Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 8

Kurgan & Jewish Autonomous Province

US STAMP with rainbow
Hanukkah Menorah 1996/5757

Since it's the Hebrew festival of lights - Hanukkah - it makes good sense to include Russia's unique federal subject created in honor of the chosen ones. The Autonomous Jewish Province is in far eastern Asia next to China. It was created ironically during Stalin's reign.

After Russia shed her Communist shell, the majority of Jewish people left. However there is a tiny minority of Jewish people who have decided to stay.

Even though most people in this province are Christian or some other faith, they have all become aware and even embraced Hebrew Customs - sort of like how some Jewish Families in US get Christmas Tress.

Flag of Autonomous Jewish Province

The flag of the Autonomous Jewish Province has a plain white background with a seven banded rainbow across the middle. The rainbow reminds us of the story of Noah and his special ark. It is with the story of Noah's Ark that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam merge as one - since they all agree - at least in Genesis. A fundamentalist Rabbi, Preacher, and Imam would all agree on the course of events in the beginning.

Another Russian province in complimentary contrast is Kurgan Province. The flag of Kurgan Province also has a white background but an emerald green stripe with an image of a burial mound. You can also find burial mounds all over the world - Japan, Ohio, Canada, and even Russia.

Flag of Kurgan Province

Kurgan Province is just north of Kazakstan and a part of West Asia, subsequently there is a good minority of Islamic Russians who are mostly Tartar, Bashkir, and Kazak. Thus the colour green is appropriate, since green is an Islamic colour. Just look at the flag of Saudi Arabia or Libya.

Geographically Kurgan Province is comparable to a county in North Dakota, while the Autonomous Jewish Province is like a rural county in Idaho.

Kurgan and the Jewish Province are at the East and West ends of Siberia. Most people living in either province are Russian, but the tribes of Issac and Ishmael are essential elements of Russia that can not be ignored but rather celebrated.

RUSSIA TODAY YOUTUBE LINK

Autonomous Jewish Oblast



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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 7

Bryansk and Orenburg

Flag of Bryansk

Just in time for the Christmas Season - we have two very special flags. One flag unites Islam with Christianity while another seems to celebrate Christmas.... with Communism? What is going on here!? Shall we take a closer look?

Bryansk and Orenburg are Russian Provinces at the doorstep to Europe and Asia. Bryansk is next to Ukraine while Orenburg is next to Kazakstan. Never mind what you have falsely learned from the comical movie Borat, most ethnic Kazaks look more like Jackie Chan than a hairy olive toned Mediterranean sailor.

The flags of Bryansk and Orenburg both have red backgrounds. Coincidentally both have seals that are surrouded by a garland of oak leaves with acorns. Weaved within the oak leave garland are ribbons. Bryansk has a red ribbon with yellow pinstripes on the left and on the right, a green ribbon. Orenburg has a blue ribbon that intertwines on both the left and right.

Flag of Orenburg

Amazingly Bryansk maintains a bit of Communist heraldry with the hammer and scythe in the crest - accidentally crowning the proverbial X-mas tree. If you gotta' problem with that, there is mortar in the inner shield of the 'Commie Christmas Tree' that you can direct your complaints too.

On the other hand, Orenburg mixes two faiths at perpetual odds - via an Eastern Orthodox Cross and the crescent moon of Islam. Together these two flags honor Communism, Islam, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity on blankets of red.

Perhaps Russia alone is the only nation that would allow such a varied diversity on the banners of her 'national billboard.' Russia truly has gone where no nation has gone before - she tried it all: Fascism, Communism, Islam, Theocracy, Cold Lonely Empty Space, Mongol Colony, Dictatorship, Imperial Empire, Feudalism, Racist Democracy, PC Democracy, any kind of you name it - Revolution...Russia has been though it all. In the end, she always came home and knew when it was time to do the right thing.

RUSSIA TODAY YOUTUBE LINKS

Video on Orenburg


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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 6

Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets

Flag of Yamalo-Nenets
Region in Asia

Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets are Russian Federal Subjects. Russia is mostly divided into provinces and territories (Oblasts & Krais). But there is another category that is shrinking -the autonomous region or in Russian an Okrug.

What this means...this is going to be a bit confusing... is that both Nenets and Yamalo-Nents are still a part of another federal subject while also being a federal subject themselves. Nenets is within the province of Arkhangelsk and Yamalo-Nenets is within Tyumen Province.

Old Man Winter is a Nenet, ring the bell
on his staff and your dreams come true

Autonomous regions in Russia are basically special zones dedicated to a particular ethnic group, that don't make it as a republic for whatever reason. These northern autonomous regions take their name after the Nenets ethnic group. The Nenets people are sort of like Eskimos or Inuit of North America. They are distantly related cousins but - Inuit and Nenets differ much in culture, language, and customs. They do not build igloos rather the Nenets like Native Americans used to do - build tepees. The traditional lifestyle of the Nenet people revolves around reindeer herding.

Coat of arms of
Yamalo-Nenets
Subsequently the essence of the reindeer is an icon on their flags. The complex geometric stripe is supposed to represent reindeer antlers. Nenets has eight blue reindeer antlers rooted to the blue stripe, while Yamalo-Nenets has seven white reindeer antlers rooted to the white stripe. Below the Yamalo-Nenets 'blue reindeer stripe' is a large solid green stripe, and below the 'white reindeer stripe' of Nenets is thin red line.

Coincidentally the colours of Christmas are red and green, and it has been authenticated by Christmasologists that many of Santa's reindeer were born in the Nenet Regions.

Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets are two parts of Russia in a perpetual winter wonderland. Both of these autonomous regions have Arctic Ocean beach front property. Like Yin and Yang they straddle the north point in between Asia and Europe. Nenets is on the Western-European side of the Ural Mountain North slope while Yamalo-Nenets is on the Eastern-Asian side.

Flag of Nenets
Region in Europe

Russia Today Youtube Links

Nenets People

Visit Salekhard the Capital of Yamalo-Nenets


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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 5

Amur Province & Magadan Provice

Flag of Magadan Province

The flags of Russia's Amur and Magadan pair up harmoniously by colour and design. Harmoniously both flags have blue waves with white crests. The waves of Amur are soft with only one white crest, while the waves of Magadan are sharper and it has two white crests. The upper-sky portion of both flags are red.

Both provinces are in East Asia, next to China and Japan. Magadan has a shoreline on the Sea of Okhotsk while Amur Province lies along the northern border of the Amur River.

Flag of Short lived Far East Republic
Magadan & Amur province were both a part of the short lived Far East Republic from 1920-1922, under president Krasnoshchyokov.

The Amur River makes the Top 10 List of Longest Rivers of the World - at position number nine. Amur in Chinese literally means Black Imperial River. Amur Province is landlocked but Magadan has a shoreline but it freezes over in the winter.

Flag of Amur Province
aka the Black Imperial Province

The Russians arrived to this hemisphere in the 1600s, in the same era that Virginia and Massachusetts were settled. Both regions have cool summers and bitter winters. Certainly the residents of Alaska would feel comfortable in Magadan, while people from Idaho could mistake Amur for home. Maybe some day Russia will make Amur tater-tots via an Ida-Amur Company?


Learn more about Magadan on YOUTUBE
RUSSIA TODAY VIDEOS









Magadan General www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/0/kw2CdkIaEfI
Stalin's Gulags www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/1/P_CUsnmK98E
Natural Resources www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/2/xpwgMPyuuN8

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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 4

Kabardino-Balkaria & Bashkortostan

Flag of Bashkortostan

Here are two Russian federal subjects with similar flags. The Republic of Bashkortostan and the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. There flags are both horizontal tri-bars with white in the middle, blue up top and green of different shades on the bottom.

The symbol on the flag of Bashkortostan is the Kurai Flag that has seven petals that represent the seven tribes of the Bashkiri that brought unity to the nation. The symbol of Karbadino-Balkaria represents the highest 'twin peak' mountain in all of Europe - Mt. Elbrus.

These two republics are on the fringe points of Russia's traditional borders - the Ural Mountains and Caucus Mountains. Both Bashkortostan and Kabardino-Balkaria are on the tipping point between Asia and Europe.

Russian Republics are 'federal subject-provinces' that represent a certain ethnic. In this case the Bashkiris, Karbars, and Balkaris. All of these Eurasian ethnic groups are dominantly Muslim.

Flag of Kabardino-Balkaria

Karbardino-Balkaria are two different ethnics. By tradition Balkars are the higlanders while Kabardinos live in the 'low' valleys.

The flags of these two Islamic Russian Republics have been peaceful. Bashkortostan and Kabardino-Balkaria illustrate that Christians and Muslims can live side by side in harmony.

RUSSIA TODAY'S YOUTUBE VIDEO LINKS

KABARKINO-BALKARIA
General info about KABARDINO-BALKARIA www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhSOsMPGjbc

The Kabardin People http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leEvflfbEL0

Europes tallest mountain in KARBADINO-BALKARIA's www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/2/PS3NrxLeGAk
Direct link to Russia Today about Kabardino-Balkaria
rt.com/programs/russia-close-up/kabardino-balkaria-where-two-ethnic-groups-live-side-by-side/


BASHKORTOSTAN
Bashkortoshtan's Capital - Ufa www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/0/gCPDdfB3Tg4
Direct link to Russia Toady about Bashkortostan
http://rt.com/news/bashkortostan-celebrates-450-years-with-russia/

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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 3

Tambov & Ivanovo

Flag of Ivanovo Province
Moscow's Secondary Gurad to the East

The flags of Tambov & Ivanovo Provinces align by my 'flag symmetry' concept. Both flags are basically divided from top to bottom in the middle. Their right-hoist sides are red and the left-fly sides are blue. Both flags feature a heraldic shield. Tambov has a torch and weaving spinner while Ivanovo has a bee hive and with three large bees. On the crest of both flags are crowns.

These Russian Provinces are two territorial 'clicks' away from Moscow. If you can think of Moscow of being the center of the Russian Doll - Tambov & Ivanovo would be the second doll from the center. Likewise Leningrad Province & Ulyanovsk Province (first Russian post) would be the third doll from the center since they are three territorial 'clicks' away from Moscow.

Flag of Tambov Province
Moscow's Secondary Guard to the South

Ivanovo have a Yin and Yang aspect of the Russian Soviet Era. Ivanovo Province was home to one of the first Soviets to form in 1905, years before the birth of the Soviet Union. However Tambov Province was home one of largest anti-Soviet rebellions in 1920-1921. The Soviet Union officially came into existence in 1922.

Learn more about Ivanovo Province Click Here
Link to YOUTUBE - RUSSIA TODAY www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#p/search/1/d5R6Lnlvo2k

Learn more about Tambov Province Click Here
Link to Wikipedia - Tambov Oblast en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_Oblast

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Russian Fraternal Twin Flags: pt 2

Karelia and Dagestan

Flag of Karelia

The flags are 180 degree perfect inverts of design by colour and pattern. Karelians and Dagestani people are nations that were adopted and colonized by Russians Czars.

These two flags represent Russian Federal Subjects classified as Republics - which means they are nations within the nation of Russia. Karelia is in the far north of Russia on the edges of Scandinavia while Dagestan in the far South of Russia on the edges of the Asia Minor.

Flag of Dagestan

Karelians are close cousins to the Finnish people, while Dagestani people are separated cousins of the Turks. They are a proverbial union of the Russian North and South.

Here is a tip to distinguish these two Russian Republics Flags that look so a like. The Dagestani are blood brothers in the South of Russia connected by flags to their blood brothers in the North. Now take notice of where the red - blood - stripe is located. It mirrors their geography, relative to Moscow.

Karelia would be a nice place to visit but remember to bundle up. It is rumored that the Chief Elf at Santa's Workshop for born in Karelia. But if you're looking for action and a perilous Indian Jones adventure, be sure to visit Dagestan.





Want to learn more about the semi-Turkish repulic of Dagestan?
Link to WIKIPEIDIA: DAGESTAN PAGE en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagestan


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