The use of the colour red to sound a warning is by no means limited to flags. Red signs, lights and flares intended to alert us to dangers and to prevent us from committing hazardous acts, are everywhere around us.
And it is not hard to find examples of the use of red for this purpose in nature, both animal and vegetable. The colour is sometimes used to ward off predators as a warning of toxicity or to attract pollinators or mates.
Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is widely associated with war, power, anger, malice, lust, wrath and stress – as well as with energy, action, passion, determination, desire, love, heat, longing, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigour, vibrancy and radiance. Which of these associations its use on national flags is intended to invoke is not clear, but it is the most popular colour, appearing on no fewer than 77 per cent of them.
Physically, red supposedly increases enthusiasm and energy, while encouraging action and confidence and providing a sense of protection from fear and anxiety. But it can raise the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat and pulse rate. And it has distinct meanings in different cultures. In east Asian stock markets it denotes a rise in prices while in European and north American ones it warns of a fall. In Hindu societies brides wear red dresses, but in many other countries the bliss sought by visitors to red-light districts probably isn’t of the married variety.
So much for the properties of red in general. When did red flags first acquire a particular meaning? In his classic work British Flags (1922), Perrin refers to the 'bloody colours', whose descent he suggests might lie in 'the scarlet cloak which the ancient Greek navy seems to have borrowed from the Phoenicians', though the evidence for this is elusive. What seems clearer is that from the fifteenth century onwards, a plain red flag was used militarily as a 'flag of defiance', initially in naval battles but also later during siege warfare on land – for example, at Edinburgh Castle in 1573 and during the defence of the Alamo mission in San Antonio in 1836.
Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is widely associated with war, power, anger, malice, lust, wrath and stress – as well as with energy, action, passion, determination, desire, love, heat, longing, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigour, vibrancy and radiance. Which of these associations its use on national flags is intended to invoke is not clear, but it is the most popular colour, appearing on no fewer than 77 per cent of them.
Physically, red supposedly increases enthusiasm and energy, while encouraging action and confidence and providing a sense of protection from fear and anxiety. But it can raise the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat and pulse rate. And it has distinct meanings in different cultures. In east Asian stock markets it denotes a rise in prices while in European and north American ones it warns of a fall. In Hindu societies brides wear red dresses, but in many other countries the bliss sought by visitors to red-light districts probably isn’t of the married variety.
So much for the properties of red in general. When did red flags first acquire a particular meaning? In his classic work British Flags (1922), Perrin refers to the 'bloody colours', whose descent he suggests might lie in 'the scarlet cloak which the ancient Greek navy seems to have borrowed from the Phoenicians', though the evidence for this is elusive. What seems clearer is that from the fifteenth century onwards, a plain red flag was used militarily as a 'flag of defiance', initially in naval battles but also later during siege warfare on land – for example, at Edinburgh Castle in 1573 and during the defence of the Alamo mission in San Antonio in 1836.
It conveyed the meaning that surrender would not be accepted and no quarter given to captives. Red flags still fly from the turrets of the stylised castle on Edinburgh’s city flag, while the Alamo flag has been commemorated philatelically.
In the International Code of Signals used by shipping, the letter B (Bravo) is represented by a red swallow-tailed flag which, when flown in isolation, means 'I am taking in or discharging or carrying dangerous goods'. This message was originally used by the British navy to refer to military explosives. Armies around the world hoist a red flag at firing ranges to signify that live shooting is in progress.
The earliest citation of 'red flag' in a non-military sense is dated 1777 and refers to a warning of flood risk. In his Year's Journey, the eccentric British author Philip Thicknesse reported that 'There is a red flag hoisted gradually higher and higher, as the water flows into the harbour' (at Calais). But nowadays weather-related uses more commonly refer to the risk of wildfire spread by high winds.
In a Texan case, the phrase 'Red Flag Warning' alone is assumed to be sufficient to convey its meaning to the watching viewers, while what’s remarkable about the fires in Alaska is that they are apparently so respectful of the international boundary that they leave Canada untouched, though sadly such events there are far from unknown.
In the International Code of Signals used by shipping, the letter B (Bravo) is represented by a red swallow-tailed flag which, when flown in isolation, means 'I am taking in or discharging or carrying dangerous goods'. This message was originally used by the British navy to refer to military explosives. Armies around the world hoist a red flag at firing ranges to signify that live shooting is in progress.
The earliest citation of 'red flag' in a non-military sense is dated 1777 and refers to a warning of flood risk. In his Year's Journey, the eccentric British author Philip Thicknesse reported that 'There is a red flag hoisted gradually higher and higher, as the water flows into the harbour' (at Calais). But nowadays weather-related uses more commonly refer to the risk of wildfire spread by high winds.
In a Texan case, the phrase 'Red Flag Warning' alone is assumed to be sufficient to convey its meaning to the watching viewers, while what’s remarkable about the fires in Alaska is that they are apparently so respectful of the international boundary that they leave Canada untouched, though sadly such events there are far from unknown.
Motor racing has its own flag code, in which a red flag is used to stop the proceedings. The same is true of high surf on beaches, often when compounded with currents. So beach warning flags are found in many countries. And everywhere, the red flag signifies that conditions are dangerous.
While, in Antarctica, the geographic South Pole is marked by red flag on a stake, which has to be resited annually because of the movement of the ice on which it stands.
While, in Antarctica, the geographic South Pole is marked by red flag on a stake, which has to be resited annually because of the movement of the ice on which it stands.