National emblem of Belarus
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National Emblem of Belarus (1995 - current) |
The
National Emblem of Belarus (
Belarusian: "зяржаўны герб Рэспублікі Беларусь,
Russian: "осударственный герб Республики Беларусь), as adopted in a 1995 referendum, features a scroll in the colors of the
national flag, the map of
Belarus, wheat ears and a
red star. It is sometimes referred to as the
coat of arms of Belarus, which is incorrect due to lack of several
heraldry elements.
The emblem is an allusion to the one used by the
Byelorussian SSR, designed by I.I. Dubasov in the 1950s. Emblems reminiscent of the times of the
Soviet Union are also used by
Transnistria,
Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan.
The current emblem of Belarus replaced the historic
Pahonia arms that was used since the Belarusian independence, according to the
1995 Belarus Referendum.
Design
In the center of the emblem sits a green outline of the map of Belarus, superimposed over the rays of a golden sun. The sun is partially covered by a globe, with the landmass (part of
Eurasia) in purple and waters in blue. Lining the left and right sides of the emblem are stalks of wheat, superimposed with flowers.
Clovers adorn the left wheat stalks;
flax flowers adorn the right. Wrapped around the wheat stalks is a red and green ribbon bearing the colors of the
flag of Belarus; the ribbon meets at the base of the emblem, where the name
Republic of Belarus (
Рэспублiка Беларусь) is inscribed in gold in the
Belarusian language. At the top of the emblem rests a five-pointed
red star.
[ President of the Republic of Belarus Description of the National emblem. Retrieved Mar. 01 2006. ]Symbolism
The current emblem of Belarus and its component parts are not tied to any "official" symbolism. It has been suggested that the emblem signifies the "historical adherence of the Belarussian people to constructive labor, their faith in the triumph of justice, and attainment of a worthy place in the world community."
[Flags of the World Belarus - National Symbols. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006.] The design of the emblem of the
Byelorussian SSR was used as the basis for the current Belarusian emblem; the primary difference between the two is that the Byelorussian SSR emblem contains certain references to
Communism, such as the Communist symbol of
hammer and sickle, that the Belarusian emblem does not.
Legislation
The current law that regulates the design and use of the Belarusian emblem is described in a law passed on
July 5,
2004. Article 9 of Chapter 3 of Law No. 301-3 first begins to describe the official drawing of the Belarusian arms and regulates on how it can be drawn in certain versions, such as full color,
monochrome or two colored versions. Article 10 of the law states that the emblem must be displayed daily at certain locations, such as the building that houses the
President of Belarus, the chamber of the
National Assembly and within variuos governmental offices of all levels. The arms is also displayed on ballot boxes during election days and on the border marks of the Belarus state
border. The emblem can also be used on documents issued by the government, such as money,
passports and official
letterheads.
The law also restricts the use of the emblem in other areas—for example, cities, towns or oblasts cannot adopt a coat of arms or emblem that uses the national emblem completely or partially. Furthermore, organizations not listed in the Law about State Symbols may use the emblem only with the permission. The emblem can be used by citizens of Belarus and foreigners, as long as it is displayed with respect. However, citizens may not use the state emblem on letterheads or
business cards if they are not agents of the government.
[Republic of Belarus Law No. 301-3 Law of the National Symbols of the Republic of Belarus. Retrieved Mar. 01, 2006. ] In addition to standard usages listed in the law, the image of the emblem has been used in various other circumstances. For example, the emblem is displayed, along with the national flag, at the beginning and the end of a video clip with the Belarusian anthem
My Belarusy, regularly played on Belarusian
TV. Another example is the emblem being used on ballot boxes and mailings used during national and local elections.
Pahonia
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The Pahonia as appeared in 1991 |
The arms that was replaced in the 1995 controversial referendum was the historic coat of arms, called the
Pahonia. Commonly translated as
the Chase, the Pahonia featured an armored
knight on a white (silver) horse holding a silver
sword in his right hand above his head. A silver shield, charged with a yellow
Patriarchal cross, hangs on the left shoulder of the charging knight.
The Pahonia was used as an official coat of arms on several occasions, with the first being used from 1366, also known as
Vytis, the coat of arms of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania[History of the Vytis Arms. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006] and continued to be used until Belarus was annexed by the
Russian Empire in 1795. The idea of return to the historic national symbol was pursued by Belarusian poet
Maxim Bogdanovich in his poem "Pahonia". After the annexation, the Pahonia was incorporated into the Russian Imperial arms. The arms was again used in 1918 when the short-lived
Belarus National Republic used the Pahonia as part of their emblem. More recently, the Pahonia was the official coat of the arms starting in 1991, when Belarus declared itself independent of the
Soviet Union. Since it was dropped as the official emblem of Belarus, opposition groups such as the
Belarusian People's Front have used the Pahonia as part of their own party symbols or used them as a form of protest against Belarusian leader
Alexander Lukashenko.
[Symbols of the Belarusian People's Front. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006. ]Byelorussian SSR
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The Byelorussian SSR emblem |
The
Byelorussian SSR emblem was used as the arms of the
Soviet Socialist Republic until the fall of the Soviet Union. The central feature of the emblem is the crossed
hammer and sickle, the universal Communist symbol showing the unity of the worker and the peasant. Below the hammer and sickle is a globe, which is super-impose ontop of a rising sun. Wheat ears appear at the side of each arm, also with flowers on each ear; clovers on the left and flax on the right. A red ribbon is wrapped around the wheat ears, with the red ribbon signifying the
red flag used by the Communist movement. At the base of the emblem, the letters
БССР appear. БССР (BSSR) is a shorthand for the full name of the republic, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (
Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка). On the each side of the ribbon, the phrase
Workers of the world, unite! appear in Belarusian on the left and in
Russian on the right. At the top of the emblem, a red star for Communism is present. Beylorussia SSR had an emblem since 1926, yet the last emblem that was used was adopted in the 1950s. The 1950s emblem and the 1926 emblem only differed in minor details. The 1950s arms was designed by I.I. Dubasov, People's Artist of the USSR.
[Heraldicum History of the Byelorussian SSR emblem. Retrieved Mar. 01, 2006. ]The 1995 referendum
A referendum, held on
May 14,
1995, among others, contained the following question: "Do you support the introduction of the new
national symbols?" With a voter turnout of 64.7%, the new state symbols were approved by a ratio of three to one (75.1% to 24.9%). The way of carrying out the referendum was heavily criticized by the opposition. Also, actually only 48.6% of the total electorate approved of the new emblem, since over a third of the eligible voters did not express an opinion. Some claim that this failure to win a majority is a violation of the Law, but the imperfection and incompleteness of the Belarusian Law cannot resolve the issue. Supporters of the Pahonia mention that the Pahonia and the white/red/white Belarusian flag were equated to
Nazi symbols in the run-up to the vote.
[Belarus Guide - Pahonia. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006] Lukashenko claimed the selection of the Soviet-era symbols as a victory, especially to his Great Patriotic War veteran base, by saying '"we have returned to you the flag of the country for which you fought. We have returned to you both memory and a sense of human pride.
[Belarus News and Analysis Vitali Silitski - A Partisan Reality Show. May 11, 2005. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006.]*
Coat of arms of Lithuania*President of the Republic of Belarus
Official description of the National Emblem of Belarus*
2004 Law on the National Symbols of Belarus *
1995 Law on the National Emblem of the Republic of Belarus *
Brief history of Belarusian symbols 
