FLAG OF MONGOLIA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The flag of Mongolia is the national symbol of this Asian republic. It is made up of three vertical stripes of equal size. The two ends are red and the middle one is blue. In the strip on the left, the most prominent symbol of the flag is imposed: the soyombo, which summarizes a series of abstract images representing the elements, in addition to the yin-yang.

Although with the precedent of the flag of the Turkic Khanate, no great national symbols existed in Mongolia until the Qing dynasty, which established its official flag in its territories. In 1911, with the independence of Mongolia, the first khanate flags emerged, yellow in color and with a peculiar shape, with three stripes in the air.

Mongolian flag. (See File history below for details.).

After a brief occupation by the ROC, a communist system was established in Mongolia. Since then, flags have emerged that adapted the previous symbols, such as the soyombo, with the communists. In 1945, the current flag with a socialist star was approved, removed in 1992.

The color red is identified with the prosperous future, while blue is the symbol of the blue sky. The soyombo represents fire, water and earth, in addition to yin-yang as balance.

History of the flag

Mongolia has a thousand-year history. It is estimated that the territory has been populated by humans for at least 800 thousand years. The area was the epicenter of complex and developed cultures throughout prehistory, which are the object of study for their work on materials.

- First ancient states

The first states that arose in representation of the current territory of Mongolia succeeded each other since before the beginning of the Christian era. In the year 209, the first state recognized as Mongol, known as Xiongnu, was founded. In it would be the ethnic origin of the Mongols. After several divisions, the Xianbei state succeeded it in AD 147.

Later, the Kanato Rouran was imposed, from the year 350. From its foundation, the Mongolian expansion towards other territories began to form. During these states, conventional European-style flags, or Asian-type symbols, did not exist.

- Turkic Khanate

The Turkic Khanate was one of the first great expressions of the dominance exercised by the Mongols for centuries. Their power was imposed on the Rouran, leaving the Turkic minority in power. This khanate spread throughout much of that area of Asia, even reaching the Middle East.

The power of the Turks came to dominate even Chinese dynasties, but their sovereignty collapsed in 744 after falling to Chinese and Uighur hands. The greatest novelty of the Turkic Khanate was the use of a flag. This consisted of a cyan pavilion that incorporated the profile of an animal in green in its central part.

Flag of the Jaganato Köktürk. (Dolatjan).

- Medieval Mongolia

Mongolia entered the Middle Ages with the end of the Turkic Khanate. After the Turks, Uyghurs and Kitans took power at different times. By the 12th century, the Kitans became a vassal state of the Chinese Song dynasty, until they were finally defeated. That entire century was the scene of a fragmentation of the Mongol states, between tribes and khanates.

It was also in this period that the understanding of the area with the Mongolian name began. From the 8th century a series of tribes began to identify themselves as Mongols, until they were transformed into a confederal status by the 12th century. However, they must have shared space with the Tatar, Merkit, Naiman, Keirate and other Mongol tribes.

- Mongol Empire

Genghis Khan was the unifier of the Mongolian tribes, and years later the Mongol Empire was formed. This state has been the largest in the history of mankind, spanning from present-day Poland to the Korean peninsula in an east-west direction. It is considered that, over the years, the Mongol Empire came to occupy 22% of the planet's land surface.

Despite its importance, the Mongol Empire did not have an official flag. From the beginning, the colors with which this state was identified were red and blue. It is estimated that by the 14th century, they may have had a plume with a red stripe and three blue triangular pennants.

It has also been considered that the Empire may have had some blue pennants with red edges and some symbols similar to the current Soyombo. On the other hand, according to the stories of Marco Polo, Cathay (the name by which Mongolia was known) could have a silver flag with three red crescents.

- Qing Dynasty

The Mongol Empire fractured, creating new states in its western part, which did enjoy a flag. Since then, Mongolia came under the influence of China, especially the Yuan dynasty. For the first time, the capital was established in Beijing.

By the 15th century, the Yuan dynasty was replaced by the Northern Yuan, made up mainly of Mongols. A dominant Mongol khanate re-formed in the 16th century. It was also in that century that Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia. However, by the 17th century, much of Inner Mongolia fell to the Manchu, who founded the Qing Dynasty.

This dynasty, over time, became the dominant one in China. Inner Mongolia was controlled by the Qing dynasty indirectly through marriages and military alliances. In 1889, the Qing dynasty adopted a yellow flag with a dragon, which became the symbol of China.

Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1889-1912). (By Sodacan, from Wikimedia Commons).

- Kanato from Mongolia

The Qing dynasty fell in 1911, marking the end of a thousand-year monarchical history in China. Given that, the ROC was established, led by Sun Yat-sen. At the same time, Mongolia declared independence under the leadership of Bogd Khaan. This implied the existence of Mongolia as an independent nation for the first time in modernity.

One of the greatest representations of the new Mongolian Khanate was the creation of a flag. This consisted of a pavilion that, on its left side, on a composite yellow background, imposed the symbol of the soyombo in different colors such as silver, brown and black, in addition to yin-yang. This part had a light orange border, which was followed in three small independent horizontal stripes towards the right part.

The soyombo is a Buddhist symbol that is over 300 years old. This was part of the Soyombo writing system or alphabet, created by the monk Zanabazar in 1686. The Soyombo symbol represents a Sanskrit word that can be understood as self-created.

Flag of the Mongolian Khanate. (1911-1924). (Joins2003).

- Republic of China

The successor of Sun Yat-sen in the presidency of the ROC, Yuan Shikai set out to reconquer outer Mongolia, considering it part of his territory, having been a member of the Qing dynasty. The Mongolian position held that Mongolia was under Manchu power, so at the end of the Qing dynasty, its status was lost.

Despite its intentions, China did not attempt to occupy the territory again until 1919. The October Revolution that had triumphed in Russia in late 1917 and imposed a Bolshevik communist government made China's options to enter Mongolia weigh and finally occupied.

The presence of the ROC in Mongolia was short-lived, since by October 1920 Russian troops had entered the territory and defeated the Chinese. While Chinese rule in Mongolia became effective, the flag of the ROC was raised, consisting of five horizontal stripes of red, yellow, blue, white and black.

Flag of the Republic of China (1912-1928). (By Kibinsky, from Wikimedia Commons).

Restoration of the Khanate and Mongolian Revolution

The Russians quickly controlled the situation in Mongolia and expelled the Chinese in 1921. This caused that, for that year, Mongolia declared its independence again, and the flag established in 1911 was officially retaken. However, in the country it was formed a Provisional Revolutionary Government under the Soviet orbit that laid the foundations of a communist government.

This government had a flag, which began to be in harmony with the Soviet symbols. This was a red cloth with a fraction of the soyombo, composed of a yellow circle and a semicircle at the bottom, representing the sun and the moon. Both symbols were arranged in the canton.

Flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Mongolia. (1921-1924). (Orange Tuesday).

- People's Republic of Mongolia

After the death of the independence leader of the khanate, Bogd Khaan, communism was officially established in 1924 with the establishment of the People's Republic of Mongolia. The first constitution of this communist republic established the creation of a new national flag. The symbol maintained the composition of the previous one, as it was made up of a left part with three horizontal stripes in the air on the right.

The main difference was noted with the background color, as the constitution established that the flag would be red with the state emblem in the center. In most versions, the soyombo turned completely yellow with the green leaves of a lotus flower at the bottom.

Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic. (1924-1930). (Drawn by Joins2003).

1930 flag

The situation in Mongolia continued to be under the protection of the Soviet Union. The first communist leaders of the country were Pan-Mongolians, so they proposed the incorporation into the republic of Inner Mongolia, in the hands of China. Also, the communist government attacked Buddhist monasteries and religion in general.

For the year 1930 a new official flag of the People's Republic of Mongolia was approved. On this occasion, the flag became rectangular with a triangle-shaped opening with four cuts on the right side. The flag had three horizontal stripes, colored red, blue and red.

A beige circle with a red border was included in the center, in which the yellow soyombo was incorporated, accompanied by the green leaves of the lotus flower. This flag was not considered very common among the population and in official use.

Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic. (1930-1940). (Ericmetro).

1940 flag

The political reality of this region of Asia changed with the expansion of the Empire of Japan. The Japanese invaded Manchuria in northern China in 1931, forming a parallel puppet state symbolically led by Puyi, China's last emperor of the Qing dynasty. That region was very close to Mongolia, which put it at risk and which made Mongolia participate in the war between the Soviet Union and Japan.

All of this was done in the framework of the Second World War. Mongolia participated in liberation campaigns in regions such as Inner Mongolia. In 1940 a new constitution of the Mongolian People's Republic was approved. This was the first to acquire a rectangular shape, with 1: 2 proportions. His description announced that it would be a red cloth with the state emblem in the central part.

The difference in this case was the emblem, which is no longer the soyombo and has the traditional Soviet heraldry. The shield was circular in shape, with a star presiding over it at the top. The central image was that of a man riding a horse towards the sun, in a landscape that shows mountains and plains.

Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic. (1940-1945). (Ericmetro).

- End of World War II

1945 gradually marked the end of the Second World War. In February, the three great leaders of the Allied powers met in the Soviet city of Yalta. Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt set the conditions for future limits. The Soviets promised to join the Chinese conflict if the independence of outer Mongolia was guaranteed, through a referendum.

This referendum was held in October 1945, and resulted in 100% of the votes in favor of independence. The ROC continued not to recognize it, but with the triumph of the Chinese Revolution in 1949 the People's Republic of China was established and the states began to recognize each other. However, the veto power of nationalist China delayed Mongolia's entry into the UN until 1961.

New flag of 1945

In the same 1945, Mongolia approved a new flag. Although it was adopted in 1945, it did not become official until 1949. Its composition was described in 1960, with the approval of a new constitution.

This flag design is practically the same as the current one, with three vertical stripes of red, blue and red and with the yellow soyombo on the left. At the top, it was chaired by a socialist star.

The approval of this flag implied the return of the soyombo after a brief period of five years of absence. This symbol remained until the fall of the communist system in the country.

Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic. (1945-1992). (Drawn by User: latebird).

- End of Soviet rule

The dictatorship and the Soviet communist system in Mongolia continued uninterrupted until 1990. In 1952, Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal seized power in the country and became one of the longest-serving leaders of the Soviet bloc.

In 1990, Mongolia starred in the Mongolian Democratic Revolution. Its objective was the establishment of a multi-party democratic system, which was achieved without bloodshed.

From then on, Mongolia began a democratizing process. In 1992 a new constitution was passed that removed the People's Republic from the country's name, leaving only Mongolia.

Another change was the flag: although minor, the removal of the socialist star from the top of the soyombo was important. Since then, the flag has remained unchanged.

Meaning of the flag

Especially because of the soyombo, the flag of Mongolia is a symbol rich in meaning. Colors, over time, have also taken on a new meaning. The color red represents the prosperous future forever, while blue is the symbol of the eternal blue sky. The color yellow has traditionally been a symbol of part of Tibetan Buddhism and has historically represented Mongolia.

The creation of the red-blue-red stripes in 1945 was made to represent communism, with the color red, and Mongolian nationalism, with blue. These kinds of meanings changed after the democratization of the country.

Meaning of soyombo

The most important symbol of the flag is the soyombo. It is a simplification of the elements: fire (with the flame at the top), water, earth, in addition to the stars such as the sun and the moon.

Also, in it is the symbol of the Taijitu, which shows the duality of yin and yang and their eternal coexistence. Its presence on the flag is a symbol of the country's philosophical principles.

Fire is understood as a representation of eternal growth, as well as renewal and rebirth. Each of the parts of the flame represent yesterday, today and tomorrow. The other symbols that stand out are the sun and the moon, which can be the origin of the Mongols, eternal life or indestructibility of the Mongolian people or simply, the universe.

Another of the soyombo symbols are spears, representing the defense of values against enemies. The two extreme rectangles can signify a kind of strength, to show the strength of the rest of the components and the unity of all of them.

References

Batbayar, B. (2000). Twentieth Century Mongolia. Global Oriental. Recovered from brill.com.
Consulate of Mongolia. Indonesia. (sf). Frequently Asked Questions. Consulate of Mongolia. Indonesia Recovered from mongolianconsulate.org.
Kaplonski, C. and Sneath, D. (editors). (2010). The History of Mongolia (3 Vol.). Global Oriental. Recovered from books.google.com.
Mongolia Travel Advice. (sf). Mongolia flag: description, symbolism, meaning and origins. Mongolia Travel Advice. Recovered from mongolia-travel-advice.com.
Morozova, I. (2009). Socialist revolutions in Asia: the social history of Mongolia in the 20th century. Routledge. Recovered from taylorfrancis.com.
Smith, W. (2015). Flag of Mongolia. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Recovered from britannica.com.

FLAG OF MONGOLIA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024