One of my hobbies is flag collecting. Although this may sound like a remarkably boring hobby, for me it is a way to connect with the places I have visited (or in some cases places where my friends have visited). My one rule is that the flag must come from the location it represents. I either buy a flag when I visit a place (which can be a bit of a challenge) or I ask friends to bring me one when they go somewhere. And if the flag comes with a story, that makes it even better. The flags I collect are the full size flags.

I have just added a new flag to my collection, and I must say this one holds a place among my favorites. It is the red and white flag of the opposition in Belarus. You may have seen this flag on the news last Spring when Belarus was having its elections. It is illegal to posses this flag in Belarus. I can’t even reveal where I got this flag because it might get the person in trouble, but I will say it was not given to me by one of our students.

The flag originally was originally designed for the Belarusian National Republic, which lasted from March 25, 1918, to January 5, 1919. It was declared during World War I but quickly came to an end when the Soviets invaded. It was also the official flag of Belarus from 1991-1995, but was replaced by the current flag in a controversial referendum.

I have a couple of other flags in my collection that are out of the ordinary. Another one from Belarus is the Soviet period flag of the Republic of Belarus. Another Belarussian friend brought me this flag. It was owned by her uncle who apparently got it in trade for a bottle of vodka. My Uzbekistani flag was brought to me by one of our students. It is the official one that the government hands out to be flown on government buildings (although this one accidentally has the stars on upside-down). Another special European flag is my Ikurrina flag that is used by Basque separatists. It was brought to me by a fellow theologian who visited Catalan.

For those interested, here is the list of my flags from Europe:

  • European Union
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Portugal
  • Ikurrina (Basque separatist)
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Lithuania
  • Latvia
  • Estonia
  • Belarus (current)
  • Belarus (opposition)
  • Belarus (Soviet)
  • Hungary
  • Ukraine
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Greece

I also have a number of flags from other countries, including many from individual states in the US. It is a bit easier to collect flags in the US, as most Wal-Marts sell the flag of the state they are in.

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