The flag of the Chuvash Republic ( cv, Чӑваш Республикин ялавӗ, ''Çovaş Respublikin yalavö''; russian: Флаг Республики Чувашия, ''Flag Respubliki Chuvashia''), in the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, is one of the official symbols of the
Chuvash Republic
Chuvashia (russian: Чувашия; cv, Чӑваш Ен), officially the Chuvash Republic — Chuvasia,; cv, Чӑваш Республики — Чӑваш Ен is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuv ...
, alongside the coat of arms and the
State Anthem of the Chuvash Republic. The flag is a 5:8 yellow flag with a stylized red
tree of life
The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...
charged on the flag. The flag has been used officially as the flag of the Chuvash Republic since 14 October 1992.
Prior to 1992, the Chuvash Republic existed as the
Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ( cv, Чӑваш Автономлӑ Совет Социаллӑ Республики, Chăwash Avtonomlă Sovet Sociallă Respubliki; russian: link=no, Чувашская Автономная Со ...
. Prior to 1937, Chuvash ASSR used a flag with traditional motifs of Chuvashia and the name of the ASSR. The motifs was deleted later in 1931 due to the traditional motifs being associated with
chauvinism
Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotis ...
and
bourgeois nationalism
In Marxism, bourgeois nationalism is the practice by the ruling classes of deliberately dividing people by nationality, race, ethnicity, or religion, so as to distract them from engaging in class struggle. It is seen as a divide-and-conquer stra ...
. After 1937, the flag of the Chuvash ASSR was identical to the
flag of the Russian SFSR
The last Soviet Union (USSR)-era flag was adopted by the Russian SFSR in 1954 and used until 1991. The flag of the Russian SFSR was a defacement of the flag of the Soviet Union. The constitution stipulated:
Like the flag of the Soviet Union ...
.
Symbolism
The colors of the national flag, which consisted of gold and purple (sandal red) are the traditional colors of the Chuvash people. In Chuvash tradition, gold symbolized wealth, justice, mercy, magnanimity, constancy, strength, and loyalty, while purple is one of the most common colors among the Chuvash symbolism, which were used to carry out the main elements of the folk ornament. Purple symbolizes dignity, power, and courage.
The top yellow field, which is of the height of the flag, indicates the space under the sun, inhabited by the people of the Chuvash Republic. The lower purple field, which is of the height of the flag, denotes the territory of Chuvashia .
The tree of life, which occupies of the width of the flag, is a sign made on the basis of Old Chuvash runic writing, whose silhouette resembles a revered oak tree of Chuvash, powerful and durable, resistant to natural storms. The symmetry of the composition “The Tree of Life” expresses the desire of the Chuvash people for inner spiritual harmony and harmony with the outside world and nature. In addition, the Tree of Life, as a single organism, personifies the unity of the people living in the territory of the Chuvash Republic.
The tree of life consists of five elements, the main one being the center of the whole composition, the base has a bottom field and ends at the top with two branches of the Tree diverging at 90 degrees in the form of a national ornament. This element means the indigenous population of the Chuvash Republic - Chuvash, living in the territory of the republic.
The two lower elements, located symmetrically on both sides of the main element, have a base of purple bands separated from the lower purple field and the main element with a yellow strip 1.5% wide of the flag, and end with “branches” in the form of a national ornament. These elements symbolizes the Chuvash diaspora.
Two middle elements in the form of short inclined strips not adjacent to the main trunk of the Tree and also ending with a national ornament, located symmetrically on both sides of the main element at an angle of 45 degrees to it between the “branches” of the main and lower elements, which symbolizes the population of the different nationalities living in the Chuvash Republic.
The emblem “Three suns”, consisting of a three-fold repetitive ancient solar sign (an eight-pointed star), symbolizes the sunlight that gives life and protects well-being. Threefold repetition of the star that overshadows the main emblem of the flag - “The Tree of Life” means the Chuvash folk concept “Pulna, Pur, Pulatpar” (“Were, Is, We Will”) and is its graphic expression.
Gallery
History
File:Flag of the Chuvash Republic of 1918 year v.1.jpg, The flag of the Chuvash Republic 1918 (reconstruction)
File:Flag of the Chuvash Republic of 1918 year v.2.jpg, The flag of the Chuvash Republic 1918 (reconstruction)
File:Flag of Chuvashia 1918.jpg, The flag of the Chuvash Republic 1918 (reconstruction)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1926).svg, Chuvash ASSR
The Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ( cv, Чӑваш Автономлӑ Совет Социаллӑ Республики, Chăwash Avtonomlă Sovet Sociallă Respubliki; russian: link=no, Чувашская Автономная Со ...
(1926-1927)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1927-1931).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1927-1931)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1931-1933).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1931-1933)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1933-1937).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1933-1937)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1937-1940).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1937-1940)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1937-1954).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1940-1954)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR (1954-1978).svg, Chuvash ASSR (1954-26 October 1978)
File:Flag of the Chuvash ASSR.svg, Chuvash ASSR (26 October 1978-1992)
Proposals
File:Chuvashsky Flag2.svg, Project of the Chuvash Cultural Community in the Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
(1990)
File:Chuvashsky Flag3.svg, A.V. Pavlov Proposal (1990)
File:Project flag Chuvashia 2.svg, Project proposed by the Society of Chuvash Culture in Estonia ''Tšuvaši Kultuuriselts'' (1990)
File:Project flag Chuvashia 1.svg, Alternative project proposed by the Society of Chuvash Culture in Estonia ''Tšuvaši Kultuuriselts'' (1990)
File:Project flag Chuvashia 4.svg, S. A. Sindyachkin Proposal (1990)
File:Project flag Chuvashia 3.svg, A. V. Ulangin Proposal (1990)
File:Proposed flag for the contest of Chuvashia 1990.jpg, Chuvash diaspora project (1992)
References
Citations
Bibliography
Constitutions
*
External links
*
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
Flags of the federal subjects of Russia
Chuvashia
Chuvashia (russian: Чувашия; cv, Чӑваш Ен), officially the Chuvash Republic — Chuvasia,; cv, Чӑваш Республики — Чӑваш Ен is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuv ...
Flags introduced in 1992
{{Russia-flag-stub