爱沙尼亚的政府与政治

其他国家象征

• 国花

  矢车菊

  这是一种一年生植物,高度可达40-90厘米,具有灰绿色的分枝茎。叶片呈披针形,长1-4厘米。花朵最常见的是强烈的蓝色,生长在花头(头状花序)中,直径1.5-3厘米,周围是一圈较大的、展开的舌状花瓣,中央是一束管状花瓣。蓝色色素是原花青素,在玫瑰中呈红色。[1]

• 国树

  oak

• 国鸟

  barnswallow

• Seal

  coat of arms

  The heraldic lions of the coat of arms are the most ancient of Estonia’s symbols. They have been used since the 13th century, when they served as the big coat of arms for the capital city, Tallinn. Tallinn got these slim blue lions from the King of Denmark, Waldemar the Second, as Denmark was the ruling power in Northern Estonia at that time. The name ”Tallinn” itself means ”Danish castle”. The large coat of arms Various other foreign powers came and went, but the three lions remained and became the coat of arms for most of Estonian territory. The State Assembly of the independent Republic of Estonia adopted the three lions officially by its resolution on 19 June 1925. The current large coat of arms is a golden shield charged with three blue lions with golden oak branches on both sides of the shield. The small coat of arms is identical except there are no oak branches.

• Colors

  coat of arms

  While the coat of arms has its origin in the times of foreign rule in Estonia, the blue, black and white national colours are much younger and are closely connected to the Estonian people. They date back to the end of the 19th century. At that time, the Baltic states, Finland and the greater part of Poland were under Tsarist rule. The period is known in Estonia as the era of National Awakening. The colours were chosen by a group of young intellectuals in 1881. The flag was, at first, the symbol of the Estonian Students’ Society, but it quickly gained a much wider use. The symbolic meaning of the three colours has been explained in more than one way since that time. One popular explanation derives from a contemporary poem by Martin Lipp. The blue colour is explained as the vaulted blue sky above the native land. Black symbolises attachment to the soil of the homeland as well as the fate of Estonians — for centuries black with worries. White is connected with hard work and other more abstract human values. This explanation owes its popularity to the melody by composer Enn Vôrk, which made Martin Lipp’s poem a highly patriotic song, often ranked next to the national anthem. As in many other countries, there is also a historical metaphor for the Estonian national colours. The blue in this case represents ancient freedom, black symbolises lost independence, and white promises a brighter future. Visually, taken together, these three colours have a fresh, cool, Nordic feel, as none of the ”warm” colours is included. The same colour combination is used by no other national tricolor. The state flag By the end of the 19th century, the blue, black and white became widely accepted as a national Estonian flag. Therefore, it was natural to use these colours for the National Army’s insignia during the War of Independence. When the flag was hoisted to the top of the Tall Herman tower dominating the whole Tallinn, the tower itself gained a strong symbolic value for the Estonians. The flag flying there has always indicated the ruling power in the country. On 27 June 1922 the Estonian Parliament declared the blue-black-white the official state flag. After the Soviet occupation in June 1940, the blue-black-white flag, and, indeed, the mere combination of these colours, was banned. Many people were persecuted simply for keeping and hiding the flag or using the colours. But the colours were never forgotten and the struggle to bring the national colours back into use marked the beginning of a renewed struggle for independence in the late 1980s. They were an important weapon in the bloodless fight for the restoration of the independence of Estonia, which was finally won in August 1991.