The Romani flag (O styago le romengo in Romani) is the international flag of the Romani people. It was created by the Uniunea Generala a Romilor din Romania (General Union of the Roma of Romania) in 1933, and approved by international representatives at the First World Romani Congress in 1971, held in London, United Kingdom. The flag consists of a background of blue and green, representing the heavens and earth, respectively. The flag also contains a 16-spoke red chakra, or spoked wheel, in the centre, representing the itinerant tradition of the Romani people.
The Roma flag was agreed upon by the Western European Romani people, but is not recognized by many Eastern European Roma (although the Roma of Russia and Ukraine recognize it). The Romani congress held in 1992 in Riga, Latvia agreed on a different flag (the green representing forests, and the blue representing the skies, with a horse head located in the middle, representing the independence of the ethnic group).
Famous quotes containing the words flag of the, flag and/or people:
“Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.”
—Stephen Crane (1871–1900)
“—Here, the flag snaps in the glare and silence
Of the unbroken ice. I stand here,
The dogs bark, my beard is black, and I stare
At the North Pole. . .
And now what? Why, go back.
Turn as I please, my step is to the south.”
—Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)
“New York is full of people ... with a feeling for the tangential adventure, the risky adventure, the interlude that’s not likely to end in any double-ring ceremony.”
—Joan Didion (b. 1934)