to the cross Meaning of
the cross All
Crosses Crosses by
category Alphabetical
index
Identifya cross
Dannebrog Cross
A Sideways Cross and the basis of all flags of Nordic nations.
Adopted by the world's 'happiest' country; Denmark
Dannebrog Cross
of the Danish flag
Denmark
The Dannebrog Cross dates from the 13th century and is the oldest state flag in the world. It is similar to the Swiss Cross. But where the white cross on the Swiss flag is couped, the white arms of the Danish cross extend to the edges of the field.
Danne and brog are old Danish words that mean Denmark and cloth. Therefore Dannebrog is the name of the Danish flag.
Why is the cross sideways?
The cross is a horizontal form of Latin Cross, often refered to in jewelry as a Sideways Cross. There is no particular meaning to this orientation; like all crosses, the interpretation is whatever we want it to be.1
When carried in battle, a short flagpole is obviously lighter and stronger than a long one. So for a given length of flagpole, a horizontal rectangular flag is larger than a vertical rectangular or square flag. This has resulted in most national flags having a horizontal rectangle shape and a Horizontal Cross simply follows that shape.
National and regional flags that incorporate the Nordic Cross
The Dannebrog Cross is also known as the Nordic Cross and is the basis for all flags in Scandinavia. These include the flags of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Skåneland, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Åland Islands (Finland), plus neighbouring places that are not always considered Scandinavian, such as the Shetland Islands (Scotland), Orkney (Scotland), and Iceland.
The Nordic Cross is also central to the flags of:
| Aldtsjerk, the Netherlands
Alegre, Brazil Alüksne, Latvia Andalucía, Colombia Areias, Brazil Balneário Gaivota, Brazil Barra, Scotland Bayamón, Puerto Rico Borborema, Brazil Calais, France Carmo do Paranaíba, Brazil Catholic Cathedral of Stockholm, Sweden Cësis, Latvia Chapadinha, Brazil |
Colorado, Brazil
Domingos Martins, Brazil East Karelia, Russia Escada, Brazil Frei Martinho, Brazil Grão Pará, Brazil Guaíra, Brazil Highlands, Scotland Itu, Brazil Jacupiranga, Brazil Lagoa Formosa, Brazil Little Rock, USA Mi'kmaq people, Canada and USA border |
Nova Era, Brazil
Palotina, Brazil Pärnu, Estonia Peritiba, Brazil Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Brazil Santo Antônio do Pinhal, Brazil Santo Cristo, Brazil South Uist, Scotland Stavropol Krai, Russia Tbilisi, Georgia Ventspils, Latvia Vinhedo, Brazil Volyn (Volyns'ka) Oblast, Ukraine Wilmington, USA |
Denmark is where Lego comes from (and Danes of course). It is also the happiest place on Earth, according to Science Daily2. As mentioned above, the Danish and Swiss flags are similar, and the same survey calculated that second happiest place is Switzerland. All Nordic countries are high in the happiness league.
It must be the flag!
Other Crosses on flags
| 1: | If you really want to have a meaning for a sideways cross, one interpretation is a response to the words Jesus said: "Take up your cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34). The cross was the instrument of torture and death; for Jesus this meant not only his physical death but also the spiritual death for our sins. After that, as you know, he rose to heaven. So "Take up your cross and follow me" is the invitation from Jesus to kill our sins and follow Jesus on the path to heaven. (See the Meaning of the Cross) If somebody takes up their cross and follows Jesus to the end of their days, when they die their relatives might honour that person by showing their cross has been carried to the end and it is symbolically laid down. (Crosses are usually erect on gravestones, but sometimes there are horizontal, resting on the grave.) |
| 2: | University of Leicester (2006, November 14). Psychologist Produces The First-ever 'World Map Of Happiness'. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 8, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061113093726.htm |
