This Week In Vexillology #54

Last week, we were in Sweden-  this week, we're heading back to the tropical sunshine and the reggae beats- so get ready to feel the rhythm, feel the ride, get on down it's bobsled time- COOOOOOOOL RUNNINGS!   Yes, this week in vexillology, we've got Jamaica:

Adopted on August 6th, 1962 for national and civil usage, the present design of the Jamaican flag was the winner of a national contest that members of the public contributed too.  An original design with vertical stripes was considered to similar to what was then the flag of Tanganyika (now Tanzania- stay tuned for next week!) so a saltire, or diagonal cross was used instead.

The saltire recalls the Irish and Scottish roots of many of the inhabitants, while the green represents the land, the yellow the sun shining and the black represents hardships-  and the locals have a saying that captures that nicely:  'Hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth.'  (Black, yellow and green are also pan-African colors.)

So put on your Bob Marley records-  go see if they've got that one Jimmy Cliff  movie on Netflix yet and put your hands together for the greatest island in the Caribbean-  Jamaica, mon!  And until next time, keep your flags flying- FREAK or otherwise!