MyanmarThe flag of Burma (also called Myanmar) was adopted on January 3, 1974 upon the declaration of a socialist republic in Burma by Ne Win.
However, the imagery within the canton was changed to a cog wheel with a bushel of rice superimposed upon it.
The State Flag is rectangular in shape and its background colour is red with a dark blue canton at the top left corner. A pinion and ears of paddy encircled with fourteen white stars of equal size have been superimposed on the dark blue field of the canton. The centre of the pinion coincides with the centre of the blue canton. The pinion has fourteen cogs of equal size and within it are two ears of paddy consisting of 34 grains.
At the top of each cog of the pinion is a star with five vertices. The paddy represents the peasants while the pinion stands for the workers who form the majority of the people in the country, 14 uniform white stars symbolize the equal status and union spirit of the 7 States and 7 Divisions that constitute the Union of Myanmar.
The Myanmar flag consists of three colors, of which, the red signifies valor and certainty, white stands for transparency and good worth, and blue represents honesty. It was when Ne Win declared the socialistic republic in Burma,this flag was adopted which took place on January 3, 1974.
According to astrology the symbol of paddy signifies success and warm friendships. It also signifies prosperity in all trades. The Cog wheel is a universal symbol of cosmic unity in astrology. It symbolizes unity, movement, the sun, the zodiac, reincarnation, and earth's cycles of renewal. The stars surrounding the cog wheel according to astrology is a symbol of good sheperd.The five-pointed star, if drawn with points of equal length and angles of 36° at each point, is sometimes termed a golden five pointed star. If the colinear edges are joined together a pentagram is produced, which is the simplest of the unicursal star polygons, and a symbol of mystical and magical significance. The golden five-pointed star is a very common ideogram in the western world, and has particularly strong associations with military power and war thus signifying the military of Myanmar. Astrological star is a symbol of light meaning bright future. In this state we feel secure but free, and can be more loving, more accepting of other people. By associating ourselves with the Star symbol, we are thinking of ourselves at the simplest, finest, level. As nothing but light, in fact. And just as the demonstration of our loving nature, even just a smile to a passer-by, can brighten other people's lives - can totally alter the course of a day for them - so letting the Starlight shine from our hearts has a way of touching them inwardly. The star is generally said to symbolize all our hopes and aspirations. It means balance between the gifts of life and our gift to life.
