Flag of Greece

The Greek flag originated during the uprising against the Turks in 1821, when a blue flag with a white cross was raised in order to oppose the Ottoman crescent. The flag in its present form was adopted in 1822. The cross was moved to the top left part of the flag and white and blue stripes were added. Nine striped should probably remind nine syllables of a revolutionary slogan "Eleftheria i Thanatos" ("Freedom or Death"). Blue symbolizes the sea, whose beauty inspired the idea of revolt. White stands for purity of revolutionists´ intentions and cross refers to the respect to the Orthodox Church, which helped to maintain national identity in times of occupation. The shade of blue was changed many times, yet the flag can be called "Galanolefci" (blue and white in translation).

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