1.National emblems of the United Kingdom
TheUnited Kingdom (abbreviated from «The United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland») is the political name of the country which consists ofEngland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sometimes known as Ulster).
Great Britain is the name of the islandwhich is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, whereas the British Isles is thegeographical name of all the islands off the north-west coast of the Europeancontinent.
In everyday speech «Britain» is used tomean the United Kingdom.
Theflag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of threecrosses. The upright red cross on a white background is the cross of the 1StGeorge, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross on a bluebackground is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The reddiagonal cross on a white background is the cross of St. Patrick, the patronsaint of Ireland.
TheWelsh flag, called the Welsh dragon, represents a red dragon on a white andgreen background.
St.George’s Day falls on 23 April and is regarded as England national day. On thisday some patriotic Englishmen wear a rose pinned to their jackets. A red roseis the national emblem of England from the time of the Wars of the Roses (15thcentury).
St. Andrew’s Day (the 30th of November) isregarded as Scotland’s national day. On this day some Scotsmen wear a thistlein their buttonhole. As a national emblem of Scotland, thistle apparently firstused in the 15-th century as a symbol of defence. The Order of the Thistle isone of the highest orders of knighthood. It was founded in 1687, and is mainlygiven to Scottish noblemen (limited to 16 in number).
St.Patrick’s Day (the 17-th of March) is considered as a national day in NorthernIreland and an official bank holiday there. The national emblem of Ireland isshamrock. According to legend, it was the plant chosen by St. Patrick toillustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.
St.David’s Day (the 1-st of March) is this church festival of St. David, a6th-century monk and bishop, the patron saint of Wales. The day is regarded asthe national holiday of Wales, although it is not an official bank holiday.
Onthis day, however, many Welshmen wear either a yellow daffodil or a leek pinnedto their jackets, as both plants are traditionally regarded as national emblemsWales.
Inthe Royal Arms three lions symbolize England, a lion rampant – Scotland, and aharp – Ireland. The whole is encircled and is supported by a lion and aunicorn. The lion has been used as a symbol of national strength and of theBritish monarchy for many centuries. The unicorn, a mythical animal that lookslike a horse with a long straight horn, has appeared on the Scottish andBritish royal coats of arms for many centuries, and is a symbol of purity.
2.History of the flag of the United Kingdom
Theflag of She United Kingdom is officially called the Union flag, because itembodies the emblems of three countries united under one monarch. The UnionFlag is commonly known as the Union Jack, although the exact origin of the nameis unclear.
Oneexplanation is that it gets its name from the «jack staff» of naval vessels (asmall flagpole at the front of Royal Navy vessels) from which the originalUnion Flag was flown.
Theemblems that appear on the Union Flag are the crosses of the three patronSaints: Wales is not represented on the Union Flag because by the time thefirst version of the flag appeared, Wales was already the part of England.
TheWelsh Flag, a red dragon on a field of white and green, dates from thefifteenth century.
TheUnion Flag underwent a gradual development. The first one was created in 1606,when England and Scotland were united under one King James I, by combining theflags of St George and St Andrew.
Inthe seventeenth century, the flag underwent several changes. After theexecution of Charles I in 1649, Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector, introduceda special Commonwealth flag consisting of St George’s cross and the gold harpof Ireland. When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 he reintroducedthe Union Flag of James I.
Thefinal version of the Union Flag appeared in 1801, following the union of GreatBritain with Ireland, with the inclusion of the cross of St Patrick. The crossremains on the flag although only the northern part of Ireland now remains partof the United Kingdom.
Listof books
1. BondarenkoYe.V. «Focus on the United Kingdom». – Kharkiv, 2006.
2. Karpenko O.V.«TheArticle is «Flag of Great Britain». – Kyiv, 2005.
3. Romanenko S.M.«Worldcountries – Great Britain. Reference book». – Kharkiv, 2005.