History of the national flag of Lithuania

 

The national flag of the Republic of Lithuania is a national emblem in the form of a piece of cloth consisting of three equal horizontal coloured stripes arranged with the yellow above, the green in the middle, and the red below. Width and length ratio of the national flag is 3:5. (The Law on the National Flag and other Flags).

 

The national flag of the Republic of Lithuania is a national emblem in the form of a piece of cloth consisting of three equal horizontal coloured stripes arranged with the yellow above, the green in the middle, and the red below. Width and length ratio of the national flag is 3:5. The vertically hoisted national flag of Lithuania must feature the yellow stripe on the heraldic right with the green stripe in the middle and the red stripe on the left.

National striped flags emerged rather late in history. The greatest impetus for the development of striped flags was made by the French Revolution in 1789, when the previously used royal white flag was replaced with a tricolour flag. Three equal stripes of the flag meant universal equality before law. In the 19th century, the majority of European countries had their national tricolour flags, whose colours normally stemmed from the colours of the national coat of arms.

The history of the Lithuanian tricolour flag is long and complicated. Incorporation in the Russian Empire prevented Lithuania from considering the design of a national flag for a long period of time. Nevertheless, in the second half of the 19th century, the design of colours symbolising Lithuania were being developed by vast Lithuanian communities in emigration in the USA and Lithuanians who had remained in the Russian Empire. Meanwhile, the known flag of Lithuania Minor since the 17th century was green, white and red. The discussions on the design of the national flag in Lithuania began in the Great Seimas of Vilnius in 1905. Jonas Basanavičius proposed recognising the flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (a white knight against the red background) as the Lithuanian flag. However, the proposal was rejected due to negative connotations with the revolution at that time. Serious discussions on the national flag resumed in 1917 only when a prospect of re-establishing the Lithuanian state emerged. Lithuanian public figures, with Jonas Basanavičius in the forefront, had a debate and decided to use national colours to design the flag of Lithuania. In preparation for the Vilnius Conference, painter Antanas Žmuidzinavičius made a green and red design of the Lithuanian flag. This flag was used to decorate the hall of the Vilnius city theatre, which hosted the Conference. The two colours were chosen because of their prevalence in the national costume and sashes. This design of the flag was endorsed by Lithuanians living in the USA. However, the participants of the Conference considered the flag proposed by Žmuidzinavičius to be gloomy. During the Conference, another design of the Lithuanian flag was made. The author of the design was Tadas Daugirdas, an archaeologist and expert of heraldry. He proposed including a thin yellow stripe between green and red to make the flag livelier and yellow to symbolise the dawn. The Conference failed to decide on the flag and instructed a commission established by the Council of Lithuania to address the matter. The members of the commission comprised Jonas Basanavičius, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius and Tadas Daugirdas. The commission decided to complement the design of the flag by Žmuidzinavičius with a yellow stripe. On 19 April 1918, the commission approved the design of the flag consisting of three equal horizontal stripes of yellow, green and red. In 1918 the Council of Lithuania approved this design as an interim national flag of Lithuania. Gradually, this design was accepted by the nation. The Council of Lithuania also approved the historical flag featuring a white knight against the red background on the front side and the Columns of the Gediminids on the reverse. The historical flag was used by the President of the Republic of Lithuania. The first permanent Constitution of the Lithuanian State of 1922 and the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania of 1928 legalised only one national flag of yellow, green and red. In the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania of 1938, the tricolour flag was referred to as the flag of the Lithuanian nation. The debate on the national flag of Lithuania continued until World War II, since the combination of yellow, green and red was inappropriate from the standpoint of heraldry. Two new designs of the tricolour flag were made. In May 1940, the Commission for the Establishment of the National Coat of Arms decided to submit a new design of the flag to the President of the Republic consisting of yellow, red and white stripes with a centred knight on the front side and the Columns of the Gediminids on the reverse. However, further discussions were interrupted by the Soviet occupation in 1940.    

When the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania on 15 June 1940, all the symbols of statehood were banned. The use of such symbols was strictly punishable until the very period of National Revival. In 1940, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania replaced the national tricolour flag with a red flag with a golden hammer and sickle in the left corner. In 1953 the latter was replaced with a red, white and green flag with a hammer and sickle in the left corner. Nevertheless, the tricolour flag of the independent Lithuania did not fall into the oblivion. It was secretly hoisted in public on the occasion of 16 February, secretly kept in the homes of Lithuanians and used to express resistance.   

The tricolour flag of the independent Lithuania was officially brought back to public life with the beginning of perestroika in the Soviet Union and the National Revival. In summer 1988, the Lithuanian tricolour flag fluttered during the meetings of the Reform Movement Sąjūdis and at other events. On 7 October 1988, the tricolour flag was for the first time hoisted on the top of the Gediminas Tower as an important historical symbol of the nation. On 18 November 1988, the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania, under public pressure, was forced to confer the tricolour flag the status of the national flag. The colour standard and new proportions of the flag were approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania on 25 January 1989. The colours of the flag (yellow, close to orange, intensely green and red, close to purple) were reproduced according to the flags of the independent Republic of Lithuania preserved by museums and private persons. 

 

National flag of Lithuania in legislation

The national flag of Lithuania is established in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania (“colours of the flag of the State shall be yellow, green, and red”) and is described in the Law on the National Flag and other Flags. The Law regulates the national flag of Lithuania, other flags, their descriptions, official principles and procedure of the use of flags in the Republic of Lithuania, liability for the violations of the procedure for hoisting flags or desecration of flags, manufacturing and maintenance of flags. The Law stipulates that the ratio of the width of the national flag of Lithuania to the length of the said flag must be 3:5. Usually, when displayed near, over or on the buildings, the historical national flag of Lithuania is 1 meter in width and 1.7 meters in length.

 

Principles of the use of flags

1. The citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and other persons must show respect to the flags.

2. Flags must meet the requirements laid down in Article 3 of the Law and must not be soiled or faded.

3. When displayed, the national flag of Lithuania must take precedence over all other flags pursuant to the principles of heraldry.

4. When the national flag of Lithuania is hoisted vertically, the yellow stripe must be on the heraldic right, with the green stripe in the middle and the red stripe on the left.

5. Flags may be displayed near the buildings (on flagpoles installed in front of the building), over or on the buildings, in squares, on ships, in conference halls, offices or places of official ceremonies, and attached to a car.

6. If several flags are hoisted, they must be positioned at the same height, of the same possible size, and in the following order of precedence:

1) the national flag of Lithuania;

2) the historical national flag of Lithuania;

3) flags of foreign states;

4) the flag of the European Union;

5) flags of international public organisations;

6) the flag of the President of the Republic;

7) standards;

8) flags of counties;

9) flags of municipalities;

10) other flags.

 

Places and occasions for hoisting the national flag of Lithuania

1. The national flag of Lithuania is hoisted on a 24-hour basis near, over and on the following buildings:

1) the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania;

2) the residence of the President of the Republic;

3) the Government and the ministries of the Republic of Lithuania;

4) the Constitutional Court and other courts of the Republic of Lithuania;

5) the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Lithuania;

6) the Bank of Lithuania;

7) the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania;

8) the Tower of the Gediminas Castle in Vilnius;

9) municipal councils;

10) border inspection posts in the places established under a resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in the international airports, seaports and river (inland waterway) ports open for international shipping, railway stations or by the roads, in which the inspection is carried on by the State Border Guard Service, customs offices or other state institutions authorised for this purpose.

2. On national holidays the national flag of Lithuania is hoisted near, over or on the following buildings: by other state and municipal institutions and establishments, other establishments, enterprises and organisations irrespective of the forms of ownership thereof, as well as near residential buildings.

3. The national flag of Lithuania is also hoisted:

1) near, over or on diplomatic missions, consular posts of the Republic of Lithuania and the divisions of such missions and posts, as well as near, over or on buildings of the special missions located in foreign states – pursuant to international law provisions, diplomatic protocol requirements and traditions of a host country;

2) near, over or on buildings of state schools of higher education and post-secondary schools as well as state and municipal general education schools – usually the said flag is hoisted at the beginning of a school year and lowered at the end of the school year;

3) on the territories of independent military units – in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of National Defence;

4) on ships registered in the Republic of Lithuania;

5) on ships which have entered the territorial waters, ports of the Republic of Lithuania;

6) near, over or on the buildings in which voting is carried out on the day of elections to the Seimas, municipal councils of the Republic of Lithuania or the European Parliament and the President of the Republic, as well as on the day of voting in a referendum.

4. Natural and legal persons may also at their own discretion use (hoist, display) the national flag and (or) small flags of Lithuania in pursuance of the principles of the use of flags and only in a manner not subjecting these flags to indignity.

5. The national flag of Lithuania may be hoisted:

1) in places of international public events with other flags in compliance with international protocol requirements;

2) in sports arenas during championships and competitions of the Republic of Lithuania, international sports tournaments in which the national teams of Lithuania take part, awarding ceremonies of the international tournament winners who represent sports teams of the Republic of Lithuania;

3) on remembrance days or the occasion of public events in the manner prescribed by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania or an institution authorised by it.

6. The national flag of Lithuania is displayed on a 24-hour basis in:

1) the Plenary Chamber of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania;

2) the meeting hall of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania;

3) the sitting hall of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania;

4) the sitting halls of the Supreme Court and other courts of the Republic of Lithuania;

5) the offices of the Speaker of the Seimas and the Deputy Speakers of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania;

6) the office of the residence of the President of the Republic as well as on other premises of the residence of the President of the Republic designated or used for officials ceremonies or events;

7) the offices of the Prime Minister and the ministers of the Republic of Lithuania;

8) the offices of the President and the justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania;

9) the offices of the President of the Supreme Court and the presidents of other courts of the Republic of Lithuania;

10) the offices of the Prosecutor General and chief prosecutors of the Republic of Lithuania;

11) the office of the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania;

12) the offices of the commanders of military units of the Army of the Republic of Lithuania;

13) the offices of the heads of diplomatic missions, consular posts, and special missions of the Republic of Lithuania located in foreign states.

7. The national flag of Lithuania may be displayed on the premises when official events organised by state or municipal institutions or other official events attended by the Speaker of the Seimas, the President of the Republic or the Prime Minister are held there.    

8. During a funeral procession or service for the President of the Republic, the signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania, a Seimas or Government member, any other person recognised in the manner prescribed by the Government as having merited to the Republic of Lithuania, as well as the person who perished when performing his official duties or saving lives, a coffin is covered with the national flag of Lithuania which is removed before interment and presented to the next of kin after being folded.

 

Use of a mark of morning

As a sign of mourning the national flag of Lithuania is flown one-third of the way down the flagpole. If the national flag of Lithuania is hoisted not on the flagpole, it is hoisted with a mark of mourning, which is a ten-centimetre-wide black ribbon attached to the mast so that the ends of the ribbon reach the bottom of the flag.

 

 

References:

Lietuvos heraldika, sudarė Rimša Edmundas, Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 2008.

Lietuvos heraldika, t. 1, sudarė Rimša Edmundas, Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1998.

Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija (Lietuvos Respublikos piliečių priimta 1992 m. spalio 25 d. referendume, 1992 m. lapkričio 2 d.), Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas, https://www.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Konstitucija.htm

Lietuvos Respublikos valstybės herbo, kitų herbų ir herbinių ženklų įstatymas, Vilnius, 1990 m. balandžio 10 d., Nr. I-130, (galiojanti suvestinė redakcija nuo 2020-07-01), Teisės aktų registras, https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.55B9E4E382B3/asr 

Lietuvos Respublikos valstybės vėliavos ir kitų vėliavų įstatymas, Vilnius, 1991 m. birželio 26 d., Nr. I-1497 (galiojanti suvestinė redakcija: 2019-10-01), Teisės aktų registras, https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.07CAE5E6C2B3/asr 

Rimša Edmundas. Heraldika. Iš praeities į dabartį, Vilnius: Versus aureus, 2004.

Rimša, Edmundas. Lietuvos valstybės vėliava, Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, 2019-10-23, https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/Lietuvos-valstybes-veliava-117757 

Vasys, Antanas. Herbas ir vėliava, Lietuvių enciklopedija, t. 15, Bostonas: Lietuvių enciklopedijos leidykla, p. 65–69.

 

 

Prepared by Vilma Akmenytė-Ruzgienė, 
Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Unit for Historical Memory of Parliamentarianism