Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, February 20/ Trend H. Hasanov/
A day has been given as a public holiday on the occasion of the National Flag Day of Turkmenistan, originally celebrated on February 19th, but transferred to Feb 20, an official Turkmen source reported.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's decree expects all agencies, enterprises and organisations irrespective of ownership to observe it.
National Flag Day first appeared in the calendar of important dates in Turkmenistan in 1995 and is celebrated by building ceremonies, celebrations and the President's address to the people.
A flagpole has been erected in the main square of the Turkmen capital Ashgabat in front of the national museum. With a height of 133 metres and weighing nearly half a ton and measuring 52.2 by 35 metres it has been accepted into the Guinness Book of Records.
The Turkmen flag was adopted in 1992 and is green with a vertical red and burgundy stripe, on which five prominent carpet designs can be seen with a white crescent and five stars.
The use of green is not accidental. It was used on the banners of the sultans of the Seljuk Empire which arose in the middle ages in the country. Green symbolises the unity of time, life and the earth. The crescent represents a clear sky and the five pointed white stars symbolise the five regions of the Caspian country.