Poll Do you know your national anthem?

[clickypens]

Doesn't the shield in your flag even show symbols of the whole foundation myth of Tenochtitlan? I remember something about an eagle and a snake there.

Yeah, the Mexicas came out of the southeastern US with the belief that they'd find a lake with an eagle eating a snake on a cactus. Coincidentally, that is exactly what they found when they got to Lake Texcoco, which now doesn't even exist hardly. I read recently that they have to pump out something like 6 million liters of water a day out of Mexico City, just so it doesn't fill back up...

 

[Urwumpe]

I read recently that they have to pump out something like 6 million liters of water a day out of Mexico City, just so it doesn't fill back up...

Yeah, actually, the water management of Mexico City is even a tiny part of the geography classes in my state, when talking about such Megacities like Mexico City.

 

[SiberianTiger]

About the flag colours: there is no official version of the meaning of them. The most widely acceptable interpretation is: White means Peace, Highness, Perfection; Blue means Faith, Fealty, Constancy; Red is for Power and the Blood shed for the Motherland.

The three known Imperial triad meanings were:
W:Independence; B:Holy Mary; R:Great Power Statehood.
W:Belorussia; B:Ukraine; R:Great Russia.
W:Autocracy; B:Orthodoxy; R:Nationality (the 3-part slogan of Emperor Nicholas I)

Pick anything you like.

But in fact, it was Dutch shipwright named probably Bootler who was building 1st Russian tall ship, the Oryol, in 1667, who appealed the Czar that any ship needed a flag. The Czar delegated the flag design to him, and it happened that the Dutch has just rearranged the stripes of Dutch flag in a different way...

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I stopped for a different reason:

Now that I'm out of gradeschool, I never have the occasion to say the pledge. Is there anywhere that the pledge *is* performed routinely outside of schools?

There are certain civic groups that recite the Pledge prior to opening their meetings.

 

[bujin]

There's nowt quite like being at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff when Wales are playing (rugby, that is) with nearly 70,000 people belting out Mae hen wlad fy nhadau.

It's not the most exciting national anthem in the world, but it does bring a tear to the eye!

 

[4throck]

The Portuguese national anthem has an interesting bit of story to it. It was composed during the resurgent nationalist movement ignited by the 1890 British ultimatum to Portugal concerning its African colonies.
It was latter adopted and the national anthem after the 1911 Republican Revolution and the last line of the chorus, "Against the cannons, march, march!", is an alteration of the original, "Against the Britons, march, march!" :lol:

Of course, such ideas make no sense in todays world, but 100 years ago that was what people thought... and look were it got them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Portuguesa

 

[cjp]

I tried for some time, but I can no longer resist posting:

I thought it was fun. I know it's written in an attempt to offend people, but to be honest, I would have even more fun if this was somehow related to the Netherlands or the Dutch national anthem.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Worst possible performance of Russian national anthem (in Syria):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ac2nqzUCw#t=0m40s

 

[Sar]

I recall few sentences from our national anthem, but that's it.... and I actually realised a few pages back that I remember more from NA of Canada

 

[Moach]

as far as poor performances go, unfortunatlely, i believe most brazillians have no idea of the words that follow the first couple of verses of our anthem :shrug:

it does indeed bear a load of long disused words... but still... i think it's the fault of school teachers in general who impose it as a chore on kids, rather than make it seem interesting


but hey... that's school for ya... didn't Einstain once say that he "...is amazed how in rare cases, a persons natural curiosity can survive a formal education", or something like that?

 

[supersonic]

Is there anywhere that the pledge *is* performed routinely outside of schools?

Sports events only.
In my generation it is becoming harder and harder to find someone who knows our national anthem or pledge.

 

[vonneuman]

I know my national anthem. A lot of people in the US don't know it though. Probably because they don't make people say it in school.
The blue square on the flag represents the union, the country, The 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies that made up the country. There is one star for every state. The red is to represent the blood spilled to defend the nation, the white represents courage. Originally both as star and a stripe where added to the flag each time a state was admitted to the union. Now it is just a star that is added. The modern flag was designed by 17-year old Robert G. Heft in 1958.
The Pledge of Allegiance is usually said before things like club meetings and school. It goes like this:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The "under God" part was added in 1954 and has sparked a lot of controversy considering that the US prides itself on religious freedom.

 

[tblaxland]

"

 

[jedidia]

Well, there's not much to know in bosnia. The anthem has no text. They couldn't agree on the language it should be in... (And even if they'd managed that, I guess they would never have agreed on any text, except if it got nothing to do with the country at all...)

 

[Wally]

I know the both the old communist and the new national anthem. I'm not a very patritic person, but the old anthem was played when the national TV and radio program started and ended. And we have only a few hours of TV program everyday, so it was impossible not to hear it.

When I was in first grades of school, soon after we ditched communism, pupils were expected to know the new anthem by heart it and I think they made us sing it during some music classes, as a reminescent comunist time, but now I don't thnik anyone is forced to learn or to sing it at school (they aren't force to do much at school anyway).

The new anthem sucks anyway, it was adopted during the hot days of the bloody revolution in 1989, but today the lyrics doesn't really makes any sense, in the current status-quo. The old one was much better, if we ditched the things injected by the communists.

I don't sing it, not because I don't like it, but because I have a terrible voice and I generally don't sing, since I risk that everyone will stop singing and stare at me. I do play-back and get lsot in the crowd.

We also have an alternative anthem, used at various occasions, which is also much better than the current one. It was also used before 1989.

 

[clive bradbury]

Well, in Britain we do not have a national anthem. What we have is a song praising an in-bred German family who by an accident of history - to keep Catholics out - happen to be our 'rulers'. Thus I feel more a sense of disgust than pride when I hear it.

The UK is suposed to be a democracy. Is it just me, or are the electorate supposed to be able to choose their leadership (however titular) in a democracy?

The real shame is that that there are already three pretty good candidates for a real 'national' anthem -

Jerusalem (don't be fooled into thinking that this is a religious song)
Rule Britannia (although perhaps a bit too imperialistic in the modern age)

and the best - 'Land of hope and glory'

If we must retain 'God save the Queen', please let's use the Sex Pistols version...

 

[bujin]

Worst possible performance of Russian national anthem (in Syria):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ac2nqzUCw#t=0m40s

While on the subject of awful performances of a national anthem, this was awesome:

:lol:

 

[tblaxland]

I don't sing it, not because I don't like it, but because I have a terrible voice and I generally don't sing, since I risk that everyone will stop singing and stare at me. I do play-back and get lsot in the crowd.

I know what you mean (when I was in the high school musical, I was asked to mime in the choir ), but I've long since decided that I don't care and I'm going to sing it anyway

To man singing in church: Please stop singing so loudly with your terrible voice!
Man: God gave it to me, so he will have to put up with it

 

[Kevon Daye]

I know it but don't sing it (can't sing to save my life). I just wish we could say the same for some of the celebrities they get to sing it. It just seems like to them it's a competition to see who can drag out the word Brave the longest:rofl:

 

[Ghostrider]

Well, in Britain we do not have a national anthem. What we have is a song praising an in-bred German family who by an accident of history - to keep Catholics out - happen to be our 'rulers'. Thus I feel more a sense of disgust than pride when I hear it.

Well, it's "God save the Queen". Sing it thinking of Freddie Mercury...