire matter completed in a single day. Under the current procedural regulations, however, a parliament session cannot be scheduled before 15 days pass after the procedure has been started.
As far as the procedure goes, there are announcements that Government will not be the one to come up with a suggested solution, but the proposal is to come from a group of parliamentarians. The intention is to have a group of MP's consisted of all deputy groups. The suggestion will first of all be discussed by the Constitutional Commission and will then be proceeded to Parliament. Another option is to have the parliament signatories proposing a solution determined by the Constitutional Commission.
The basis for deciding on the new flag, sources inform, will be the suggestions that were chosen during the open competition of three years ago, when independent national symbols were designed for the first time. The following six ideas were then bought out: "MAKO" by Dimko Krstevski, "Phoenix 92" by Kostadin Tancev, "5222" by Branko Kostovski, "A-OPULSI 68" by Ilija Spasovski, "Makedonija 992" by Aco Mitrevski and "08002" by Milivoj Gruevski.
Over 100 ideas entered the competition in 1992, with the red and golden-yellow colors as predominating features in common. The most frequently suggested symbol was the sun, drawn in all kinds of stylized shapes. Upon a proposal of the jury, the Constitutional Commission members voted by a majority of votes in favor of the suggested red flag with a many-rayed sun in the middle. It is these two elements that have led many spectators to believe the new flag will also have red color as a basic one and again a golden sun as a center symbol, only this time in quite a different shape than the current one. Some even point out to three suggestions as the most serious candidates.
The opening of the procedure for replacement of the national flag will also be used to decide on a national coat-of-arms. The previous parliament failed to provide the required 80 votes in favor to adopt this symbol. The matter then stopped at an argument between the Constitutional Commission and the VMRO-DPMNE parliamentarian group. The Commission's suggestion was to have a golden many-rayed sun in the middle (an application of its suggestion for the flag), whereas the VMRO-DPMNE deputies insisted on a lion as a central figure! Neither suggestion was given the necessary two-thirds majority of votes and the issue was dropped and left for better times in the future.
It should be pointed out here, however, that SDSM parliament deputy Nikola Popovski did initiate a procedure on the coat- of-arms as early as last spring. His idea was to keep the old coat-of-arms but without the five-pointed star. Some say that his suggestion will be in the race along with the most successful ideas of the 1992 open competition. Unofficial sources even say that the new flag symbol will also appear on the national coat-of-arms.

NEW FLAG - GOLDEN SUN ON RED BASE
As A1 TV informs, calling on its sources, the new symbol on the Macedonian flag most probably will be a sun with eight sunrays on a red base. Meantime, there are two possible variants for the flag, actually the length of the sunrays. Proposers of the new symbol are a group of delegates of the election coalition "Alliance for Macedonia" and that their number may be over 80 parliamentarians.

To return to flags the latest National Geographic has a good piece on macedonia and starts with a picture of an supporter of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party waving that party's flag. It's red with the top half of the 'sun' of the old Macedonia flag with the party's initials in cyrillic interspersed among the rays and below there's a figure of eight type shield with the outline of a gold lion rampant. I don't know if other political parties in macedonia have flags but this one makes a nice addition to this end of vexillology.

bruce ward 01-MAR-1996