Country and Flag Origins - Part J

This episode contains all of the J countries, from Jamaica to Jordan via Japan, J...wait, that's it. There are only three, so another short blog. I have decided that each letter will get it's own blog, sometimes two or even three blogs. And **spoiler alert** there will also be entries for W and X. I won't say what I will be doing for them, it will be a surprise. It's going to be a surprise for me too, I've no idea what to include in those yet either. This also means that O, Q, and Y will get their own as well The things I do for this community astound me.

First up is a country that reminds me of an old joke...

1st man. My wife went on a Caribbean holiday last week

2nd man. Jamaica?

1st man. No, it was all her own decision!

I didn't say it was a good joke, did I?

So, anyway, enough chitter-chatter and frivolity, let's get on with it shall we....

This flag was adopted on the day in 1962, 6th of August to be precise, that Jamaica became independent from the British Empire. This flag is unique because it is currently the only national flag that doesn't contain either red, white, or blue. The black colour represents the strength and creativity of the people to overcome difficulties, the green colour symbolises hope and the lush vegetation of the island, and the gold stands for the wealth of the country and the golden sunshine.

Jamaicans refer to their own country as yaad, which is Jamaican Patois for "yard" or "home". Several other colloquial names are in use such as "Jamrock", "Jamdown" or even just "Ja". However, the name Jamaica is probably derived from the indigenous Taino people who called the island Xaymaca, meaning "Land of Wood and Water" or the "Land of Springs".

JAMAICA = LAND OF WOOD AND WATER or LAND OF SPRINGS

The origins of the Japanese flag are centuries old, however the flag was only officially designated as a national flag in 1999. It was used prior to this as a de facto flag. The red circle, or disc, represents the rising sun, a strong symbol in the Shinto religion. the white symbolises purity, honesty, and integrity.

The name of Japan is an English translation of the Japanese name Nihon or Nippon, in Japanese it is written as 日本. The name is based on Chinese pronunciations of  日本, that were heard by early European traders. The characters 日本 mean "sun origin", and is the source of the name "Land of the Rising Sun".

JAPAN = LAND OF THE RISING SUN

Adopted in 1928, the Jordanian flag uses the Pan-Arab colours that represent various caliphates. The red stands for the Hashemite dynasty and for the struggle for freedom, the white is for the Umayyad Caliphate and a bright and peaceful future, the green is for either the Fatimid Caliphate or the Rashidun Caliphate, and the black is for the Abbasid Caliphate. the small white star symbolises the unity of the Arab people and it's seven points represent the seven verses of the first chapter of the Quran, Al-Fatiha.

Jordan takes it's name from the River Jordan that forms much of the country's northwestern border. The derivation of the name of the river, is thought to come from the Hebrew word, Yarad (ירד), meaning "descender" due to the downward slope of the river's course. The Arabic chronicles call the river Al-Urdunn, which has the same meaning as the Hebrew term.

JORDAN = NAMED AFTER THE RIVER JORDAN

That's it for J. Told you it was a short one!

Next time there are a couple more countries, five to be exact in the K section. Then we are into the middle of the alphabet with L, M, and N who have 9, 17, and 11 countries respectively. I'm thinking that there will be one for L, two parts (M1 and M2) for M, and then one longer one for N. I'm not looking forward to S, there will probably be three parts (S1, S2, and S3) to cover the 26 countries.

And, I feel I've gone on long enough about the countries of each alphabetical letter. Time waits for no man and I fear I'll soon have to depart to collect the "better half" from work. For you non-Brits, "better half" or "other half" are terms of endearment for someone's wife or husband. It means the other half of a marriage or partnership. Perhaps eventually I may write a blog about common British phrases and their meaning, but that's for another day.

So, anyway, as always, bye for now, toodleoo, tara, and auf weidersehen.