The flag of Seville is a recent symbol adopted in 1995. Until that date, the symbol of Seville was a red banner with a figure representing San Fernando III El Santo.
The Seville flag is usually displayed in many places in the city and on any date. This province of Spain and capital of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, has a fairly old history.
The origins of the city date back to about 200 years BC. C. with the first settlements.
Since the Middle Ages, and especially after the discovery of America, the city of Seville was considered an important cultural center.
Currently the flag of Seville is a red flag with a golden script that reads NO8DO.
Meaning
The crimson red color of the Sevillian flag is inherited from the old standard of the city, the banner of San Fernando.
The spelling NO8DO is known in the city because it has been the symbol of the town hall since the 16th century.
This set of letters and numbers is subdivided into the word NO, the 8 which is more of a skein of yarn, and the word DO.
Popular traditions indicate that it means "NO", "skein" (made of yarn) and "DO", which reads "No skein - do".
This means "He has not left me." It should be noted that this legend has no historical or documentary reference.
To know what that sentence refers to, you have to go back to the history of Seville in the 13th century.
History
These are the final years of the 13th century, specifically in 1282. The king of Castile, Alfonso X, reigned over Seville and other cities in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.
It was already 34 that Alfonso had conquered Seville, when he was the successor of the king of the time, Fernando III of Castile, known as El Santo.
But at that distant time of the conquest Alfonso was 27 years old. In 1282 he was already king and was 61 years old. According to tradition, Alfonso X had been a great defender of the sciences and the arts.
He left a detailed literature that addressed the fields of science, law, astronomy and history.
However, it is said that his form of government was deficient, which had generated the people's antipathies. This somewhat contradicts the historical version.
It is known that the king implemented an economic policy that benefited the people of Seville, in addition to a reform to the Treasury of the kingdom.
However, his decisions to give prerogatives to the shepherds of Castilla y León and his admiration for Islamic and Judaic culture, could produce rejection among the Castilian upper class.
The supposed discontent of the people led one of Alfonso's sons, Sancho IV, to rise up against his father.
The uprising caused the division between the followers of Alfonso X and those of Sancho. Even so, the rebellious son conquered several of the kingdoms of Castile but respected Seville.
The Castilian king took refuge in this city, where Church leaders protected him and gave him asylum.
Tradition says that, to thank the Sevillians for their help, Alfonso X offered them the NO8DO emblem.
The meaning then would be "He has not left me", in relation to the loyalty of the people of Seville who had not abandoned him.
References
- Alfonso X - king of Castile and Leon. (2017). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from britannica.com
- Flag of Seville - Banderas VDK Blog. (2017). Banderasvdk.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from banderasvdk.com
- The curious origin of NO8DO. (2017). SevillaMía Tours. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from sevillamiatours.com
- History. (2017). Seville City Council. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from sevilla.org
- NO8DO in Seville, What is the meaning? - Bar Tapas Sevilla. (2017). Seville Tapas Bar. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from bartapassevilla.com