Many countries and nations have beautiful flags but there is nothing like the Greek in its symbolism and meaning. The current national flag of Greece was adopted in 1979 but its history goes to the Greek War of Independence, as it was first adopted, in a slightly different form, by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus on 13 January 1822, and is generally referred to as the “azure-white” or “blue-white” flag.
It is made of nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white, and in the upper hoist-side corner it has a blue canton bearing a white cross. It has a ratio of 2:3. The nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase “Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος (Freedom or Death)”: the five blue stripes for the five syllables of “Ελευθερία” and the four white stripes for the syllables of “ή Θάνατος”. It is also thought that the nine stripes represent the letters of the word “freedom (Ελευθερία)” in Greek.The cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The choice of blue and white in the colours of the flag is based on the colours of the Greek sky and sea.
The Greeks are clever, and by using colour, number of stripes and the white cross, they could symbolically say a lot. It is a flag that is to be admired for its great symbolism, and which the Copts can identify with to a large extent: Faith and freedom, or better death. The Greeks wanted to hoist a flag which says they would die for their faith and freedom. Their history is encoded in it.