The flag of Belarus features a red over green horizontal layout with a vertical red‑and‑white ornamental pattern at the hoist. Adopted on 7 June 1995 after a national referendum, it replaced the white‑red‑white flag used in 1991–1995. The ornament is based on a traditional woven motif; red recalls sacrifice and historical struggle, while green symbolizes hope and Belarus’s forests and fields. The proportions are 1:2, with the ornament occupying one‑ninth of the flag’s length and always placed at the hoist in both horizontal and vertical display. The state strictly regulates usage by decree, defining shades, materials, and protocol. The design deliberately omits Soviet marks used in the Byelorussian SSR flag (1951–1991) yet preserves the ornamental tradition, making the current flag a legally protected emblem of sovereignty and cultural heritage.
The modern national flag of Belarus—red over green with a vertical red‑and‑white ornamental panel at the hoist—was adopted on 7 June 1995, following a nationwide referendum that reversed the earlier choice (1991–1995) of the white‑red‑white tricolour. Its present law‑defined form reflects an effort to anchor state symbolism in pre‑Soviet craft traditions while avoiding both the heraldic starkness of the 1918–19 Belarusian People’s Republic flag and the overt party emblems of the Soviet era.
Belarusian colour symbolism, however, predates the twentieth century. Red is a pervasive tincture in regional heraldry and folk textiles; it appears on historic coats of arms and in woven towels (rushniki) used in ceremony. Green, adopted in the lower stripe of both the Byelorussian SSR flag and the post‑1995 national flag, evokes the country’s forests, fields, and the renewal of spring. The ornamental panel derives from a geometric pattern created by the weaver Matrona Markevich in 1917. In the current statute, that panel is reproduced as a stylised, continuous motif positioned along the hoist to foreground a specifically Belarusian decorative art linked to domestic craftsmanship.
Under Soviet rule, the Byelorussian SSR introduced a state flag in 1951: a red field with a green horizontal stripe at the bottom, the hoist adorned with the same white‑red ornament, and the upper canton charged with the hammer, sickle, and star. That design, with minor adjustments, remained until 1991. With independence, lawmakers restored the white‑red‑white tricolour as a symbol of national revival associated with the short‑lived Belarusian People’s Republic (1918) and with cultural movements of the early twentieth century. Political conflict, debates about historical continuity, and a presidential initiative led to the 1995 referendum that produced the current flag, which removed communist emblems but retained the ornament and the red‑green scheme.
Statutory regulations prescribe the flag’s construction and use. The aspect ratio is 1:2; the ornamental band equals one‑ninth of the flag’s length. The ornament must always be at the hoist; when the flag is displayed vertically, the panel remains on the viewer’s left with the red stripe uppermost. Laws define official colours, acceptable fabrics, and contexts of display—government buildings, diplomatic missions, schools, and national holidays. Protocols govern raising and lowering, half‑masting for mourning, and dignified retirement of worn flags. Unauthorized alteration, desecration, or misplacement can incur administrative or criminal penalties.
Public life
since the mid‑1990s has seen the official flag deployed as the state’s principal symbol, while the white‑red‑white tricolour has served as an emblem of opposition and civil protest in various periods. Authorities have restricted the latter’s public use in many contexts, entrenching the red‑green flag’s status in state ceremonies, sports delegations, and international representation. The national coat of arms adopted in 1995 likewise emphasizes landscape and wheat wreaths rather than historical heraldry, reinforcing a non‑dynastic visual identity.
In design terms, the Belarusian flag is legible and distinctive: the ornamental hoist delivers immediate recognition even at rest, while the broad red and green stripes read clearly at distance. Its symbolism—sacrifice remembered, land and renewal celebrated, craft tradition honoured—has been codified in official publications and education. The continuity of the ornamental motif links state iconography to vernacular art, while the omission of explicitly Soviet insignia marks a break with party symbolism without returning to the contested white‑red‑white. In sum, the 1995 flag encapsulates a state narrative that favours cultural rootedness and legal order as the foundations of sovereignty.