Memorable dates of Russia: The Day of the National flag of the Russian Federation is celebrated

August 22, the Day of the National Flag of the Russian Federation, established on the basis of the Decree of the Russian President №1714 of August 20, 1994 “On the Day of the National Flag of the Russian Federation” is celebrated.

The Russian flag has more than the 300-year history.

The national flag appeared in Russia at the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries, in the era of the formation of Russia as a powerful state. First the white-blue-red flag was raised at the first Russian warship "Eagle", during the reign of Peter I's father Alexis. Peter I is the legal "father" of the tricolor. January 20, 1705 he issued a decree that "all the trade courts" should raise the white-blue-red flag; he himself traced the pattern and determined the order of horizontal stripes.

Born with the first Russian warships, the Russian flag until XIX century remained the belonging of mainly the naval culture.

The adoption of the Russian white-blue-red flag on the land is due to the geographical discoveries of Russian navigators.

Officially, the white-blue-red flag was adopted as the national flag of Russia just on the eve of the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896.

The three colors of the flag, being the national, have received an official interpretation. Red color means "great power", Blue is the color of the Virgin Mary, under the cover of which is Russia, White is the color of freedom and independence. These colors also meant the Commonwealth of White, Small and Great Russia.

In Soviet Russia the red banner has been the national flag of Russia more than 70 years.

On August 22, 1991 an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR adopts the tricolor to be an official symbol of Russia. By the Russian President’s decree of December 11, 1993 the Regulations on the State Flag of the Russian Federation was approved.

December 25, 2000, the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal constitutional law "On the National Flag of the Russian Federation". According to the law, the National Flag of the Russian Federation is a rectangular cloth of three equal horizontal stripes: upper - white, middle - blue and the bottom - red. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 2:3.

November 8, 2008 the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the Federal Law "On Amendments to the Federal Constitutional Law" on the National Flag of the Russian Federation". The law was amended in Article 9-1, designed to distinguish formal and informal use of the Russian flag and its image. It is established that the official use of the flag in a manner and in the cases provided by the law. However, the state flag of the Russian Federation, including its image, citizens, public organizations, enterprises, institutions and organizations may be used in other cases if such a use is not a mockery of the National Flag of the Russian Federation.