Jamaican flag what do the colours mean

It is flown on many triumphant occasions, showing the pride that Jamaicans have in their country and in the flag itself. Design A bipartisan committee of the Jamaica House of Representatives designed the Jamaican Flag which consists of a diagonal cross with four triangles placed side by side.

The diagonal cross is gold; the top and bottom triangles are green; and the hoist and fly side triangles are black. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope and agricultural resources.

At the end of September , the decision was made to hold competitions for the selection of a National Anthem and National Flag for Independent Jamaica. Over entries were received. Several of these original submissions are housed in the Special Collections of the National Library of Jamaica. This Joint Committee was to select a suitable design for the National Flag from among the shortlisted entries.

However, none of the entries were found to be suitable and the flag was eventually designed by a bipartisan committee of the Jamaican House of Representatives. A design was approved which featured horizontal stripes but this was later found to be too close in resemblance to the flag of the recently independent Tanganyika now part of Tanzania. The design was modified to the now familiar black, green, and gold. The Flag has a diagonal cross or saltire with four triangles in juxtaposition.

Needham, 9. Gold is associated with the natural beauty of the sunlight and wealth of the country. Under the chairmanship of the late Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, OM, OCC, the committee opted to adjust the official interpretation for what was seen as a more positive and optimistic view of the colour black in the National Flag. Today, the Jamaican National Flag continues to be a symbol of national pride and community cherished by Jamaicans all over the world.

The National Flag Code lays out guidelines for the correct display and handling of the Flag. Very poetic. And so it seemed that the new Jamaican flag would be ready for August. But then it was realised that newly independent Tanzania had an almost identical flag! This was with Independence Day barely two months away!

A mad hustle followed, and eventually the committee agreed on the design we have today. It has been said that a Scottish priest, friend of Bustamante, sketched an outline of the flag of Scotland, and Busta recommended this design to the committee.

Whether this is true or not, the Jamaican flag does have the same design as the Scottish flag, but with different colours. The final design was published in the Daily Gleaner of June 22, A gold saltire cross with black hoist and fly triangles, and green triangles at the top and bottom. It was a distinctive flag, the combination of colours and design making it easily distinguishable from the flag of any other country.

On midnight of August 5, , the Union Jack was lowered and the new national flag of Jamaica was raised on the stroke of Independence Day, Monday August 6. The principal ceremony took place at the National Stadium in Kingston, with smaller ceremonies being held in all the island's parishes.

From the outset there were those who thought that the symbolism given to the black on the flag was too negative, especially given that the population of Jamaica is mostly black. And so in , a special committee was named by Parliament to reconsider the national symbols.

It was decided that the black should interpreted as "strength and creativity", and that the meaning of the flag should be expressed as "The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative".

Of course, in Jamaica you can never satisfy everybody - there are people like me who think that black is now being used to represent race, which is one of the ideas we were trying to avoid in the first place!

Whatever interpretation you like, the national flag of Jamaica is a standout among flags.