National Symbols of Great Britain

 

The Union Jack - the flag of Britain - represents the emblems of three countries under one Sovereign (правитель). The emblems on the Union Flag are the crosses (кресты) of three patron saints (святые покровители):

• the red cross of St. George, for England, on a white ground;

• the white diagonal cross of St. Andrew, for Scotland, on a blue ground;

• the red diagonal cross of St. Patrick, for Ireland, on a white ground.

Wales is not represented in the Union Flag because when the first version of the flag appeared, Wales was already united with England.

The national flag of Wales is a red dragon on a white and green field. The flag of Wales, with its dragon, is one of the oldest in the world. It was brought to Britain by the Romans.

St. George’s Day falls on 23 April and is regarded as England’s national day. On this day some patriotic Englishmen wear a rose pinned to their jackets. A red rose is a national emblem of England from the time of the Wars of the Roses (15^th c.).

St. Andrew’s Day (30 November) is regarded as Scotland’s national day. On this day some Scotsmen wear a thistle in their buttonhole. As a national emblem of Scotland, thistle was first used in the 15^th c. as a symbol of defence. The Order of the Thistle is one of the highest orders of knighthood. It was founded in 1687, and is mainly given to Scottish noblemen (limited to 16 in number).

St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) is a national day in Northern Ireland and an official bank holiday there. The national emblem of Ireland is shamrock. According to the legend, it was the plant chosen by St. Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.

St. David (1 March) is the church festival of St. David, 6^th c. – monk and bishop, the patron saint of Wales. St. David converted Wales to Christianity and established the Welsh church. This day is the national holiday of Wales, although it is not an official bank holiday. On this day, however, many Welshmen wear either a yellow daffodil or a leek pinned to their jackets, as both plants are traditionally considered to be national emblems of Wales.

England - St. George and the Rose. The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

 

Scotland - St. Andrew - the Thistle and Scottish Bluebell. The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The Scottish Bluebell is also seen as the flower of Scotland.

 

Wales - St. David and the Daffodil. The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David’s Day. The vegetable called leek is also considered to be a traditional emblem of Wales.

 

There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales. One is that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from foe. As Shakespeare records in Henry V, the Welsh archers wore leeks at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

 

Northern Ireland - St. Patrick and the Shamrock The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. An Irish tale tells of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The Royal Crest - a lion bearing the Royal crown - denotes articles of personal property (личное имущество) belonging to the Queen. The lion, "the king of beasts" is a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries.

The Royal Coat of Arms represents the four quarters of the shield (щит) which contains two repetitions (the first and the fourth gules (красный цвет) of the arms of England, three golden lions passant (идущий с поднятой правой передней лапой – о геральдическом животном). The second quarter represents the red rampant (стоящий на задних лапах – о геральдическом животном) lion of Scotland on a gold background. This lion is represented by a frame with the inset fleurs-de-lis (ирис, геральдическая лилия) and other decorations. The third quarter represents a silver-stringed gild harp on a bright blue field symbolizing Ireland. Wales is not represented on the shield.

The shield is encircled with the blue Garter, carrying in gold the motto “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense” (“Shame on Him Who Thinks Evil of it”) – the words of Edward III (1312 - 1377) said at the ball.

On the top of the whole rests the imperial state crown – gold, red, enriched with precious stones, and with an ermine headband. All this is supported by a rampant crowned lion and a rampant unicorn. The lion has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. The unicorn, a mythical animal that looks like a horse with a long straight horn, has appeared on the Scottish and British royal coat of arms for many centuries, and a symbol of purity.

Beneath the coat of arms is a royal motto in gold letters on a white scroll: “Dieu et Mon Droit” (“God and My Right”) – the battle call of Richard I “Coer de Lion” (1157 - 1199) when he led his army in the battle of 1198. 

The British National anthem "God save our gracious Queen..." is a patriotic song first performed in 1745:

God save our gracious Queen!

Long live our noble Queen!

God Save the Queen!

Send her victorious

Happy and glorious,

Long reign over us,

God Save the Queen!

Neither the author nor composer is known.

English and British symbols often overlap at sporting events. “God Save The Queen” is played for the England football team, although Land of Hope and Glory has been used as the English anthem at the Commonwealth Games (where the four nations in the UK face each other independently).

Religion

Everyone in Britain has the right to religious freedom. Britain is predominantly Christian. British people are members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church (the Church of England), which is the church legally recognized as the official church of the State.

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