Turkmenistan marks State Flag Day on Saturday

ASHGABAT, February 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Turkmenistan marks on Saturday
the State Flag Day, the second most significant holiday in the national
calendar after the Independence Day.
The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on January 24, 2001. It features
a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing
five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two
crossed olive branches; a white waxing crescent moon, typical of Turkic
symbology, and five white five-pointed appear in the upper corner of the
field just to the fly side of the red stripe. The green and red colors
appear in this flag because they have been venerated historically by the
Turkmen. The waxing crescent moon symbolizes the hope of the country for a
shining future and the stars represent the five provinces of Turkmenistan.
The five traditional carpet designs along the hoist represent the five
major tribes or houses, and form motifs in the country's state emblem and
flag.
"The flag is the guarantor of the state's sovereignty," Turkmen
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said in his address to the nation.
"The history of the Turkmen state flag, like the history of our nation,
goes back thousands of years."
Large-scale celebrations and cultural events are traditionally
conducted throughout the country every year to mark this day. Timed to
coincide with the holiday, the country's biggest marketplace, the Altyn
Asyr (Golden Age) with an area of 100 hectares has been opened in the
vicinity of the capital city of Ashgabat.