Lecture

1.NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF THE UK

All four major indigenous peoples of the British Isles have their own national
symbols including floral emblems, national flags, Patron Saints, and many other
material and spiritual things owing to which they can be identified.
England. One of the most distinctive and unmistakable flowers in England is
the Tudor Rose. It has become England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the
Roses* (1455-1485). The red rose was the emblem of the royal house of Lancaster and
the white rose – of the royal house of York. They were two contending Houses for the
English throne in those wars. All rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of
Henry YII, the Lancastrian with Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IY, the Yorkist,
and the two roses were united into the Tudor rose, a red rose with a white center. The
Tudor Rose is a common sight in England even today. The floral emblem can be seen
on a number of old buildings, most notably Hampton Court Palace, which was built
during the reign of Henry VII’s son, King Henry VIII. The badge is found on the
uniforms of the Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London, and even on the back of 20p
coins! And if you look closely, you can even see Tudor Roses growing out of the
ground on which the Lion and the Unicorn stand in the Royal Coat of Arms of the
United Kingdom.
The English flag is St. George’s Cross, a thin red cross on a white field. A red
cross acted as a symbol for many Crusaders in the 12 th and 13th centuries AD. It became
associated with St. George the Martyr (April, 23), the patron saint of England and the
Church of England. In his name, the highest order of English knighthood the Order of
the Garter was instituted by Edward III about 1348. This flag remained in national use
until 1707, when the Union Flag was adopted for all purposes to unite the whole Great
Britain under a common flag.
The most important national symbol of England is the Lions of Anjou. The tree
lions were first used by Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) in the late 12 th century. Many
historians feel that the Three Lions are the true symbol of England.
Scotland. The national emblem of Scotland is the Thistle. According to the
legend, that homely plant saved the Scots from the Norsemen (ancient Scandinavian)
invasion. The Norsemen, noticing that no guards protected the camp, crossed the river
Tay, intending to take the Scots by surprise and slaughter them in their sleep. They took
off their shoes so as to make the least noise possible. But one of the Norsemen stepped
on a thistle. The sudden pain he felt caused him to shriek. The alarm was given in the
Scots’ camp. The Norsemen were put to flight, and as an acknowledgement for the
timely help from the thistle, the Scots took it as a national emblem.
The national flag of Scotland features a white saltire (X-shaped cross) on the
blue field, representing the cross of the Christian martyr Saint Andrew (November, 30)/
The Scottish flag is one of the oldest flags in the world, dating back to the 9 th century. It
was approved as the flag of the Scottish people in a statute made in 1388. The first
historical reference to the white saltire being used on the Scottish flag (albeit with a red
background at that point), occurs in 1503.
One of the legends behind the flag of Scotland takes place over 700 years ago, in
832 AD. It’s said that the night before the Pictish King Angus II, led his forces into
battle against the English King Athelstan’s' army of Angles and Saxons, he had a vision
or dream. In this vision, he saw St. Andrew and was promised triumph in battle. Early
the next morning Angus' troops were awestruck by the sight of a huge white Saltire
cross shining against the background of a bright blue sky. This 'omen' led the Scottish
troops to victory and the Saltire found its place in Scottish history. Nowadays the Saltire
forms part of the design of the Union flag.
Wales. Welshmen all over the world celebrate St. David’s Day (March, 1) by
wearing either leeks or daffodils. The link between the leek and St. David is the belief
that he is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leek.
The leek has been associated with Wales for many years. It was mentioned in
the sixth century by the poet Taliesin and in the thirteen century Red Book of Hergest
which contains the tales of The Mabinogion. According to legend, St David advised the
Britons to wear leeks on their helmets when they fought the Saxons so that they could
distinguish friend from foe. This story has versions involving different battles over
history and it is also said that the green and white colours of the Tudors originally come
from the leek. The leek is worn on St David’s Day and in some Welsh regiments it is
traditional that soldiers eat a raw leek on this day.
 The daffodil is also closely associated with St. David’s Day, due to the belief
that it flowers on that day. It became an alternative to the leek as a Welsh emblem in the
19th century because some thought the leek vulgar. David Lloyd George, the only
Welshman to serve as Prime Minister, was a public advocate of the Narcissus (its Latin
name) as its appearance in early spring symbolizes nature’s optimism and neatly
coincides with St David’s Day on March 1. A more unusual link is that daffodils are
grown commercially in Mid Wales to produce galantamine for the treatment of
Alzheimer’s disease.
The national flag of Wales is The Red Dragon of Cadwallander. It consists of a
red dragon on a green and white field. The flag was only granted official status in 1959,
but the red dragon has been associated with Wales for centuries. The origin of the
symbol is now lost in history and myths. A plausible theory is that the Romans brought
the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain, but it could be
even older. The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of
Tudor*.
The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolize Wales is from Historia
Brittonum, written around 820 AD. It is popularly supposed to have been the battle
standard of Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. The most famous legend associated
with the Welsh dragon is the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long fight between
the red dragon and a white dragon. According to the prophecy, the white dragon would
at first dominate, but eventually the red dragon would win. This is an allegory of the
historical struggle between the Welsh and the English.
Northern Ireland. The Shamrock is the national emblem of Northern Ireland. In
Gaelic, the word "seamrog" (or "shamrock" as the British spelled it to reflect its
approximate pronunciation) means clover. While the word normally refers to
white clover (Trifolium repens) or lesser clover (Trifolium dubium), shamrock
is sometimes used for other three-leaf plants in Ireland such as wood-sorrel,
black medic and red clover.
The shamrock has been a symbol of Irish identity for centuries and has
played significant roles in both the legends and history of the Emerald Isle.
According to some Irish legends, the Druids of the country's Celtic past
believed the shamrock was sacred because of its three leaves, three being an
important number in the Druidic religion. Another legend, this time about St.
Patrick, states that Ireland's patron saint used the leaves of the shamrock on his
travels to explain the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. Nowadays this
flower is worn on St. Patrick’s Day which is celebrated on March, 17.
The shamrock is often part of the bridal bouquet and the groom's
boutonniere in Irish weddings, an inclusion that symbolizes a wish for good
luck during the marriage. On St. Patrick's Day, it is part of a toasting ritual
called "drowning the shamrock," according to the Irish Culture and Customs
website. It has also been the subject of poetry such as in Thomas Moore's ballad
"Oh the Shamrock" of 1812 and in politically-charged songs like "The Wearin'
O' The Green" of 1798.
The Shamrock is also used by all sorts of State Bodies, numerous
companies, clubs and organizations. The Irish airline Aer Lingus uses the
shamrock as a symbol on its planes. The logo for the Boston Celtics, a
professional basketball team, features a leprechaun adorned with several
shamrocks.
There is currently no official flag of Northern Ireland. The Union Flag of Great
Britain is used instead. From 1953 to 1973 Northern Ireland used a flag, called “The
Red Hand Flag of Ulster”, showing a red St. George’s cross on white with a crowned
six-pointed white star with a red hand in its center. This was based on the traditional
flag of Ulster, which was a red cross on yellow, with the red hand inside a white shield
in the center. As this flag is associated with the unionists and loyalists*, it is extremely
unlikely to be reintroduced. Nationalists and republicans use the Irish tricolor, arguing
that as they do not recognize Northern Ireland as a separate political entity, they see no
grounds for it having a flag of its own.
2. STATE SYMBOLS OF THE UNITED KINDOM

Each nation has its own national state (official) symbols. National symbols
intend to unite people by creating visual, verbal, or iconic representations of the national
community, its values, goals, or history. These symbols are then used in national events
and celebrations, inspiring patriotism as they include every member of that particular
community, regardless of colour or creed.
To common official national symbols belong: the flag or banner of a nation-
state, the coat of arms, seal or stamp of the land or ruling dynasty, national anthem,
royal or imperial hymns and the national colors.
The common national flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack
and also as the Union Flag. The origin of the flag dates back to 1603, when Scotland
and England and Ireland were united in a personal union by King James I.
The current design dates from a Royal Proclamation following the Union of
Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The flag combines aspects of three older national
flags: the red cross of Saint George for England and Wales, the white saltire of St
Andrew for Scotland, and the red saltire of St Patrick's Flag to represent Ireland. Wales
is not represented on the Union Jack because it is a principality of England.
The Union Jack is most often seen flying from public buildings or at sports
events, or during national celebrations. It is also used as an official flag in some of the
smaller British Overseas Territories and appears in the canton (upper left-hand quarter)
of the flags of several nations and territories that were former British colonies.
Another important national symbol of the United Kingdom is The Royal coat
of arms which is officially known as her Arms of Dominion.
The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three
passant guardant lions of England; in the second, the rampant lion of Scotland; and in
the third, a harp for Ireland. The whole is encircled with the Garter and is supported by
a lion and unicorn. The lion has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the
British monarchy for many centuries. The unicorn, a mythical animal that looks like a
horse with a long straight horn is a symbol of purity. According to legend a free unicorn
was considered a very dangerous beast; therefore, the heraldic unicorn is chained. The
coat features both mottos of English monarchs: Dieu et mon droit (“God and my right”),
and the motto of the Order of the Garter*, Honi soit qui mal y pense (“shame upon him
who thinks evil of it”) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.
Variants of the Royal Arms are used by other members of the Royal Family.
 The British National Anthem is God Save the Queen. The words and tune are
anonymous. It was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745, which
came to be known as the National Anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
When the country has a king, ‘Queen’ is replaced by ‘King’. The song has several
verses, but usually only the first verse is sung:
“God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen.
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us;
God save the Queen.”
European visitors to Britain noticed the advantage of a country possessing such
a recognized musical symbol. In total, around 140 composers, including Beethoven,
Haydn and Brahms, have used the tune in their compositions.