2. National symbols

Nowadays the UK is personified under the name “Britannia”, as a helmeted woman seated on a globe with one arm on a shield and grasping a spear with her free hand.

The national flag is Union Jack. It was set up in 1801 after the last of three Acts of Union. Union Jack presents of combination of colours and crosses reflecting the peculiarities of the existing at that time national flags of England, Scotland and Ireland. The name, the colours and crosses symbolize the united parts of the country. Union Jack comprises three crosses.

The red upright cross on the white field is St. George’s Cross – the patron saint of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back to the city of Silene on a lead like dog. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April. Saint George is also the patron of Germany, Portugal and Greece.

The diagonal white cross on the blue field is St. Andrew Cross – the patron of Scotland. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of St. Andrew often showed him being killed on X-shaped cross. St. Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30 November. He is the patron of Russian also.

The red diagonal cross on the white field is St. Patrick’s Cross – the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity and is supposed to have got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March.

The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, started a number of monasteries in the country. Paintings of St. David normally show him with the dove on his shoulder. His relics are now in Saint David’s Cathedral in Wales. Saint David’s day is celebrated on 1 March.

The national anthem is the oldest in the world, established in 1745 and based on a song of the 17th century. The beginning of it runs as follows:

God save our gracious Queen,

God save our noble Queen, God Save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious

Long to reign over us,

God Save the Queen!

Besides the Union Jack there is the Royal Standard – Royal personal flag.

National emblems are: the red rose – of England; the thistle – of Scotland; the leek – of Wales; the shamrock – of Ireland.

The red rose became the emblem of England after the war of roses (1455 – 1485) which was the war of the dynasties for the English throne. All rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII Tudor (the Lancastrian whose emblem was the red rose) with Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV (the Yorkist whose emblem was the white rose). The red rose has since become the national emblem of England.

The thistle, the national emblem of Scotland, was chosen as such because it saved the country from the enemy. This is what the legend says about it. In ancient times the Norsemen raided the east coast of Scotland intending to plunder it and settle the country. The Scots took their stations behind the river Tay, the largest in Scotland. Not expecting the enemy before the next day and being weary and tired after a long march they pitched their camp and were resting. The Norsemen saw that no guards protected the camp so they crossed the river intending to take the Scots by surprise. On coming quite near they took their shoes not to make noise. But one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle and shrieked with pain. The alarm was given in the Scots camp and the Norsemen were put to flight, thankful for timely help, chose the thistle as their national emblem.

The leek or daffodil is Welshmen’s emblem. Welshmen all over the world celebrate (on March, 1) St. David’s Day by wearing either leeks or daffodils. St. David is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks, so the link between the leek and St. David is a strong one. The daffodil is also associated with St. David’s Day due to the belief that it flowers on that very day. It became the alternative to the leek as a Welsh emblem in the present century, because some thought the leek is vulgar. The Welsh national flag is called Welsh Dragon. It bears the red dragon on the white and green background.

The shamrock, the national emblem of the Irish, is proudly on St. Patrick’s Day. It is worn in memory of Ireland’s patron saint., who when preaching the doctrine Trinity to the pagan Irish used the shamrock (a small white clover with three leaves on one stem) as an illustration of the mystery.