Ikurriña
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| Name | Ikurriña |
| Use | Civil and state flag and ensign.  |
| Proportion | 14:25 |
| Adopted | 18 December 1978 |
| Design | A white cross over a green saltire on a red field. |
| Designed by | Luis Arana and Sabino Arana |
The Ikurriña flag is a Basque symbol and the official flag of the Basque Country Autonomous Community of Spain.
Following the pattern of the Union Flag, the flag was designed by the founders of the Basque Nationalist Party EAJ-PNV, Luis and Sabino Arana, and is commonly regarded as the national but unofficial symbol of Euskal Herria, or the wider Basque Country. It is widely seen in the French Basque Country and forms part of the unofficial flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the French overseas community in North America that was settled by French Basque sailors. The Ikurriña is also the flag of the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV). A controversy exists because at first it was only the symbol of a section of the party (the section of Biscay (Vizcaya)) and many persons thought that another flag must represent the territory. Another controversial point is their use of the swastika before 1930. Nowadays only a few of members of little parties use the other similar symbol, the lauburu.
The flag's British influence is probably due to the close connection between Bilbao and Britain at the time of its design.
The flag was designed in 1894 to represent the province of Biscay (Vizcaya in Spanish, Bizkaia in Basque) in a set of one flag for each of the seven Basque provinces and one for the whole country. However, since PNV activity was scarce outside of Biscay, only the Biscayne flag was publicly recognized. It was hoisted for the first time in the "Euzkeldun Batzokija", the club that preceded EAJ-PNV. The party adopted it in 1895 and, in 1933, proposed it as the flag of the whole Basque Country.
In 1936, because the Basque people had accepted the "ikurriña" and at the suggestion of the socialist counselor Aznar, the Basque Government adopted it as the flag of the Basque Autonomous Region. The regime of General Franco prohibited it in 1938 (it continued to be used in the Basque departements of France). It became a symbol of defiance – the first actions of the clandestine group ETA involved placing flags in public places. During the Spanish transition to democracy, it was legalized in 1977. Two years later, the Basque Government turned to adopt it as flag of the Basque A.C. It was also adopted by nationalists in the rest of the provinces.
The red bottom symbolizes the Biscayan people (the race); the green saltire might represent the Oak of Guernica, a symbol of the old laws of Bizkaia, or Fueros; and over them, the white cross, God's symbol of Basque Catholic devotion. Thus, red, white and green have become the national Basque colors.
[edit] Name
The name is a neologism by the Aranas from ikur ("mark, sign", compare to Catalan senyera). It was intended to have the generic meaning of "flag" but ended with this specific meaning. Therefore, the current standard Basque word for "flag" is the Hispanism bandera. A similar process happened with other Basque nationalist neologisms, like lehendakari and ertzaintza, coined originally as generic terms, but then applied almost exclusively to the Basque President and the Basque Autonomic Police. The original Biscayne spelling of the Aranas was ikuŕiñ (the final -a is the Basque definite article). The modern standard spelling is ikurrin.
 The red background and vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines show some similarity to the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Navarre. |
 Photo of a real flag |
 Flag of Saint Pierr et Miquelon |
 The Basque left-wing nationalist party Herri Batasuna used a logo inspired by the Ikurriña. |
 Arrano Beltza flag |
 Riders with the flag of Navarre, ikurrina and the Arrano Beltza in an homage to ETA members. |
 Parade in Abadiano, Biscay |
 School mural in Boise, Idaho, USA |
[edit] See also
- The arrano beltza ("black eagle") is another flag often displayed by Basque leftist nationalists besides Ikurriña.
- The modern flag of Saint Pierre et Miquelon (French North America) recognizes its Basque heritage by including an ikurriña.
- Gallery of flags with crosses
- Basque people
[edit] References
- Apuntes para la historia del nacionalismo vasco: las banderas de los ex-Estados históricos vascos o regiones autónomas, Luis de Arana Goiri, 1930. Scanned pages of a typewritten manuscript.
- Basque Country (Spain) at Flags of the World
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