Sunday, September 16, 2018

A few speculations



A review of the Acadiana flag, sold by Amazon. 

This is the flag of Acadiana, the Cajun region in the U.S. state of Louisiana (not be confused with Acadia in Canada, the original homeland of the Cajuns). The flag combines the colors of the Spanish and French flags, Spain and France being the former colonial powers in Louisiana. It also combines Spanish and French symbols: the castle is taken from the coat of arms of Castile, while the lilies (fleurs-de-lis) are associated with ancien régime France.

It's interesting to speculate which previous design may have inspired the Acadiana flag. The Confederate Louisiana flag also included the colors red, yellow, blue and white. It had a yellow star in its canton. However, the most obvious parallel – and it’s a curious one – is to the national flag and coat of arms of the Philippines! It's not just the design – the symbolism is similar. The Philippine flag combines the colors of two former colonial powers, in the Philippine case Spain and the United States. Likewise, the coat of arms of the Asian nation combines Spanish and American symbols. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that the Acadiana flag contains a symbol for Castile, while the Philippine coat of arms shows the symbol of Léon. The traditional Spanish monarchy was a union of Castile and Léon…

Just a few speculations on a Saturday afternoon.

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