View source for Flag of Belarus

{{Short description|none}}
{{For|the flags of Belarus|List of Belarusian flags}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Republic of Belarus
| Image = Flag of Belarus.svg
| Use = 111111
| Symbol = {{FIAV|111111}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion = 1:2
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1951|12|25|df=y}} <small>(Soviet version)</small><br/>{{Start date and age|1995|06|07|df=y}} <small>(original design with a thinner ornament pattern)</small><ref name="geraldika1"/><br/>{{Start date and age|2012|02|10|df=y}} <small>(current design with a thicker ornament pattern)</small><ref name='stb911-2008'/>
| Design = An unequal horizontal bicolour of red over green in a 2:1 ratio, with a red ornamental pattern on a white vertical stripe at the hoist.
| Designer = Matrona Markevich (original ruchnik design)<br>Mikhail Husyev (original Soviet variant)<br>[[Alexander Lukashenko]] (current variant)
}}

The [[national flag]] of [[Belarus]] is an unequal red-green bicolour with a red-on-white [[Rushnik|ornament pattern]] placed at the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|hoist]] (staff) end. The current design was introduced in 2012 by the State Committee for Standardisation of the [[Republic of Belarus]], and is adapted from a design approved in a [[1995 Belarusian referendum|May 1995 referendum]]. It is a modification of the [[flag of the Byelorussian SSR|1951 flag]] used while [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|the country]] was a republic of the [[Soviet Union]]. Changes made to the Soviet-era flag were the removal of [[communism|communist]] symbols – the [[hammer and sickle]] and the [[red star]] – as well as the reversal of the colours in the ornament pattern. Since the 1995 referendum, several flags used by Belarusian government officials and agencies have been modelled on this national flag.

Historically, the [[white-red-white flag]] was used by the [[Belarusian People's Republic]] in 1918 before Belarus became a [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet Republic]], then by the Belarusian national movement in [[West Belarus]] followed by widespread unofficial use during the [[Nazi occupation of Belarus]] between 1942 and 1944, and again after it regained its independence in 1991 until the 1995 referendum. Opposition groups have continued to use this flag, though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of Belarus, which claims it is linked with [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] [[Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy|collaboration]] due to its use by [[Byelorussian collaboration with Nazi Germany|Belarusian collaborators]] during [[World War II]]. The white-red-white flag has been used in protests against the government, most recently the [[2020–2021 Belarusian protests]], and by the [[Belarusian diaspora]].

==Design==
The basic design of the national flag of Belarus was first described in Presidential Decree No.&nbsp;214 of 7 June 1995. The flag is a rectangular cloth consisting of two horizontal stripes: a red upper stripe (which was inspired by the [[flag of the Soviet Union]]) covering two-thirds of the flag's height, and additional green lower stripe covering one-third. An additional vertical red-on-white traditional Belarusian decorative pattern, which occupies one-ninth of the flag's length, is placed against the flagstaff. The flag's ratio of width to length is 1:2.<ref name="geraldika1">{{cite web |script-title=ru:Указ Президента Республики Беларусь Об утверждении Положения о Государственном флаге Республики Беларусь &#124; Геральдика.ру |trans-title=Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus on Approval of the Regulations on the State Flag of the Republic of Belarus |website=Geraldika.ru |publisher=[[Roskomnadzor]] |language=ru |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://geraldika.ru/symbols/9223 |archive-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625191949/http://geraldika.ru/symbols/9223 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The flag does not differ significantly from [[Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|the flag]] of the [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic]] (Byelorussian SSR), other than the removal of the [[hammer and sickle]] and the [[red star]], as well as the reversal of red and white in the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|hoist]] pattern, from white-on-red to red-on-white.<ref name="presby">{{cite web |url=http://president.gov.by/en/symbols_en/ |title=State Symbols of the Republic of Belarus |website=The Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus |access-date=30 April 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426091820/http://president.gov.by/en/symbols_en/ |archive-date=26 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Smith |first=Whitney |date=3 April 2013 |title=Flag of Belarus &#124; Britannica |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |location=Chicago, Illinois |access-date=26 November 2020 |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Belarus |archive-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225192118/https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Belarus |url-status=live }}</ref> While there is no official interpretation for the colours of the flag, an explanation given by President [[Alexander Lukashenko]] is that red represents freedom and the sacrifice of the nation's forefathers, while green represents life.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lukashenko |first=Alexander |date=2 July 2013 |title=Remarks of the President at the ceremony to inaugurate the State Flag Square |website=The Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus |publisher=The Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus |url=http://president.gov.by/en/news_en/view/remarks-of-the-president-at-the-ceremony-to-inaugurate-the-state-flag-square-6448/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430224327/http://president.gov.by/en/news_en/view/remarks-of-the-president-at-the-ceremony-to-inaugurate-the-state-flag-square-6448/ |archive-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

In addition to the 1995 decree, "STB 911-2008: National Flag of the Republic of Belarus" was published by the State Committee for Standardisation of the Republic of Belarus in 2008. It gives the technical specifications of the national flag, such as the details of the colours and the ornament pattern. The red ornament design on the national flag was, until 2012, {{frac|12}} the width of the flag, and {{frac|9}} with the white margin. As of 2012, the red pattern has occupied the whole of the white margin (which stayed at {{frac|9}}).<ref name='stb911-2008'>{{cite web |script-title=ru:СТБ 911-2008 Государственный флаг Республики Беларусь. Общие технические условия |trans-title=STB 911-2008: National Flag of the Republic of Belarus. Technical Specifications. |year=2008 |publisher=State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus |language=ru |access-date=5 August 2010 |url=http://vik.by/documents/download?name=%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%91%20911-2008&number=20769 |archive-date=19 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819214213/https://vik.by/documents/download?name=%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%91%20911-2008&number=20769 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Colours===
The colours of the national flag are regulated in "STB 911-2008: National Flag of the Republic of Belarus" and are listed in the CIE [[Standard illuminant]] D65.<ref name='stb911-2008'/>
:{| class="wikitable"
|+Standard Colour Sample of the National Flag<ref name='stb911-2008'/><ref>{{cite web |title=State Symbols - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus |url=https://mfa.gov.by/en/sgp/state_symbols/ |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus |access-date=9 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2 | Colour
! colspan=2 | Colour coordinate
! rowspan=2 | ''Y''<sub>10</sub>
|-
! ''x''<sub>10</sub> !! ''y''<sub>10</sub>
|-
!style="background:#C0000A;color:white"| Red
|| 0.553 ± 0.010 || 0.318 ± 0.010 ||14.8 ± 1.0
|-
!style="background:#0EA000;color:white"| Green
|| 0.297 ± 0.010 || 0.481 ± 0.010 ||29.6 ± 1.0
|}

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! [[File:Flag of Belarus.svg|40px]]<br>2012–present
! ! style="background:#009739; width:100px; color:white;"| Green
! style="background:#D22730; width:100px; color:white;"| Red
|-
| [[Pantone]] || 355 C || 1795 C
|-
| [[CMYK]] || 93-0-100-0 || 0-96-82-1
|-
|[[Web colors|HEX]]
|#009739
|#D22730
|-
|[[RGB color model|RGB]]
|0-151-57
|210-39-48
|}

=== Construction sheet ===
{{gallery
|height=250
|width=475
|File:Flag of Belarus (construction sheet).svg
}}

===Hoist ornament pattern===
[[File:Belarus flag pattern.svg|thumb|Decorative pattern on the Flag of Belarus that resembles ''[[ruchnik]]'']]
A decorative pattern, designed in 1917 by {{ill|Matrona Markevich|be|Матрона Сяргееўна Маркевіч}}, is displayed on the hoist of the flag (as it was previously, on the 1951 flag).<ref name="flagi24">{{cite book |last1=Basaŭ |first1=Alâksandr Níkadzímavíč |last2=Kurkoŭ |first2=Ívan Míhajlavíč |year=1994 |script-title=be:Флагі Белорусі ўчора і сення / Flagí Belorusí ŭčora í sennâ |trans-title=Flags of Belarus yesterday and today |publisher={{ill|Полымя|ru}} |location=Mínsk |language=be |isbn=978-5-345-00730-3 |oclc=490001675 |page=24 }}</ref><ref name="kotljarchuk">{{cite web |last=Kotljarchuk |first=Andrej |author-link=Andrej Kotljarchuk |date=14 September 2020 |title=The Flag Revolution. Understanding the political symbols of Belarus |website=balticworlds.com |publisher=Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES), [[Södertörn University]] |access-date=7 December 2020 |url=http://balticworlds.com/the-flag-revolution-understanding-the-political-symbols-of-belarus/ |archive-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225192118/http://balticworlds.com/the-flag-revolution-understanding-the-political-symbols-of-belarus/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The pattern, derived from local plants and flowers, is a traditional type commonly used in Belarus. These patterns are sometimes used in woven garments, most importantly in the traditional ''[[ruchnik]]'', a woven cloth used for ceremonial events such as religious services, weddings, and other more minor social functions, such as a host offering guests [[bread and salt]] served on a [[rushnyk|ručnik]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Belarusian Textiles |website=belarusguide.com |publisher=Virtual Guide to Belarus |access-date=25 December 2020 |url=http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/visual_arts/Textile.html |archive-date=27 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627075132/http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/visual_arts/Textile.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Belarusian Ruchnik |website=belarusguide.com |publisher=Virtual Guide to Belarus |access-date=25 December 2020 |url=http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/visual_arts/Belarusian_rushnik.htm |archive-date=22 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722105238/http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/visual_arts/Belarusian_rushnik.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The husband of Matrona Markevich was arrested for anti-Soviet propaganda and executed during [[Soviet repression in Belarus]] in 1937, after which the family was [[Dekulakization|dekulakised]]. The original ''ruchnik'' has not survived and was either confiscated by the NKVD in 1937 or destroyed during [[World War II]]. The brother of Matrona Markevich, Mikhail Katsar, head of the ethnography and folklore department at the [[Academy of Sciences of Belarus]], was included into the commission that was ordered to create a new flag for the Belarusian SSR in 1951.<ref name=budzma>{{cite news |date=6 July 2015 |script-title=be:У Сянне адкрылі помнік жанчыне, якая вышыла арнамент з дзяржаўнага сцяга |trans-title=A monument to a woman who embroidered an ornament from the state flag was unveiled in Sianno |work=Budzma |language=be |access-date=20 January 2018 |url=http://budzma.by/news/u-syannye-adkryli-pomnik-zhanchynye-yakaya-vyshyla-arnamyent-z-dzyarzhawnaha-scyaha.html |archive-date=25 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825132058/https://budzma.by/news/u-syannye-adkryli-pomnik-zhanchynye-yakaya-vyshyla-arnamyent-z-dzyarzhawnaha-scyaha.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |script-title=be:Адкрыты спіс – Маркевіч Аляксей Захаравіч (1885) |trans-title=Markevich Alexey Zakharovich (1885) |publisher=Openlist |language=be |access-date=20 January 2018 |url=https://by.openlist.wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%87_%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B9_%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%87_(1885) |archive-date=29 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929080334/https://by.openlist.wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%87_%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B9_%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%87_(1885) |url-status=live }}</ref> A monument to Matrona Markevich was erected in [[Sianno]] in 2015.<ref name=budzma/>

==Protocol==
{{multiple image|total_width=400
|image1=Belarusian flag Minsk (cropped).jpg
|image2=Парад в Минске 2019 13.jpg
|footer=(Left) The flag with the Soviet-style star in a diamond finial waving above a government building in [[Minsk]]; (right) the colours of the Belarusian flag being interpreted during a flypast of the [[Belarusian Air Force]] during the [[Minsk Independence Day Parade|Independence Day Parade]] in honor of the 75th anniversary of the [[Liberation of Belarus]].}}
Belarusian law requires that the flag be flown daily, weather permitting, from the following locations:<ref name="President">{{cite web |script-title=ru:Государственная символика Республики Беларусь |trans-title=State symbols of the Republic of Belarus |website=President.gov.by |publisher=Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus |access-date=5 April 2020 |url=http://president.gov.by/ru/simvolika_ru/ |archive-date=4 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004212203/http://president.gov.by/ru/simvolika_ru/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The residence of the [[president of Belarus]]
* The buildings of the [[National Assembly of Belarus]] ([[House of Representatives of Belarus|House of Representatives]] and [[Council of the Republic of Belarus|Council of the Republic]])
* The building of the [[Council of Ministers of Belarus]]
* Courts of Belarus 
* Offices of local executive and administrative bodies
* Above buildings in which sessions of local Councils of deputies take place (during the meetings)
* Military bases or military ships
* Belarusian embassies and consulates
* At checkpoints and posts at the [[borders of Belarus]]

The Belarusian flag is also officially flown on the sites of special occasions:<ref name="President"/>
* Sessions of local executive and administrative bodies
* Voting/polling places
* Sports arenas during competitions (although the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] has its own rules on flag display<ref>{{cite book |year=2008 |title=Flag Manual |publisher=Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad&nbsp;– Protocol Division |location=Beijing, China |page=4 |oclc=718195221 }}</ref>)

Belarusian diplomats and various government officials (such as the President and the [[Prime Minister of Belarus|Prime Minister]]) display the flag on vehicles.<ref name="President"/> On special occasions, such as memorial services and family holidays, and it can be used at ceremonies and events hosted by public organisations, companies, and [[NGO]]s. The regulations were issued in the same decree that defined the Belarusian flag.<ref name="President"/> The national flag has been incorporated into the badge of the [[Guards unit|guard units]] in the [[Armed Forces of Belarus|Belarusian armed forces]].<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Военный мундир Нагрудные знаки |trans-title=Badges of the Armed Forces of Belarus |website=deti.mil.by |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus]] |language=ru |access-date=5 April 2020 |url=http://www.deti.mil.by/paradeground_6_10/uniform/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311020206/http://www.deti.mil.by/paradeground_6_10/uniform/ |archive-date=11 March 2007 }} ''Note: Works in [[Internet Explorer]] only''</ref> The pole should be three times longer than the width of the flag.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Государственные символы Республики Беларусь |trans-title=State symbols of the Republic of Belarus |publisher=National Center for Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus |language=ru |access-date=30 April 2010 |url=http://mir.pravo.by/library/adres/gosydarstvensimvol/ |archive-date=28 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128032145/http://mir.pravo.by/library/adres/gosydarstvensimvol |url-status=live |title=Title }}</ref>

According to the 1995 presidential decree, the national flag is to be used on a staff that is coloured gold (ochre).<ref name="geraldika1"/> Other parts of the protocol specify the finial (the metal ornament on a flag pole) as diamond-shaped and coloured in a yellow metal. In this diamond there is a five-pointed star (similar to that used in the [[emblem of Belarus|national emblem]]).<ref>{{cite web |date=20 December 2008 |title=Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Korea&nbsp;— Republic of Belarus&nbsp;— National Symbols |website=Korea.mfa.gov.by |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://korea.mfa.gov.by/eng/rb/national_symbols/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121129015335/http://korea.mfa.gov.by/eng/rb/national_symbols/ |archive-date=29 November 2012 }}</ref> The diamond pattern represents another continuation of Soviet flag traditions.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Гордо Реют Боевые Стяги! |trans-title=Battle Rigs are Proudly Flying! |website=Grinchevskiy.ru |language=ru |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://www.grinchevskiy.ru/rvo/092007/gordo-rejut-boevie-stjagi.php |archive-date=7 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807134928/http://www.grinchevskiy.ru/rvo/092007/gordo-rejut-boevie-stjagi.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The Day of the National Emblem and Flag of Belarus{{efn|{{langx|be|Дзень дзяржаўнага гербу і дзяржаўнага сцягу Рэспублікі Беларусь}}, {{langx|ru|День Государственного герба и Государственного флага Республики Беларусь}}}} is 15 May.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 May 2006 |script-title=ru:14 мая – День Государственного герба и Государственного флага Республики Беларусь |trans-title=BelTA's page about the national flag day |work=Belta |language=ru |url=http://www.belta.by/ru/info?id=93057 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011225918/http://www.belta.by/ru/info?id=93057 |archive-date=11 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Historical flags==
{{see also|List of Belarusian flags}}

=== White-red-white flag ===
{{Main|White-red-white flag}}
[[File:Flag of Belarus (1918, 1991-1995).svg|thumb|left|{{FIAV|historical}} The white-red-white flag of the [[Belarusian People's Republic]] (1918), the [[Byelorussian SSR]] (1990–1991), the [[Republic of Belarus]] (1991–1995).]]

The [[white-red-white flag]] was used by the [[Belarusian People's Republic]] in 1918 before [[Belarus]] became a [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet Republic]], then by the Belarusian national movement in [[West Belarus]] followed by widespread unofficial use during the [[Nazi occupation of Belarus]] between 1942 and 1944, and again after it regained its independence in 1991 until the (disputed<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Pastukhov |first=Mikhail |date=2019-05-14 |title=Pahonia And White-Red-White Flag Remain State Symbols Of Belarus |url=https://charter97.org/en/news/2019/5/14/334022/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808222839/https://charter97.org/en/news/2019/5/14/334022/ |archive-date=2021-08-08 |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=charter97.org |publisher=Charter97 |language=en |quote=All these factors suggest that the vote was held under duress, most likely with serious fraud. There is evidence (for the most part – from the BPF observers) that, especially in rural areas, there were violations of the law, stuffing. The "referendum" of 1995 and its outcome cannot be recognized as legitimate. This means that the symbols that acted according to the laws of 1991, remains legal and legitimate, which is also true about the status of the Belarusian language," – ex-judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus Mikhail Pastukhou concluded}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Navumchyk |first=Siarhei |date=2019-05-14 |title=Рэфэрэндум-95 пра сымболіку і мову ня быў легітымным |trans-title=Referendum-95 about symbols and language was not legitimate |url=https://www.svaboda.org/a/27734568.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250418163155/https://www.svaboda.org/a/25383715.html |archive-date=2025-04-18 |access-date=2025-04-18 |work=Радыё Свабода |language=be}}</ref>) 1995 referendum. 

[[Belarusian opposition|Opposition groups]] have continued to use this flag, though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of Belarus, which claims it is linked with [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] [[Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy|collaboration]] due to its use by [[Byelorussian collaboration with Nazi Germany|Belarusian collaborators]] during [[World War II]]. The white-red-white flag has been used in protests against the government, most recently the [[2020–2021 Belarusian protests]], and by the [[Belarusian diaspora]].

=== Soviet era ===
====1919–1951====
Before 1951, several different flags had been in use since the Revolution. The earliest flag was plain red, and was used in 1919 during the existence of the [[Lithuanian–Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic]]. After the formation of the Byelorussian SSR, the lettering ССРБ (SSRB) was added in gold to the top hoist. This design was established with the passage of the first Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Канстытуцыя Сацыялістычнай Савецкай Рэспублікі Беларусі |trans-title=Constitution of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Belarus |website=pravo.by |publisher=National Center of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus |language=ru |access-date=27 May 2011 |url=http://pravo.by/lawhistory/konst.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927164427/http://pravo.by/lawhistory/konst.htm |archive-date=27 September 2010 }}</ref> It was later modified in the 1927 Constitution where the letters were changed to БССР (BSSR) but kept the overall design the same.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Постановление VIII Всебелорусского С’езда Советов Рабочих, Крестьянских и Красноармейских Депутатов об утверждении Конституции (Основного Закона) Белорусской Социалистической Советской Республики |trans-title=Resolution of the VIII All-Belarusian Congress of Soviets of Workers, Peasants and Red Army Deputies on the approval of the Constitution (Basic Law) of the Belarusian Socialist Soviet Republic |website=pravo.by |publisher=National Center of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus |language=ru |access-date=27 May 2011 |url=http://pravo.by/lawhistory/konst.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129020006/http://pravo.by/lawhistory/konst_1927.htm |archive-date=29 November 2010 }}</ref> This design was changed in 1937, when a hammer and sickle and red star were placed above the letters. The flag dimensions were also formally established as 1:2 for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Об Утверждении Конституции (Основного Закона). Белорусской Советской Социалистической Республики |trans-title=On Approval of the Constitution (Basic Law). Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic |website=pravo.by |publisher=National Center of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus |language=ru |access-date=27 May 2011 |url=http://www.pravo.by/lawhistory/konst_1937.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929141907/http://www.pravo.by/lawhistory/konst_1937.htm |archive-date=29 September 2010 }}</ref> This flag remained in use until the adoption of the 1951 flag, which did away with the letters.<ref name="kotljarchuk"/>
<gallery widths="160" heights="110">
File:Flag of the Lithuanian-Byelorussian SSR.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} [[Lithuanian–Byelorussian SSR]]<br>1919
File:Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919-1927).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} [[Byelorussian SSR]]<br>1919–1927
File:Flag of Byelorussian SSR (1927-1937).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Byelorussian SSR<br>1927–1937
File:Flag of the Byelorussian SSR (1937).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Byelorussian SSR<br>1937–1951 
</gallery>

====1951–1991====
{{Main|Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic}}
[[File:Flag of Byelorussian SSR.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} {{FIAV|110000}} Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951 to 1991]]
The flag of the Byelorussian SSR was adopted by decree on 25 December 1951.<ref>[[File:Wikisource-logo.svg|16x16px|alt=|link=]] [[:s:ru:Указ Президиума ВС БССР от 25.12.1951 о государственном флаге Белорусской ССР|Указ Президиума ВС БССР от 25.12.1951 о государственном флаге Белорусской ССР]] {{in lang|ru}} on the ''Russian [[Wikisource]]'' ("The decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Belorussian 25.12.1951 on the state flag of the Byelorussian SSR")</ref> The flag was slightly modified in 1956 when construction details were added for the red star and the golden hammer and sickle. The final specifications of the flag was set in Article 120 of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR and are very similar to the current Belarusian flag. The flag had a length-to-width ratio of one to two (1:2), just like the [[flag of the Soviet Union]] (and the other fourteen [[Republics of the Soviet Union|union republics]]).<ref>[[File:Wikisource-logo.svg|16x16px|alt=|link=]] [[:s:ru:Указ Президиума ВС БССР от 8.05.1956 об утверждении Положения о Государственном флаге Белорусской ССР|Указ Президиума ВС БССР от 8.05.1956 об утверждении Положения о Государственном флаге Белорусской ССР]] {{in lang|ru}} on the ''Russian [[Wikisource]]'' ("The decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Belorussian 05.08.1956 approving the Regulation on the State Flag of the Byelorussian SSR")</ref> The main portion of the flag was red (representing the [[October Revolution|Revolution]]), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests). A pattern of white drawn on red decorated the hoist portion of the flag; this design is often used on Belarusian traditional costumes. In the upper corner of the flag, in the red portion, a gold hammer and sickle was added, with a red star outlined in gold above it. The [[hammer]] represented the worker, and the [[sickle]] the [[peasant]]; according to [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] ideology, these two symbols crossed together symbolised co-operation between the two classes. The red star, a symbol commonly used by [[Communism|Communist]] parties, was said to stand either for the five social groups (workers, youth, peasants, military, and academics), the five known continents, or the five fingers of the worker's hand. The hammer, sickle and star were sometimes not displayed on the reverse of the flag. The purpose for this design was that the Byelorussian SSR, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR, were admitted to the United Nations in 1945 as founding members and needed distinct flags for each other. The designer of the flag was Mikhail Gusyev.<ref name="flagi24"/>

===1995 referendum===
{{main|1995 Belarusian referendum}}
{{multiple image|total_width=400
|image1=Flag of Belarus (1995-2012).svg
|image2=Lukashenko flag idea 1995.svg
|caption1= {{FIAV|historical}} Flag adopted in 1995, slightly modified in 2012.
|caption2= {{FIAV|proposal}} Flag proposed by Lukashenko in 1995.}}

The referendum that was held to adopt the [[National symbol|state symbols]] took place on 14 May 1995. With a voter turnout of 64.7%, the new flag was approved by a majority in the ratio of three to one (75.1% to 24.9%). The other three questions were also passed by the voters.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 July 2011 |script-title=ru:Центральной комиссии Республики Беларусь по выборам и проведению республиканских референдумов |trans-title=Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on elections and holding republican referendums |website=rec.gov.by |publisher=Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda |language=ru |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://www.rec.gov.by/refer/ref1995resdoc.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720220048/http://www.rec.gov.by/refer/ref1995resdoc.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref> The way of carrying out the referendum as well as the legality of questioning the national symbols on a referendum was heavily criticised by the opposition, with some people, such as former judge of the [[Constitutional Court of Belarus]], {{Ill|Mikhail Pastukhov|ru|Пастухов, Михаил Иванович|be-tarask|Міхаіл_Пастухоў}}, and former parliament member [[Siarhei Navumchyk]], even stating that the [[Pahonia (Belarus)|Pahonia]] and the [[White-red-white flag]], are still the ''[[de jure]]'' symbols of Belarus, due to the referendum's dubious nature.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Supporters of the Pahonia also criticize that the Pahonia and the former White-red-white flag were compared to ones used by [[Byelorussian collaboration with Nazi Germany|collaborationist forces during World War II]] in propaganda that was published during the run-up to the vote.<ref name="nazi">[http://www.belarusguide.com/as/history/pahonia.html#4 Belarus Guide – Pahonia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419142403/http://www.belarusguide.com/as/history/pahonia.html#4|date=2016-04-19}}. Retrieved 7 March 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Minorities at Risk Project |year=2004 |title=Chronology for Poles in Belarus |website=unhcr.org |publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,CHRON,BLR,,469f38691e,0.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416025126/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,CHRON,BLR,,469f38691e,0.html |archive-date=16 April 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |year=2000 |title=One Europe, Many Nations: A Historical Dictionary of European National Groups |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC&pg=PA117 117] |isbn=978-0-313-30984-7 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC}} }}</ref> Opposition parties claimed that only 48.7% of the entire voting population (75.1% of the 64.7% who showed at the polling stations) supported the adoption of the new flag, but Belarusian law (as in many other countries) states that only a majority of voters is needed to decide on a referendum issue.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marples |first=David R. |year=1999 |title=Belarus: A Denationalized Nation |publisher=Harwood Academic |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, UK |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EMCYfOSaLSgC&pg=PA75 75] |isbn=978-90-5702-343-9 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=EMCYfOSaLSgC}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Electoral Code Of The Republic Of Belarus |website=ncpi.gov.by |publisher=The Elections of the President of the Republic of Belarus |access-date=15 August 2012 |url=http://ncpi.gov.by/elections/eng/legal/code.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823020556/http://ncpi.gov.by/elections/eng/legal/code.htm |archive-date=23 August 2011 }}</ref> Upon the results going in favor of President Lukashenko, he proclaimed that the return of the [[Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet-style flag]] brought a sense of youth and pleasant memories to the nation.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Jaskułowski |editor-first=Krzysztof |editor-last2=Kamusella |editor-first2=Tomasz |editor-link2=Tomasz Kamusella |year=2009 |title=Nationalisms Today |publisher=[[Peter Lang (publisher)|Peter Lang]] |location=Bern, Switzerland |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=r_0rT6V_OV4C&pg=PA222 222] |isbn=978-3-03911-883-0 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=r_0rT6V_OV4C}} }}</ref>

Lukashenko had tried to hold a similar referendum before, in 1993, but failed to get parliamentary support. Two months before the May 1995 referendum, Lukashenko proposed a flag design that consisted of two small bars of green and one wide bar of red. While it is not known what became of this suggestion, new designs (called "projects" in Belarus) were suggested a few days later, which were then put up to vote in the 1995 referendum.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Vexillographia – Флаги Беларуси |trans-title=Vexillographia – Flags of Belarus |website=vexillographia.ru |publisher=Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry |language=ru |access-date=7 December 2020 |url=http://www.vexillographia.ru/belarus/index.htm |archive-date=17 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517110722/http://www.vexillographia.ru/belarus/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Other related flags==
[[File:Flag of the President of Belarus.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|000000}} {{FIAV|normal}} [[Flag of the President of Belarus|Presidential standard]]]]

Since the introduction of the 1995 flag, several other flags adopted by government agencies or bodies have been modelled on it.

The presidential standard, which has been in use since 1997, was adopted by a decree called "Concerning the Standard of the President of Republic of Belarus". The standard's design is an exact copy of the national flag, with the addition of the [[National emblem of Belarus|Belarusian national emblem]] in gold and red. The standard's ratio of 5:6 differs from that of the national flag, making the standard almost square. It is used at buildings and on vehicles to denote the presence of the president.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Указ Президента Республики Беларусь О Штандарте (флаге) Президента Республики Беларусь |trans-title=Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus on the Standard (Flag) of the President of the Republic of Belarus |website=Geraldika.ru |publisher=[[Roskomnadzor]] |language=ru |access-date=1 December 2020 |url=https://geraldika.ru/s/2071 |archive-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225192121/https://geraldika.ru/s/2071 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2001, President Lukashenko issued a decree granting a flag to the Armed Forces of Belarus. The flag, which has a ratio of 1:1.7, has the national ornamental pattern along the length of the hoist side of the flag. On the front of the flag is the Belarusian coat of arms, with the wording УЗБРОЕНЫЯ СІЛЫ ("Armed Forces") arched over it, and РЭСПУБЛІКІ БЕЛАРУСЬ ("of Republic of Belarus") written below; the text of both is in gold. On the reverse of the flag, the centre contains the symbol of the armed forces, which is a red star surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel. Above the symbol is the phrase ЗА НАШУ РАДЗІМУ ("For our Motherland"), while below is the full name of the military unit.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tarasievich |first=Yury |date=22 November 2005 |title=Belarus&nbsp;– Military Flags |website=fotw.net |access-date=1 December 2020 |url=https://geraldika.ru/s/2071 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122161921/https://www.fotw.info/flags/by%5E.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 November 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 October 2020 |script-title=ru:Флаги армии Беларуси |trans-title=Flags of the Army of Belarus |website=vexillographia.ru |publisher=Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry |language=ru |access-date=1 December 2020 |url=http://www.vexillographia.ru/belarus/army.htm |archive-date=18 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718235934/http://www.vexillographia.ru/belarus/army.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
<!-- Dead note "UN": Page 125 of [http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/NISPAcee/UNPAN012373.pdf "Nations in Transit 2003: Country Report of Belarus"] [.pdf format, 92KB] -->
<!-- Dead note "referendum": [https://www.fotw.info/flags/by_law.html#ref Flags of the World's Comments and reporting on the 1995 flag referendum] -->
<!-- Dead note "constitution": [http://www.law.by/work/EnglPortal.nsf/6e1a652fbefce34ac2256d910056d559/d93bc51590cf7f49c2256dc0004601db?OpenDocument English-language text of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus] on the website of the "National Center of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus" -->

==External links==
{{Wikisource}}
{{Commons category|National flag of Belarus}}
* {{FOTW|id=by|title=Belarus}}

{{Symbols of Belarus}}
{{Flag of Europe}}
{{nationalflags}}
{{Portal bar|Heraldry|Belarus}}
{{featured article}}

[[Category:Flags of Belarus| ]]
[[Category:National flags|Belarus]]
[[Category:National symbols of Belarus|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1995|Belarus]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 2012|Belarus]]
[[Category:Flag controversies|Belarus]]
[[Category:Flags with green, red and white|Belarus]]