Symbolism
The national flag of Sri Lanka represents the country and its heritage as rallying device that integrates the minorities with the majority race. However, minorities are shown as such with percentage based allocation on the flag, rather than equal basis as is common elsewhere including the United Kingdom. Most symbols in the flag have been given distinctive meanings.
| Symbol | Represents |
|---|---|
| The Lion and the golden colour of lion | The strength and braveness of the Sri Lankan nation and the Sinhalese ethnicity. |
| The bo leaves | Buddhism and its influence on the nation. They also stand for the four virtues of Kindness, Friendliness, Happiness and Equanimity. |
| The sword of the lion | The sovereignty of the nation and the braveness of its people |
| The curly hair on the lion's head | Religious observance, wisdom and meditation |
| The eight hairs on lion's tail | The Noble Eightfold Path |
| The beard of the lion | Purity of words |
| The handle of the sword | The elements of water, fire, air and earth that country made with |
| The nose of the lion | Intelligence |
| The two front paws of the lion | Purity in handling wealth. |
| The vertical orange stripe | The Tamil ethnicity |
| The vertical green stripe | The Muslim faith and Moor ethnicity |
| The yellow border round the flag | People from all cultures living together in Sri Lanka in including some Dutch burghers and Portuguese |
| The maroon background | This represents the majority of Sinhalese like the lion this is the color used in early flags of Sri Lanka by kings . |
Read more about this topic: Flag Of Sri Lanka
Famous quotes containing the word symbolism:
“...I remembered the rose bush that had reached a thorny branch out through the ragged fence, and caught my dress, detaining me when I would have passed on. And again the symbolism of it all came over me. These memories and visions of the poor—they were the clutch of the thorns. Social workers have all felt it. It holds them to their work, because the thorns curve backward, and one cannot pull away.”
—Albion Fellows Bacon (1865–1933)