Oh, I am sure they have SOME reason to show a flag. Every country has SOME people who want to show flags "on occasions".
Living in Belgium, a "state" created by foreign politicians mainly, it doesn't look very "natural" to carry the national flag.
Right before the french revolution (and Napoleons wars), "we" were a bunch of independent somethings, let's call it regions for now.
Napoleon invaded them, installed a "unified" government (and even did a good job in doing so) but after his defeat the Powers of the time decided to weaken France. Putting our "regions" together with the Netherlands didn't work out, and foreign troops helped the belgian "rebels" kick out the "dutchmen".
So far: nobody needed a "belgian" flag, but then it was created.
Some time this belgian "state" seemed to get along, then people started to notice their roots: we didn't really "belong together"
So a while ago, visiting my parents, I saw a belgian flag on the neighbours' roof. I asked what was going on, and ... he said they put it up because the crown prince now had an heir.
In the Netherlands, that wouldn't be strange. Here it IS. And the same people only put a carboard stork ... in a window, when their own first grandchild was born. For a baby "in Tervuren", they put up a flag.
Since then, I noticed my dad "having" a flag too, but it's the black-on-yellow "lion of Flanders", so the regional flag. And he's not even into politics. But suddenly he "had" it, maybe puts it out on a "flemish" festivity day ? |
