Wales

The flag of Wales Welsh: Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, meaning The Red Dragon) consists of a red dragon passant (walking to left, right forepaw raised) on a white (top) and green (bottom) field. ^[1] The dragon is not standardized, so several variations exist. Some variations include the word CYMRU. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is Welsh for "Land of the Cymry".^[1]

Symbolism[]

Red Dragon: The heraldic symbol of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd
White and Green: Colors of the Tudors, who had Welsh ancestry

Other flags[]

Flag of Saint David[]

The flag of Saint David is normally a yellow cross on a black field, but it has also appeared as a black cross on a yellow field or with an engrailed cross. It represents the 6th-century Saint David, a Welsh bishop of Menevia and the patron saint of Wales. Saint David's cross has been used as a flag to represent Wales, as a less frequently used alternative to the Red Dragon flag. England and Scotland primarily use patron saint flags of Saint George and Saint Andrew, respectively. It is always flown on Saint David's Day.^[3]

Welsh Government ensign[]

An ensign for use aboard ships used by the Welsh Government, such as the patrol boats of the Marine and Fisheries Division, was granted in 2017. The flag is a British blue ensign defaced with a golden dragon with red claws and tongue. Such blue ensigns are conventionally used to indicate government-controlled ships, and the dragon is a traditional symbol of Wales.^[4]

History[]

Exclusion from the Union Flag[]

Because during the history Wales was an English principality, it is not included on the flag of the United Kingdom. There are many proposals of honoring it.

Red lobster flag[]

From 01/03/2017 to 10/03/2017, thirty Red Lobster Flags were flown atop the most important landmarks in Wales. These flags, hoisted by the Skin Care Cymru charity, were intended to raise the awareness of skin cancer and need to protect against the sunburn, symbolized by the red lobster replacing the red dragon on the Welsh national flag. The reactions to the flag were mixed: while a number of people objected to what they saw as desecration of the national flag and the national holiday - the flags were first raised on St David's Day - seems that many more did not feel that way, recognizing the need to warn the people against an increasing problem, even though some of them did also find the flag somewhat shocking at first sight.

Regarding the design, the depicted lobster is not exactly the real-life creature, since it has "borrowed" some anatomic features from the dragon, namely the tail ending and spikes along the back, while the shape of its antennae is the same as that of dragon's tongue.

Trivia[]

Wales, Bhutan and Malta are the only countries to have a dragon on their flag, though the Chinese flag also featured a dragon during the Qing Dynasty.