Explaining Asian Flags

Sri Lanka’s flag owes its distinction to its majestic golden lion, which wields a sword and is backgrounded by a rich maroon, together symbolising the Sinhalese majority population. To the left, the vertical green and orange strips represent Sri Lanka’s Muslim and Tamil community, respectively. In the vertices are four golden bo leaves which recognise Buddhism’s influence in the country and each represent one of the Four Divine Virtues.

Prince Vijaya, born in the ‘Lion City’, founded Sri Lanka during the 5th century. Ever since, the Lion Flag has been sported the majority of the time, despite some brief appearances of the British Union Jack due to colonisation. In the mid-1900s, reformations were made to the flag, such as its new bo leaf vertices, green and orange stripes, to best represent the country’s minority populations.

Malaysia’s flag, known as Malay: Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory) sports a background of 14 red and white stripes of equal width representing equality within Malaysia’s 13 federal member states, and a blue canton featuring the royal-coloured yellow crescent and the 14-vertice Federal Star. The crescent is an homage to the state religion of Islam, the red-white-blue colour scheme is a nod towards unity with the Commonwealth, although individually, they symbolise different virtues: Red for bravery, white for purity, blue for unity, and yellow signifying the Malay rulers and country.

Prior to the creation of the Malayan flag, Malaya’s individual states had their own. Due to the federalisation and union of these states, the flag is a fusion of both the Majapahit Empire, who ruled the Malay peninsula during the 14th Century, and Johor State flags. In 1957, it replaced the Union Jack flag at Merdeka Square, signifying Malayan independence.

The flag of Nepal is currently the only flag in the world that exists as a not a rectangular shape! It is decreed the state and civil flag of autonomous Nepal. The flag’s majority is crimson red, with a dark blue border. The upper pennon (tapered triangle) showcases a white crescent moon and Nepal’s national flower, underneath is a 12-ray white sun. Both are associated with rival ruling dynasties, and symbolise a hoped longevity for the country, equal to that of the sun and moon.

Nepal has remained a separate, sovereign kingdom, having withstood British control of the Indian subcontinent during the 17-19th Centuries. The flag’s sun and moon wore human faces until 1962, when it was removed in the name of modernisation and representation for a new constitutional government.