Vahe H Apelian
The tricolor Armenian flag is a relatively a new flag for the ancient nation. Wikipedia claims that the tricolor flag was first adopted on May 28, 1918. Without elaborating the statement any further let me say that it is highly unlikely to be the case. On September 13, 2023, Tatul Hakopyan posted the first republic of Armenia’s internal minister Aram Manougian’s communique on the same day, September 13, 1918, directing the newly independent republic of Armenia to use the tricolor as its flag. The internal minster wrote: “ The state-government institutions of the Republic of Armenia must have and wear the flag of the Republic in the following colors, in order from top to bottom: red, blue, yellow.”
It is not likely Aram Manougian came with the colors on his own. According to Mike Babayan, the expert historian of the first republic, the first parliamentary session of the newly established republic took place on August 1, 1918. It is likely that the tricolor flag was adopted during that session, which the internal minister Aram Manougian communicated to the republic some six weeks later on September 13, 1918, clearly spelling the third color as yellow.
Who came with the colors of the flag?
It is generally accepted that philologist Stepan Malkhasyants (1857-1947) recommended the three colors of the flag. According to the eminent scholar Dr. Hagop Tcholakian Father Ghevont Alishan had also proposed colors for the Armenian flag that also had the green color. The internal minister Aram Manougian’s ruling makes evident in no uncertain terms that the third color upon adoption of the tricolor was yellow, which was then changed to orange, maybe for aesthetic reasons. As to when and how soon after the change from yellow to orange came about appears to be murky.
The tricolor had a short life. The Sovietizing of Armenia in November 2020, put an end to the tricolor flag until the reemergence of the free and independent third republic of Armenia.
Orange color?
Sometime in mid to later part of 1990’s a debate came about the naming of the third color. I remember first reading about the debate in the Armenian Reporter that was published in the New York City. The newspaper was established in 1967 by Edward Boghosian. I do not remember who initiated the debate but I remember the famed Uncle Garabed of the Armenian Weekly taking part in the debate as I also did. The debate was centered on having the third color designated as orange when the fruit is not a native of Armenia. In fact it cannot grow in Armenia. Orange seemed to also have a derogatory implication in Armenia as around that time, a sad remark came about from some officials in Armenia likening some segment of the Armenians in the Diaspora as “orange eaters”.
The crux of the debate was to have the third color referred to apricot color (tzeranakuyn), given the fruit apricot is not only native in Armenia but is accepted to have originated from Armenia and that is why its scientific designation in Latin is Prunus Armeniaca. A typical definition of Apricot color is as follows; I quote, “Apricot is a light yellowish-orangish color that is similar to the color of apricots. However, it is paler than actual apricots.” The debate seemed to make headways as some started calling the third color apricot – tzeranakuyn, that continues to this day.
What does the Constitution say?
In Article 21 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, spells the following: “The flag of the Republic of Armenia shall be tricolor, with equal horizontal stripes of red, blue and orange.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, elaborates further. I quote: “The law "On the State Flag of the Republic of Armenia" was adopted on August 24, 1990, by the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia.
Following the constitutional reform of November 27, 2005, a new RA law on the National Flag of the Republic of Armenia was adopted on June 15, 2006. The national flag of the Republic of Armenia is a national emblem of the Republic of Armenia. The national flag of the Republic of Armenia is of three colors in stripes of the same width - red, blue, orange respectively from top to bottom. The Red emblematizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people's continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia's independence and freedom. The Blue emblematizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. The Orange emblematizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia. The width-length ratio of the flag is 1/2. Smaller and larger pieces of cloth proportionate to the one described in this section may be used.”
That is where we stand for now, as we used to recite in our youth
Red, blue, orange (Garmir, gabuyd, narenchakuyn)
Tricolor is the Armenian flag (Hayots troshn eh yerakuyn)
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