The red and white colors of the flag have been used since royal times. The first kingdom was Majapahit, which made the red and white flag a symbol of its greatness in the 13th century. It had nine horizontal stripes: 5 red and 4 white. Not only Majapahit, but also the Kingdom of Kediri uses red and white as its royal flag.
In South Sulawesi, the red and white flag was used as a symbol of the kingdom's power and greatness (the kingdom's flag was known as the Voromporang). In addition, during the Javanese War (1825-1830), Prince Diponegoro used red and white banners in his fight against the Dutch. Even before Indonesia gained independence, in 1928, the flag was used on the island of Java as a form of protest and enthusiasm by students and nationalists who sought to escape Dutch colonialism. For this reason, the Netherlands banned the use of the red and white flag until independence.
After World War II and Indonesian independence, the red and white flag was used as the national flag. The flag "Sang Saka Merah Putih" was first raised in Indonesia on August 17, 1945, during the declaration of independence.
What is the name of the Indonesian flag?
- The official name of the flag is "Sang Merah-Putih";
- commonly known as "Bendera Merah-Putih" - Red and White Flag;
- Sometimes called "Sang Dwiwarna" - two-color flag;
- another name is "Sang Saka Merah-Putih" - Sacred White and Red;
- the historical name of the flag is "Bendera Pusaka" - Relic Flag.
Prior to that, the Dutch flag flew in Indonesia from March 20, 1602 to March 8, 1942 (340 years), and the Japanese flag flew from March 8, 1942 to August 17, 1945 (3 years and 5 months). Since independence, the red and white flag has always been raised at every flag ceremony.