The flags of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are all based on the Crusader’s Cross. The crosses represent Christianity and Scandinavian connections. All of the flags use a combination of the colors white, red, blue, and gold. All of the flags originate from the term Dannebrog, meaning the “Danish cloth” which resides in the thirteenth century. There are many relationships between the flags, and the countries behind the flags.
Denmark’s colors contain red and white, and is known to be the oldest continually used national flag. According to legend, it is believed that on June 15, 1219 that the flag fell from the sky on the same day of the defeat of a battle against the Estonians.
The blue and white Finnish flag dates back to 1918. It has a blue cross with a coat of arms in the middle of the cross. The two colors were named because of water and snow.
The Icelandic flag has been official since 1915, and was approved by the king in 1919. The flag’s colors were originally blue and white, but red was later added to show its connections to Norway.
Norway made a red flag with a white cross, which resemble Denmark’s flag during their unification in the fourteenth century. In 1814, Norway ceded with Sweden. Then a few years before Norway’s independence, the color blue was added to the flag.
The exact age of Sweden’s flag is not known, but it is believed to date back to the sixteenth century, but it wasn’t until 1960 that there was evidence that the flag belonged to Sweden. The Swedish flag is blue with a gold cross.
