Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries
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I've got one in progress, 90% finished, but I'm in work at the moment so probably won't get to post until tonight - about 8 pm Netherlands time. I might get it done earlier if I get time between work and driving children around in the evening - but I'm not sure.
The Israelite 'Stars in the Sky' flag
Historians generally agree that the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in the 12 Years' War was inevitable. What they disagree on is whether the rise of semi-theocratic states in various parts of the former empire was equally inevitable. A review of the published literature shows that opinion on the inevitability or not of three competing caliphates arising in what are now Turkiye, Greater Hejaz and Syria is split roughly 50/50. Only a very small minority postulate that the restored Kingdom of Antioch and Jerusalem had a chance of surviving longer that it actually did - a mere four years. Conversely, there is almost unanimity of opinion that the creation of the new Israelite nation was a historical inevitability.
The Jewish diaspora had provided strong support to the victorious powers in the 12 Years' War, with Zionist battalions in all of their armies (even, ironically, in the otherwise fully-Muslim Persian army). As a result, all the Great Powers supported the 1875 New Zion Congress resolution calling for the establishment of a modern Israelite state. Over the next few years, the borders of the new state were negotiated with the Great Powers, finally being agreed in early 1879, almost exactly where they remain today. On 16th August 1879 (27th of Av 5639 in the Hebrew calendar) the new state was proclaimed, under the leadership of the new Sanhedrin, elected by members of the 1879 New Zion Congress, which was simultaneously dissolved.
The flag of the new state had been the subject of fierce debate over the previous years. Whilst the use of the Magen David as a central element was uncontroversial, representing Solomon's shield (or seal, or both), various groups advocated for other symbols and/or different numbers of symbols on the flag. According to the minutes of the 1879 Congress, it was Rabbi Eli Mechoulam who proposed, on 1st June that year, a compromise suggestion combining many of the proposals into one.
The background colour of the flag is blue, the same as the tekhelet colour in the Jewish tallit (or prayer shawl), which reminds the Israelites of the blue sky and God in Heaven. The other main colour is white, symbolising silver to represent holiness.
The only symbol used is the Magen David star, which appears 26 times, this number symbolising the name of God. There are three main groups of stars, with three representing love and holiness - one-third of the three (the central group) symbolises the Holy of Holies at the centre of the ancient Temple which comprised one-third of the Inner Temple, with the other two-thirds representing the rest of the Holy Place. Each group contains a central star with six stars surrounding it, making seven. Seven was the symbol of the Jewish covenant with God and considered the divine number of completion, linked to the Sabbath, the Sabbatical year, the year of jubilee and to periods of mourning and purification. The remaining five stars to make 26 represent semi-completion, showing that the earth-bound nation could not be fully completed by people alone (that is, without God's help). The top-most star is gold and white, with gold being the glory of God, the celestial light.
The final element of the flag, and the justification for using multiple stars on a background representing heaven, is the phrase 'Like the Stars in the Sky' in Hebrew. At the Second Battle of Gaza in 1867, a Zionist battalion broke through the Ottoman lines, taking horrendous casualties in doing so, but not stopping. After his surrender, the Ottoman commander reportedly said that the battalion seemed to have endless men, "no matter how many we shot down, there were always more." The most senior survivor of the battalion, Colonel-Major Moshe Lipkin, responded that this was in accordance with God's promise to Abraham and Israel, to make of their descendants a great people, innumerable 'like the stars in the sky.' After this was reported in the press, Zionist battalions facing difficult battles started to use it as a battle-cry. Ottoman soldiers grew to fear Jewish fighters who stormed towards them crying, "like the stars in the sky," (often in Arabic!), knowing that it meant the fighters would keep going even in the face of near-certain death.
The flag has attracted significant criticism over the decades. Vexillologists remain divided, with some viewing the patterns as far too complicated and others praising them as clever inter-leaving of multiple symbols into one overall picture. More seriously, the use of blatantly Jewish symbolism on the flag of what is now a multi-religious, multi-cultural, liberal democracy, has been stated by critics of the Israelite government to discriminate against non-Jewish citizens (ironically, opinion polls in the Islamic Kingdom of Syria show that its citizens think highly of Israel for holding true to its religious roots, which probably contributes to the continuing alliance between these two nations). Notwithstanding these and other criticisms, the 'Stars in the Sky' flag is famous world-wide as a symbol of Israel, adorning such diverse items as coffee mugs, swimsuits and roofs of cars. It is unlikely to be changed any time soon.
OoC: All of the symbolism (numbers, etc) comes from Wikipedia. The Hebrew phrase is from Google translate. Any misrepresentations of religious belief in this fictional history are unintentional.
Edit: after posting, I realised that the gold in the top star makes it look a little bit like the yellow stars forced upon Jews in the Third Reich. This is emphatically NOT my intention; the gold is meant to represent, as stated in the text, the celestial light and glory of God - I sincerely hope that this is not offensive to anyone.
Historians generally agree that the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in the 12 Years' War was inevitable. What they disagree on is whether the rise of semi-theocratic states in various parts of the former empire was equally inevitable. A review of the published literature shows that opinion on the inevitability or not of three competing caliphates arising in what are now Turkiye, Greater Hejaz and Syria is split roughly 50/50. Only a very small minority postulate that the restored Kingdom of Antioch and Jerusalem had a chance of surviving longer that it actually did - a mere four years. Conversely, there is almost unanimity of opinion that the creation of the new Israelite nation was a historical inevitability.
The Jewish diaspora had provided strong support to the victorious powers in the 12 Years' War, with Zionist battalions in all of their armies (even, ironically, in the otherwise fully-Muslim Persian army). As a result, all the Great Powers supported the 1875 New Zion Congress resolution calling for the establishment of a modern Israelite state. Over the next few years, the borders of the new state were negotiated with the Great Powers, finally being agreed in early 1879, almost exactly where they remain today. On 16th August 1879 (27th of Av 5639 in the Hebrew calendar) the new state was proclaimed, under the leadership of the new Sanhedrin, elected by members of the 1879 New Zion Congress, which was simultaneously dissolved.
The flag of the new state had been the subject of fierce debate over the previous years. Whilst the use of the Magen David as a central element was uncontroversial, representing Solomon's shield (or seal, or both), various groups advocated for other symbols and/or different numbers of symbols on the flag. According to the minutes of the 1879 Congress, it was Rabbi Eli Mechoulam who proposed, on 1st June that year, a compromise suggestion combining many of the proposals into one.
The background colour of the flag is blue, the same as the tekhelet colour in the Jewish tallit (or prayer shawl), which reminds the Israelites of the blue sky and God in Heaven. The other main colour is white, symbolising silver to represent holiness.
The only symbol used is the Magen David star, which appears 26 times, this number symbolising the name of God. There are three main groups of stars, with three representing love and holiness - one-third of the three (the central group) symbolises the Holy of Holies at the centre of the ancient Temple which comprised one-third of the Inner Temple, with the other two-thirds representing the rest of the Holy Place. Each group contains a central star with six stars surrounding it, making seven. Seven was the symbol of the Jewish covenant with God and considered the divine number of completion, linked to the Sabbath, the Sabbatical year, the year of jubilee and to periods of mourning and purification. The remaining five stars to make 26 represent semi-completion, showing that the earth-bound nation could not be fully completed by people alone (that is, without God's help). The top-most star is gold and white, with gold being the glory of God, the celestial light.
The final element of the flag, and the justification for using multiple stars on a background representing heaven, is the phrase 'Like the Stars in the Sky' in Hebrew. At the Second Battle of Gaza in 1867, a Zionist battalion broke through the Ottoman lines, taking horrendous casualties in doing so, but not stopping. After his surrender, the Ottoman commander reportedly said that the battalion seemed to have endless men, "no matter how many we shot down, there were always more." The most senior survivor of the battalion, Colonel-Major Moshe Lipkin, responded that this was in accordance with God's promise to Abraham and Israel, to make of their descendants a great people, innumerable 'like the stars in the sky.' After this was reported in the press, Zionist battalions facing difficult battles started to use it as a battle-cry. Ottoman soldiers grew to fear Jewish fighters who stormed towards them crying, "like the stars in the sky," (often in Arabic!), knowing that it meant the fighters would keep going even in the face of near-certain death.
The flag has attracted significant criticism over the decades. Vexillologists remain divided, with some viewing the patterns as far too complicated and others praising them as clever inter-leaving of multiple symbols into one overall picture. More seriously, the use of blatantly Jewish symbolism on the flag of what is now a multi-religious, multi-cultural, liberal democracy, has been stated by critics of the Israelite government to discriminate against non-Jewish citizens (ironically, opinion polls in the Islamic Kingdom of Syria show that its citizens think highly of Israel for holding true to its religious roots, which probably contributes to the continuing alliance between these two nations). Notwithstanding these and other criticisms, the 'Stars in the Sky' flag is famous world-wide as a symbol of Israel, adorning such diverse items as coffee mugs, swimsuits and roofs of cars. It is unlikely to be changed any time soon.
OoC: All of the symbolism (numbers, etc) comes from Wikipedia. The Hebrew phrase is from Google translate. Any misrepresentations of religious belief in this fictional history are unintentional.
Edit: after posting, I realised that the gold in the top star makes it look a little bit like the yellow stars forced upon Jews in the Third Reich. This is emphatically NOT my intention; the gold is meant to represent, as stated in the text, the celestial light and glory of God - I sincerely hope that this is not offensive to anyone.
I'd like to suggest one new rule for the contest: The winner has to upload the winning flag as an attachment, if they have not already done so. This is meant for posterity and archival purposes, so that we don't have to waste hours hunting down a winning flag lost to unreliable or inaccessible image hosting services.
The current challenge is obviously extended. Anyone else having inspiration issues?
Inspiration? Maybe. Mainly, I just lack the time to think of one, and I'll be busy this weekend too.
In light of the referendum results, I have updated the rules so that contestants must upload images as attachments. Since this has happened in the middle of a round, I will consider the rule change effective as of the start of the next round.
Thanks everyone for participating and discussing.
Thanks everyone for participating and discussing.
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Christian States of America (1867 - ?)
In this universe the American Civil War causes much more casualties leading to the already divided nation being plagued by new sentiments of separatism fueled by various extremist ideologies. Though the Civil War ends with the independence of the South from the Union, the wave of wartime horrors, the lack of relief from the government causes the south to split between the east and west. Similiar would happen between the Union states of the east and California later. However the Christian States of America, also simply known as the Christendom seceded, comprised of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. As the people lost faith in a secularized society they turned back to the church, which gladly took over the power and orchestrated a coup and the eventual secession. The secession inspired separatist factions across the Union which began to crack in the coming decades. To ensure popularity, all christian religiouns were unified under the Southern Church, which didn't actually mean anything in practice as people still saw themselves as part of their own faith (e.g. a catholic and a protestant would be seen by the state as members of the Southern Church, though neither would see the other as having the same faith). Although the nation did become less of a theocracy and more secularized in latter decades, religion was still regarded as important by it's citizens. The position closest to a president, the High Pontiff, would keep it's name even after the church lost most of it's power.
The flag features 5 stars for the 5 member states and a cross protected by 4 lines symbolizing the christian religion which needs to be protected. The red, blue white colors are derrived from both the USA and CSA flags
In this universe the American Civil War causes much more casualties leading to the already divided nation being plagued by new sentiments of separatism fueled by various extremist ideologies. Though the Civil War ends with the independence of the South from the Union, the wave of wartime horrors, the lack of relief from the government causes the south to split between the east and west. Similiar would happen between the Union states of the east and California later. However the Christian States of America, also simply known as the Christendom seceded, comprised of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. As the people lost faith in a secularized society they turned back to the church, which gladly took over the power and orchestrated a coup and the eventual secession. The secession inspired separatist factions across the Union which began to crack in the coming decades. To ensure popularity, all christian religiouns were unified under the Southern Church, which didn't actually mean anything in practice as people still saw themselves as part of their own faith (e.g. a catholic and a protestant would be seen by the state as members of the Southern Church, though neither would see the other as having the same faith). Although the nation did become less of a theocracy and more secularized in latter decades, religion was still regarded as important by it's citizens. The position closest to a president, the High Pontiff, would keep it's name even after the church lost most of it's power.
The flag features 5 stars for the 5 member states and a cross protected by 4 lines symbolizing the christian religion which needs to be protected. The red, blue white colors are derrived from both the USA and CSA flags
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Republic of California - Brief history
After the confederated victory in Antietam, Thomas Starr King fails in its attempt to avoid the secession of California and in 1864, with the inevitable defeat of the Union, a referendum realized in California approves the secession.
This movement quickly expands to neighboring states of Nevada and Oregon, and the territories of Washington, Utah and west New Mexico, which, under the influence of Osborne Russel, join California.
The United States, exhausted by the struggle against the Confederation, was powerless to prevent this new secession, which, due to the distance and the abolitionist War, occurs in a peaceful manner, and recognizing the new independent country, on condition that it does not adhere to the Confederacy and remain free of slavery.
This bloodless birth contrasts with its first years of existence, during which it had to fight in the War of the Four Fronts, against the Republic of Texas, the Mexican Empire and, later, the Republic of Mexico. This conflict involved the newly born republics of California and Texas for control of the territories of Utah and New Mexico, but later they united against the expansionism of Maximilian of Mexico, and supported the struggle of Benito Juarez. However, after the triumph of the Republican leader, territorial tensions continued for the claim of lands belonging to Mexico prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe, until the Benito's death.
From the last quarter of the 19th century, California has a policy of rapprochement both with its Texan and Mexican neighbors and with the Union, while promoting its expansion through the Pacific Ocean (colonization of Alaska, occupation of Hawaii, intervention in the Philippines, etc).
In 1916, during the Great World War, the Republic of California supported the Central Empires against the Entente, obtaining significant profits at the expense of Great Britain and France in Southeast Asia, and intervened in favor of the White Movement in the Russian Civil War. However, in 1942 it became involved with the Empire of Japan for control of trade in China and, in general, throughout the Pacific. The war was long and bloody, in which the technological superiority of California prevailed, and it only ended in 1955 with an Armistice by virtue of which the maintenance of the status ante belum was agreed upon.
The Republic of California is a federal State, headed by a President of the Republic in charge of the executive branch and a bicameral Congress in charge of the legislative branch. It is a founding member of several international cooperation agencies, such as the League of Nations, the Organization of American States, the North Pacific and Southeast Asia Treaty, and the Antarthic Treaty.
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