Flag of Burma used from October 21st, 2010. The flag has three horizontal stripes from top to bottom are yellow stripe – symbolizing unity, green stripe – symbolizing peace and beautiful nature, and red stripe - symbolizing courage and decisiveness. There is a white star in the middle of the flag.
The proportions of the flag are 6:9 (height to width). In the flag, the yellow represents national unity; the color green stands for peace, serenity, and flora; the color red illustrates bravery and firmness, and the white star represents the country’s union. This flag has been replaced for the old flag from October 21st, 2010. For those tourists in Burma tours, the history, as well as the story behind the change of the national flag's appearance, are somehow interesting things to discover. So what's that? Let check them out!
History of Myanmar National Flag
Old Flag of Burma has been used since January 3, 1974, to October 21, 2010, with the rectangle (ratio of 2 sides is 5:9) a red background with a blue rectangle in the top of the left corner. In the middle of the blue rectangle, there is a white gear (symbolizing the working class). Inserting inside the gear is a bushel of white rice (symbolizing the peasantry). Surrounded gear and bushel of rice is 14 stars symbolizing the 14 administrative divisions of Myanmar. Red color stands for the courage, the blue symbolizes peace and unity while white symbolizes purity.
Compared with the previous flag (from 1948 to 1974), this flag has the same size, proportion and color layout. They differ only the shape of a blue rectangle: they both are the rectangle (ratio of 2 sides is 5: 9) a red background with a blue rectangle in the top left corner.
Propose to change Burma flag
A new idea for Burmese national flag concept was introduced on 10 November 2006 at a constitutional convention. Three equally sized stripes: green, yellow and red colors were included in the new design and a white star in the left corner of the green stripe but being rejected.
Another new idea for the design was submitted in September 2007, with a bigger white star in the middle and the order of stripes, yellow, green, red was also changed. That same order was used in the flag of the State of Burma during the colonial time of Japanese, in which a green peacock in the center was featured.
The proposed version was a combination of the flag of the State of Burma with the white star representing the Union of Myanmar instead of the royal peacock image like the previous design.
The proposal of the flag in September 2007 was included in the new constitution and was approved with the 2008 referendum. and on 21 October 2010, the new Myanmar flag had been accepted.
