The art of flag throwing dates back to medieval guilds (principally in Italy). A guild's banner or flag was considered a symbol of purity, and as such it was not allowed to touch the ground.
There a two major categories of flag throwing: classical and acrobatical. In classical flag throwing, the flag is turned left and right around the body in a standing posture. In acrobatical flag throwing, the thrower uses both hands to move the flag in a sitting, laying, or kneeling posture.
Famous quotes containing the words flag and/or throwing:
“Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow—red, yellow, brown, black and white—and we’re all precious in God’s sight.”
—Jesse Jackson (b. 1941)
“It is impossible to talk or to write without apparently throwing oneself helplessly open.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)