New flag of Lithuania with Gediminas pillars and historical colors

I saw here on reddit someone’s attempts to upload a version of the Lithuanian flag based on the Dobužinskis flag, which narrowly missed becoming the new Lithuanian flag in 1940. So I upload my test here.

A brief explanation why Lithuania needs a new flag at all. The current Lithuanian flag has always been a hasty compromise. The green color was never part of the historical colors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (and was more associated with Žemaitija or Lesser Lithuania than with the historical LDK. When in 1917 the Lithuanian People’s Council (realizing the real possibilities of restoring the Lithuanian state) started to create the Lithuanian flag, the possibility of simply using the historical red flag of the LDK with Vyčius (similar to the current coat of arms of Lithuania or often raised near homes now) was seriously considered "historical flag of Lithuania"). However, at that time the Bolsheviks also used a red flag (besides, the flag with Vytis was technically difficult to make), so it was decided to add an additional color and create a two-color one. There was a proposal to use yellow next to red, but the proposal to put green won (due to sentiments for the 19th century flag of Little Lithuania. Little Lithuania at that time belonged to German Prussia, where Lithuanians lived – now it is Kaliningrad; the flag was green-white-red), the green color was taken from there, finally yellow was also added, and the result was intended for later change – it was not intended as a long-term solution, only a temporary option. The yellow-green-red flag visually connects Lithuania more with the colors of Africa, South America and some South Asian nations than with the actual geographical and historical context of Lithuania. It should be understood that all additional tricolor color meanings (about the sun, forests and blood, etc.) were invented later.

In the interwar years, the most active person who took up the task of changing the flag was a painter, scenographer and heraldic enthusiast Mstislavas Dobužinskis (1875-1957). He sharply criticized the tricolor and proposed many variations, and two of his projects in the 1940s were selected to become the new flag of Lithuania. However, the Soviets came sooner than the officially scheduled date for changing the flag – and Lithuania ceased to exist as an independent state.

Let’s go back to the variant of this flag. In this version, between yellow and red, a symbol important to Lithuania – the Gediminaičiai stulpai – is inserted. Historically, there are many variants of Gediminaičiai pillars. This one is from 1435. Bergshammer codex, slightly slanted (the slanted version is more suitable for the type of design where yellow and red need to be separated by vertical white lines down the middle). It is attributed to Žygimantas Kęstutaičius, the last ruler of the LDK from the bloodline of Duke Kęstutis, who tried to maintain the ethnic Lithuanian Catholic nobility and Lithuanian dominance in the LDK (after his death in 1440, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania increasingly turned into a Rusyn state, and later "bent over").

There is another reason to return to LDK colors. Especially now that Belarusian opposition and all kinds of marginals "Lithuanians" is trying to steal the heritage of the LDK (and to simply call us and our country Žmūds, Žemaitsi, etc.), it would be very wise not to run away from the LDK heritage, but to consolidate it in the state symbolism (something similar was also suggested by the historian Alfred Bumblauskas).

In the second image I have laid out all the sources of inspiration and historical justification for the flag.

What I like about this version: it is unique, simple enough, corresponds to the colors of the historical state of Lithuania (Grand Duchy of Lithuania), has a clear “Lithuanian character”"easily recognizable from other flags (especially from typical 19th-20th century tricolors) and unlike the typical "random" An African country flag or any Myanmar flag at all, like the current one.