A rag on a stick.

Nations are big on symbols. Everybody has a coat of arms, usually with a lofty principle expressed in a motto. This is often written in Latin, a language understood by only a tiny number of people.

Flowers are popular symbols for nations - the rose of England, the chrysanthemum of Japan. (Canada doesn't have a national flower.) Most countries have a national animal - the Russian bear, the cockerel of France, Canada's beaver. There are national dances, sports, trees, fish, and birds. (A thorough search turned up no countries with national insects.)

All nations have a national holiday, usually called Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Constitution Day. This is a time when the nation recalls glorious moments from its past, and it's a day when the only slightly patriotic might be tempted to put out that national flag.

Flags have been used as symbols of tribal, national, and military identity since ancient times. The first flags were probably used by the Chinese and Indians. Both Chinese and Indian flags may have developed from the streamers attached by the ancient Egyptians to poles crowned with symbolic figures. Other peoples of antiquity, notably the Greeks and Romans, also used flags. Canada's First Nations had flags which were poles with feathers attached.

There is no nation that doesn't have a flag. In our corner of the world blue is a popular colour to have in national flags; in Africa, green and yellow appear in many national flags. Some European countries have flags that use a variation of the cross. In Asia, symbols of the Sun or the crescent of Islam are frequently used devices. Nations in or bordering the Pacific Ocean often have navigational stars in their flags.

Canada's distinctive Maple Leaf flag was a source of great division when it was introduced in 1964. It replaced the Red Ensign which had a Union Jack in one corner to emphasize the country's historical connections to the British Empire. Prime Minister Lester Pearson's announcement that the Red Ensign would be replaced was greeted with a storm of booing. The parliamentary debate over the new flag was bitter and angry, and dragged on for six months. However, a crowd of 10,000 turned out on a cold February day in 1965 to see it raised for the first time on a flagpole on Parliament Hill. Mr. Pearson said the Maple Leaf marked "a new stage in Canada's march forward" to national unity. Not everybody agreed. Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was seen to wipe a tear from his eye as the Red Ensign was lowered for the last time.

But, whatever its design, the flag is a treasured symbol of nationhood. It's draped over the coffins of fallen warriors and leaders. It's raised in honour over public buildings. It's saluted, waved enthusiastically at parades, and held aloft in battle to inspire soldiers.

If you want to insult a nation, there's no better way than to set fire to its flag and then stomp on the ashes. When someone suffers a defeat its flag is lowered as a sign of surrender. The conquerors then quickly hoist up their flag to remind members of the defeated group that they now have new masters.

Extreme nationalists wrap themselves in their country's flag and then use it as a cover for all kinds of cruelty and excesses.

But, even though it may be misused by scoundrels, a nation's flag can be a source of inspiration.