What is its meaning and what does its colors represent?
It is known by the name of ikurriña flag of the Basque Country or Euskadi. The word, as such, is a neologism that is derived from the Basque word ikur, which means ‘symbol’. It has been considered the official flag of this territory since 1979.
The flag consists of a rectangle with a red background where a green cross and a white cross are superimposed, in a proportion of 14:25.
The ikurriña was decreed as an official flag for the first time in 1936 by the Provisional Government of the Basque Country. However, after the military coup d’état that same year, it would be declared illegal by the new military government.
During the years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, the display of the ikurriña was prohibited, hence it became a symbol of the anti-Franco struggle in the Basque region.
In 1977, more than forty years later, the flag was able to be freely displayed again thanks to the end of Franco’s rule and the beginning of the Spanish transition.
See also Francoism.
In 1979, through the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, it was once again recognized as the official flag. of the Basque Autonomous Community.
The flag, however, is usually used as a Basque flag, without official status, in the rest of the territories considered by Basque nationalism as members of Euskal Herria, which means ‘country of the Basque language’, and which refers to the territorial space in where Basque culture has historically been present, such as the French Basque Country.
Its use has frequently been associated with Basque nationalism in all its expressions, from the most moderate, such as political parties or cultural institutions, to the most radical, such as the terrorist group ETA.
Meaning of the elements of the ikurriña
The ikurriña was originally intended by its creators as a flag that would symbolize Vizcaya, independence and God. Hence, each of its elements corresponds to these concepts:
The red background represents Vizcaya or Euskadi;
The green blade It symbolizes Saint Andrew, but also the independence of the Basque Country and the Guernica tree, also a representation of Basque freedom, and
The white crossfor its part, represents God.
History of the ikurriña
The ikurriña was designed by brothers Luis and Sabino Arana, the latter being one of the founders of the Basque Nationalist Party. It was raised for the first time on July 14, 1894, on the occasion of the founding of the party.
It was initially intended to identify the territory of Vizcaya, but has come to represent the territories considered Basque by nationalists.
See also Nationalism.