Mongolia has one of the coolest capitol cities in the world: Ulan Bator. No idea what there is to do there, except maybe making long distance phone calls to people just to say: 'Hey man, I'm in Ullllllllaaaaan Bator...' (Winner of the 'coolest capitols' award goes to Burkina Faso and it's capitol Ouagadougou. Say that three times fast.)
Anyway, to business:
The red was originally the color of communism (wedged between China and Soviet Russia, the Mongols hopped on board in 1924. The Communist Party was democratically re-elected in 1997) but today it represents progress. Like neighboring Kazakhstan, sky blue shows up in this flag- representing the national color of Mongolia.
The device near the hoist is where things get interesting since Mongolia's officially atheist and the device is called a soyonbo, a 17th century Buddhist emblem. Top to bottom (I guess it'd be right to left on the picture.)
The very top isn't a flower or a crown, it's actually three tongues of flame- standing for the past, present and the future. The sun and the moon below that represent the ancestors of the Mongols. The vertical columns on either side represent the Mongolian proverb, 'Two friends are stronger than stone' while the horizontal bars in the center indicated that vigilance is required from the highest and the lowest in society. What looks to be a ying-yang is in fact, two fish wrapped around each other standing for vigilance again because well, fish never sleep.
Got all that? Good, because there's going to be a test later.
(Heavy emphasis on vigilance. Hmmmm... wonder if being stuck between the Soviets and the PRC had something to do with that.)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these people conquered half the world in the 12th Century. So don't piss them off, they might do it again. Tip your furry hats and wave your swords around your heads for Mongolia!
And until next time, keep your flags flying- freak or otherwise!
No comments:
Post a Comment