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Bosnian Lillies – A National Symbol

A Symbol of Purity, Innocence, Beauty

In the native Bosnian lilly the red stamen represents blood shed during times of conflict. Blooming from May-July they emit a sweet fragrance like musk.

1000 Year Old Symbol

A feature of Bosnian courtyards and gardens, The lily was also engraved on the graves of the Bosnian martyrs. Many Bosnian heroes, from noble families to royals, utilised it throughout history. The golden lily was featured on the Bosnian flag’s original coat of arms.

The Lost Flag

As a strong Bosnian ancestral symbol, by removing the lily from the new Bosnian coat of arms, Bosnian people were deprived of their right to use their authentic symbols under which their ancestors had fought, had been killed, and had celebrated for hundreds of years.

To deprive a people of such a long and rich tradition carries the weight of culturecide. Liilies symbolise the historical continuity of the Bosnian state. For this reason, Serbian and Croat influences did not want to allow the symbol of the lilly to be included on the Bosnian flag, despite retaining cultural and historic symbolism on their own.

The imposed solution by default means that Bosnian people are left without their national symbols. The symbols imposed upon them are foreign and meaningless.

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