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Brittany
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Celtic
Fact & Fiction
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Some Historical Fact about Brittany:
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 The
flag is called the Gwenn-ha-du which means "white and
black". The Bretons say that it is the only flag in the world
which doesn't have any colours, which is wrong (see Fribourg, Ceuta,
etc.), but surely it is the only flag in the world which in a parade
is carried at arm's length over head. The dimensions are not really
fixed. They vary from 9:14 cm to 8:12 m. The flag is not only used
by cultural associations or autonomists but really by everybody, and
this quite often: you can even see it on town halls in the region.
Because of the absence of legislation concerning regional flags in
France the flag is also flown on sail and fishing boats. This is
tolerated, but the French flag must also be flown. The design of the
ermine spots can vary but the most frequently seen is that on the
above drawings.
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Over the years, the authorities
considered the flag as separatist but things have now changed and
the flag can appear everywhere, even on public buildings along with
the French flag. It no longer has any political connotations. The
Gwenn-ha-du is now the flag of the Region Bretagne. It is also used
in the department of Loire-Atlantique, although this belongs to the
Region Pays de la Loire, because the territory of Loire-Atlantique
is historically part of the province of Brittany. Nantes (Naoned),
its prefecture, was once one of the two capital cities of Brittany.
Pascal Vagnat, 13 January 1997
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Meaning of the
Gwenn-ha-Du
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The explanation
of the flag given by its designer Morvan Marchal (see below)
was:
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A canton seme with ermine spots
(therefore according to heraldry rules, in an unlimited number);
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Nine alternating equal black and
white stripes. White stripes stand for the bretonnant countries
(where Breton was spoken) : Léon, Trégor, Cornouailles,
Vannetais. Black stripes stand for the gallo countries (where
French was spoken) : Rennais, Nantais, Dolois, Malouin, Penthièvre.
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This flag is supposed to be a
modern synthesis between the traditional banner of arms and a
figuration of the Breton diversity.
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There are a lot of variations of
the Gwenn-ha-Du, but the current version has eleven ermine
spots, this number being without any specific meaning (except
for some Bretons the 11 letters of Breizh dieuh [Free
Brittany]).
Source: P. Rault. Les drapeaux
bretons de 1188 à nos jours [rau98] Ivan
Sache, 5 January 1999
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Language Links:
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Breton
Language
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