Symbols of Talahara

Messidor Union

File:Messidor Flag.png
Use	National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	14:25
Adopted	May 9, 1856
Design	A red fist striking upward and shattering a ring of chains on a black field.
Variant flag of the Messidor Union
Use	Civil flag
Proportion	varies
Adopted	As a national flag on June 20, 1831, relegated to a civil flag on May 9, 1856
Design	A black field.
File:Messidorian Naval Ensign.png Variant flag of the Messidor Union
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	111:200
Adopted	October 10, 1866
Design	A red fist striking upward and shattering a ring of chains in the canton, a sanguine sea on the bottom edge, on a black field.

The flag of the Messidor Union, often referred to as the Black Banner or the New Black Banner, consists of a clenched red fist striking upward and shattering a red ring of chains on a black field. Officially adopted in 1856, replacing a simple black flag as the national flag of the Union, the striking fist has since become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Messidor Union.

History

The movement to design a unique and recognizable flag for the Messidor Union began at its inception but gathered momentum in the 1850s. The plain black flag known as the Black Banner was found to be ill-suited to definitively identify Messidorian civil and naval vessels. The captains of Messidorian vessels bypassed these concerns by flying the Black Banner alongside either an Aɣmatian or an East Merovian flag. The 1840s had seen the dawn of the federalist movement in the Union with a push for greater unity between its constituent nations. In July 1854, the ruling Federalist Party resolved to design a single, recognizable, and neutrally Messidorian flag that would suit both Aɣmatian and East Merovian workers.

The flag was designed by a committee in the Workers' Congress. The final design was unveiled on May 10, 1856, the 26th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Merovia. This, along with the fact that the design drew heavily upon Merovian revolutionary banners, invoked the ire of several Aɣmatian representatives. Nevertheless, the motion to adopt the flag was carried the very same day. Acceptance of the design in the southern nation came gradually but steadily over the next decade.

Colours

The plain black symbolizes anarchy or opposition to governance. The black flag was adopted by East Merovian revolutionaries who opposed to the monarchy and favoured local autonomous and later syndical governance. Black was traditionally associated with commoners in the early-modern era of Belisaria, in contrast with the bright colours and expensive dyes featured in the clothing of nobility. Fashion and the availability of dyes shifted away from this trend as a rule, but the symbolism remained.

In Merovia, red was associated with the martyrdom of Saint Aliénor and the struggle against tyranny. Both the Merovian revolutionaries and the Kingdom of Merovia under Henry IV adopted red as an accent colour. Red was also the primary colour of the flag of Aɣmatia, traditionally adopted by the coastal Kel Adrar to contrast the blues of the desert-dwelling Kel Tamashek and the greens of the Gharib regimes in Aɣmatia. Internationally, red became associated with socialism either before the Messidorian revolutions with the Red Banner Movement in Zacapican or after, popularized by the revolutions in Belisaria and Scipia.

Scheme	Black	Red
Pantone	Black 6 C	Red 180 C
CMYK	0.0.0.100	0.75.75.24
RGB	(0,0,0)	(193,48,49)
HEX	#000000	#C13031

Flags of the Messidor Union

In addition to the new flag, the old Black Banner was officially retained for use as a civil flag, though its shape and proportions are indeterminate and vary widely in practice. Both the current flag of the Messidor Union featuring the striking fist emblem and the old plain black flag of the Union are referred to as the "Black Banner". To distinguish the two, some people refer to the plain black flag as the "Old Black Banner", or simply "Old Black", and the new flag featuring the striking fist emblem as the "New Black Banner". The current naval ensign of the Messidor Union was adopted in 1866, adding the striking fist emblem to the existing motif which featured a sea of blood over a black field.

• Messidor Flag.png

  New Black Banner, national flag from 1856-present

• 

  Old Black Banner, national flag from 1831-1856, civil flag from 1856-present