DUSHNBE, November 24, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan today marks a National Flag Day for the first time.

Celebrations to mark this new public holiday are being held across the whole country.

In Dushanbe, a main cultural action to mark this holiday will be held today evening, at 6:00 pm, at the Dousti Square.  Students from Dushanbe high schools and veterans of war and labor will take part in this action.  Dushanbe mayor and members of the government are also expected to attend this action.

Besides, a book exhibition and scientific-practical conference will be held at the City Lohouti Library and various fairs will take place in Dushanbe’s parks.

Tajikistan was the last of the former Soviet republics to reveal a new flag, which was adopted on November 24, 1992.  The one common link between this and the 1953 Tajik SSR flag is the choice of colors - red, white and green.

The crown represents the Tajik people, the name itself is derived from tajvar, which means "crowned".  In traditional Tajik cultural aspects the magic word "seven" is a symbol of perfection, the embodiment of happiness and the provider of virtue.  According to Tajik legend, Islamic heaven is composed of seven beautiful orchids, separated by seven mountains each with a glowing start on top.  The middle white stripe is one-and-a-half times the size of the red and green stripes.  The red represents the unity of the nation and the symbol of the sun and victory; the white represents purity, cotton, the snow on the mountains and the unity of the people; and green stands for the spiritual meaning of Islam and represents the generosity of nature of the country.  The symbol charged in the middle of the white stripe is a crown surmounted by an arc of seven stars.