ELECTRONICAL BULLETIN OF VEXILLOLOGY from CATALONIA

By JAUME OLLE.

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FIRST EXPOSITION OF AMERICAN VEXILLOLOGY.

Organized by our appreciated and distinguished colleague Dr. Raul Perazzo, the First Exhibition of American Vexillology was celebrated from 18 to 30 June 1998, an event declared of cultural interest by the provincial government of Buenos Aires.

The exhibition constituted a notable success of public and awoke new vexillological keenness in Argentina. Our congratulations to Dr. Perazzo for such a magnifical work.

The Argentine Association of Vexillology hopes that from the next issue (26) their Bulletin "Estandarte" will already be able to be edited by computer means, the corresponding equipment having been already acquired.

FLAG OF DONETSK (UKRAINE)

Information facilitated by Volodomyr Yaskovets, translating (with difficulties since he speaks little Catalan) the indications of four citizens of Donetsk. Reconstruction.

REGION OF FLANDRE (FRANCE)

Information provided by Chatal Cerdán.

Community of Common of Flandes

FLAGS IN FLANDRE (Belgium)

Information facilitated by Juanjo González

Flags photographed at the European Site of the Peace, in Belgium, at the monument of the emancipation of Flanders, Tower of the Yser, Peace Gate.

Blue flag with white dove

White flag with black green border and the letters PAX also in green.

Information facilitated by Filip Van Laenden

Le premier drapeau est un drapeau assez rare. Il est bleu avec un oiseau blanc, mais ce n'est pas une colombe. L'oiseau s'appelle 'Blauwvoet' (Pied bleu) en néerlandais, et c'est un oiseau fictif, c'est-à-dire, cet oiseau n'existe pas en réalité. Je ne connais pas si bien l'histoire de cet oiseau, mais apparement, ca doit être un très grand oiseau blanc, avec des pattes bleues. Il est possible que cet oiseau est le même que le 'Jan-van-Gent' (sait pas le nom en français). Dans les cercles nationalistes flamandes, il y a une crie: 'Vliegt de Blauwvoet, Storm op zee!' (Vole-t-il le Pied-Bleu, Tempête au mer!). Cet oiseau appelle à un nationalisme romantique flamingant.

L'autre drapeau est le drapeau PAX (mot latine pour 'paix'). Je ne sais plus si le drapeau était blanc ou jaune, avec des lettres noires*. Le Tour de l'Yser a des inscripts qui disent 'Nooit meer oorlog' 'Plus jamais guerre' en néerlandais, français, allemand et anglais. Le symbolisme est clair: ce drapeau doit appeler au paix.

*According to photograph in color in the hands of Juanjo González and the mine, the flag is white with green edge and green letters.

STANDARD OF THE ARCHBISHOP PEDRO DE URREA

Information facilitated by Tomas Rodríguez Peñas.

The archbishop of Tarragona Pedro de Urrea (1445-89) used in the naval expeditions that he conducted a pennant as pavilion that currently hangs in the Cathedral of Tarragona.

The standard is white with fringe around. Contains the keys of Saint Peter and the Tiara and in the inferior angles two patriarchal coats of arms in each side of the standard: that of the Patriarch of Alexandria (post also held by Pedro de Urrea) with blue bands on white on one side; and one which is probably that of the Patriarch of Aquilea Scarampo, on the other, losangy blue and white.

Pedro de Urrea armed a fleet of seven ships under his command, to join the fleet that Cardinal Scarampo, patriarch of Aquileia was preparing against the Turks, under the supreme leadership of the Catalan Pope Calixtus III. It seems that Urrea used the fleet to support his king, Alfons, in his Italian politics, instead of going to fight the Hungarians and Turks, but afterwards he spent two years in Turkish waters combatting against them until his return to Tarragona in 1459.

FLAG OF ALBATERA

Information provided by José Antonio Jiménez Ruiz

The Municipality of Albatera (province of Alacant) chose its local flag through voting of its inhabitants. The newspaper " Vega Baja" in its issue of the Tuesday 5 May 1998 informed that 2.600 inhabitants exercised their right to vote (of a census of 6.459 greater of age). The electors were warned by letter of the mayor Francisco Serna (belonging to the leaves coalition "Left United") and they could opt between the proposal of the Council of Heraldic (that obtained 427 votes) and the municipal proposal (2.200 votes). There were six void votes and one in white, but various ballots were containing suggestions on the flag.

The text of the municipal letter was the following: "The town hall, after the approval of the municipal heraldic shield, has the purpose of adopting other symbol for the municipality, the municipal flag, that it does not exist, so that could undulate in the balcony of the town hall and in protocolar acts; having elaborate several alternative of the design of the flag pursuant to the procedures established by the new legislation, to propose its approval to the Consellería of the Presidency of the Generalitat of Valencia. The full of the town hall in their meeting of the day 29 of December 1997, agreed by the political groups of this town hall that the new flag will be of the acceptance of all the albaterense. The motive of this letter is to give you to know the alternative two of flag that they can be proposed to approval of the technical Council of heraldic of the Generalitat, so that contributions your opinion in this regard and once withdrawal the opinion of all the neighbors that want to participate, will be happened to the such conference result to the Full of the town hall for its approval. This conference is accomplished between all the neighbors that they have fulfilled most of age, that are found registered; and so that its resulted not offer doubts, are transmitted the alternative two with your name and surnames, so that you return us the one which your you choose as flag of the villa. I wait of all the neighbors the collaboration in the decision of this agreement for be a symbol of the municipality that will identify us to all the albaterense, because of this I invite you to participate in its election" - Signed: Francisco García Gelardo - Mayor - President."

The first proposal was formed by the municipal shield in field of gules, a scarce originality sample, own of many cities.

The second is vertical in proportions 1:2:1 ( general ratio 2:3) blue, red and yellow. The red field contains the local shield.

Shield:

CNT-AIT

by Roser and Elisabet Ollé.

The flag of the historical trade union CNT appeared widely from May in distributed posters all over Catalunya without doubt to offset the campaign of the union CGT, a division of the own CNT that had distributed adhesive with the flag of this trade union in the previous months. The flags of both unions are, as can deal, very similar.

REGION (COMARCA) OF BAIX CAMP

The Catalan region of the Baix Camp has by capital the city of Reus, kernel that also that extends its influence to other neighboring regions. From this region you can see the present Bulletin.

The "comarcal" shield was approved initially by the Full of the Council 27 May 1994 . The text of the agreement is the following (translation of the Catalan):

" Mr. Puig manifest that after a series of conferences to historians, political groups and entities of the region, is proposed that is approved the presented shield, that contains an oak tree. After its approval will have to be sent to the advising of heraldic of the general Address so that make the corresponding study with advice of the Catalan Studies Institute. Mr. Mellau it is adhered to the proposal and Mr. Torres says that the shield proposal is made based on facts and historical topics; in its day the full council began transact them to endow to the institutional shield entity i to such effect was filed the corresponding process and is assignment the design and accomplishment of the proposal to the advising of heraldic of the Generalitat; also the Council gathered the existing documentation that could result from interest for the confection of the "comarcal" shield and requested in historical report for the documentation of the proposal; the board of spokesmen of the Consell Comarcal was gathered in various occasions to discuss on the basic element that will form part of the shield and will serve as insignia as the entity, after the obtainment as the documentation in various sources and in order to find a satisfactory element to represent to the Council

In such felt the proposal of the board of spokesmen increases to the plenary approval a made shield basically of agreement to the design elaborated by Mr. Armand de Fluvià i Escorsa, advising of heraldic of the Generalitat, observing the organization and outlined consideration. What proposes as motive of the shield, instead of a hazelnuts snowflake as had been indicated initially, it is a tree of the forests in surround the region; this change is due to the fact that the hazelnut cultivation is found currently in recession in the region and is considered more representative of the Baix Camp the tree of its forests.

All over this according to disposed what is in the Decree 263/1991 of 25 of November, of approval of the Regulation of the symbols of the local entities of Catalunya, the Full of the Council agrees unanimously the following:

FIRST.- To approve initially the shield proposal of the Consell Comarcal of the Baix Camp of agreement to the design that figure in the process.

SECOND.- To submit the process to public exposition during a term of 30 days through announcements publication in the Daily Official of the Generalitat and in the square of announcements of the corporation according to anticipated what is in the article 25.1 of the Decree 263/91.

THIRD.- Once elapsed said term to transmit copy of the process to the General Address of local Administration of the departament of Governació so that issue report and request the judgment Institut d'Estudis Catalans on the shield approved by this Consell and to continue the regulatory processing established in the articule 26 of the Decree 263/91 in order to the definitive approval of the shield".

have not found obstacles in its processing, his definitive approval by the Full of the Consell comarcal was produced 31 October 1995.

The comarcal flag is found pending of approval. Four proposals by Jaume Ollé (the only proposals until now) are in study.

The flag of the capital of the region, Reus, it does not count by the moment with the official approval, but its use (with various smaller variations of the central symbol) is immemorial.

The Full of the town hall adopted 29 May 1998 a "emblem" or shield simplified for the local corporation ., in use of the attributions of the decree 263/91 of 25 of November (Regulation of symbols of the local entities of Catalonia). The emblem, pursuant to the law, distinguishes all that that belongs to the Municipality but has an inferior consideration range to the shield (is shield is a representative symbol while the emblem is alone distinctive). The shield remains reserved for protocolar and ceremonial affairs and the emblem will be the distinctive element used in the administrative papers, external elements of the town hall (as urban furniture, wardrobe, municipal cars...) etc. The emblem uses an element of the shield: the heraldic rose put within caironed field . Without be the municipal shield contains a sufficiently representative element and definer of the city: the rose, used from makes six hundred years.

SALOU

This information was added on last minute. Translation made by Jaume Ollé.

Salou it is one of the principal tourist capitals of the world. Center of the Gilded Coast, contains the part most important of the thematic Park named Port Adventure than competes with advantage with Eurodisney.

Salou was forming part of the Municipality of Vilaseca-Salou, but is liberated some years ago emerging the Municipalities of Vilaseca de Solcina (that preserved the previous flag) and Salou, that recently it has adopted own flag.

The new flag, that uses the same colors of the previous, though in different arrangement, recalls to that of Curaçao. The meaning of blue is the sea and the sky and the yellow band intends to represent the trip of the king Jaume I from Salou for the conquest of the Balearic Islands that then were constituting a state of population nearby to the Catalan but muslim religion .

XIII NATIONAL CONGRESS OF VEXILLOLOGY OF SPAIN

The days 7 and 8 of November of 1998 will be celebrated in Burgos (in the Principal Theatre, Street Espolón, s/n) the XIII National Congress of Vexilology organized by the S.E.V.

The program will be begun on Saturday to 10 a.m. with the receipt of the Congressmembers, the authorities receipt and the performance of a floklorikal group of the Frias village that accomplishes the call Dances of the flag. The motions are begun to 12 of the noon and upon ending the Congressmembers will will have a receipt in the provincial Delegation where they will be able to flavor the wine of the zone. For the afternoon will prosecute the motions and at night the traditional dines of vexillological brotherhood.

On Sunday day 8 to 10,30 hours a.m. will be able be visited the Monastery of the Huelgas, of vexillological importance since in him is conserved the famous standard of The Dales of Tolosa, and the Military Museum; ended the visit will be followed with the motions, interrupted some two hours for the food. For the afternoon, after the last motions, the Congress will have concluded and the SEV will celebrate their General Assembly, after the one which the associates will return to their points from origin.

The Secretary of the Congress is Jorge Hurtado (Plaza Meninas, 2, 5º C, 28025 Madrid) and the Secretary of the SEV corresponds to Tomas Rodríguez (Virgen de Iciar, 21, 3º B, 28220 Majadahonda - Madrid), to those which can be directed those that wish to formalize its registration and yet not it may have made.

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INFORMATIONS TO COMPLETE