In a surprising twist, the Kyrgyz parliament has decided to change the Kyrgyz national flag after concerns were raised about its resemblance to a sunflower. President Sadyr Japarov and other critics argued that the flag’s central element, a yellow sun with wavy rays on a red background, was reminiscent of the infamous flower known in local culture as a symbol of fickleness and subservience.

The flag, introduced in 1992 following the country’s independence from the Soviet Union, features a yellow sun, which also represents the top of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt tent. However, some members of parliament could not help feeling that the wavy rays bore a striking resemblance to sunflower petals and called for a change.

This peculiar association with sunflowers is significant in Kyrgyz culture, much like the weathercock in some European languages, which depicts people as fickle and changeable. Given Kyrgyzstan’s heavy dependence on larger partners and the large proportion of its population that works abroad, such associations hit a sensitive nerve.

With more than a million Kyrgyz citizens working outside the country, the symbolism behind the sunflower hits the mark and raises questions about national identity and pride. As the debate continues, Kyrgyzstan finds itself at a crossroads between tradition and modernity, grappling with the implications of a simple but significant symbolic change.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyzstan-moves-rid-national-flag-likeness-fickle-sunflower-2023-11-29/

Written by Alya Erdoğan Edited by İklim