Flag Societies Around the World
Vexillology (the study of flags) is a comparatively recent addition to the field of knowledge as a separate and distinct discipline. The word is derived from the Latin Vexillum (flag) and the Greek -ology (the study of). Vexillology was first established in an organised form on 1st February 1962, when Dr. Whitney Smith founded the Flag Research Centre in Boston, USA. Since then, flag associations have been established in a steadily growing number of nations.
In 1969, the International Federation of Vexillological Association was founded as an association of flag groups. It is usually referred to by its French initials: FIAV - Fédération Internationales des Association Vexillologiques. There were initially 12 members, and there are now 52 member entities, including Flags Australia.
The current office bearers of FIAV are:
President: Michel Lupant, Belgium, pres@fiav.org
Secretary-General: Charles Spain, Jr, USA, sec.gen@fiav.org
Secretary-General for Congresses: Graham Bartram - UK, sec.cong@fiav.org
FIAV organises an International Congress of Vexillology every two years. The 1st ICV was held in the Netherlands in 1965. The 22nd ICV (FlagBerlin 2007) was held in Berlin on 6-10 August 2007, co-hosted by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde e.V. and the German Historical Museum. The 23rd ICV was held in Yokahama, on 12-17 July 2009, hosted by the Japanese Vexillological Association.
The 24th ICV will be held in Alexandria, near Washington DC on 1-5 August 2011, hosted by the North American Vexillological Association Chesapeake Bay Flag Association.
ICV24 has a website with full details of the event at http://www.washingtonflagcongress.org The congress schedule includes a full program of lectures, opening and closing ceremonies at the Congress venue (the George Washington Masonic Memorial), dinners and a tour of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History and a companions program. ICVs are an opportunity for the world's flag experts to meet and socialise and share their interest over a week-long period.
Future flag congresses will be held at:
Rotterdam, The Netherlands - ICV 25 in 2013
Sydney, Australia - ICV 26 in 2015
Flags Australia has, since 1989, sponsored the Vexillon, which is awarded by FIAV to the person regarded as having made the most important contribution to vexillology during the two years between flag congresses. In 2009 the Vexillon was awarded to the late Andreis Burgers of South Africa.
FIAV has recognised the significant contribution to vexillology and service to FIAV of the Flags Australia President, Ralph Bartlett, who was awarded the title Fellow of the Federation in 2003 and also Ralph Kelly, who was made a Fellow of the Federation in 2007. In addition, Ralph Kelly's lecture at the 21st ICV in Buenos Aires on flag changes in Latin American flags, was recognised as Best Paper of the Congress.
Links to other international flag societies
International Federation of Vexillogical Associations - www.fiav.org
Member societies of FIAV that operate a website in English are:
The Belgian-European Centre for Flag Studies - home.scarlet.be/michel.lupant/index-eng.html
The Canadian Flag Association - www.flagscan.cjb.net
Chesapeake Bay Flag Association [US]- cbfa.vexillology.info
Confederate States Vexillological Association [US]- www.csvex.org
Croatian Heraldic and Vexillologic Association - www.hgzd.hr/?q=en
Flag Data Centre [Czech] - web.uhk.cz/cvp/fdc/fdc.htm
The Flag Institute [United Kingdom]- www.flaginstitute.org
The Flag Research Centre [US] - www.flagresearchcenter.com
Flags of the World (FOTW) - www.flagspot.net (also at other mirror locations)
Great Waters Association of Vexillology [US]- gwav.tripod.com
National Flag Foundation [US] - www.americanflags.org
New England Vexillological Association [US] - www.midcoast.com/~martucci/neva
North American Vexillological Association [US and Canada]- www.nava.org
Southern African Vexillological Association - website not currently active
Swiss Society of Vexillology - www.atlasgeo.net/ssv/en/indexe.htm
Tumbling Waters Museum of Flags [US] - www.flagsbyatlantis.com/tumbling_waters_museum_of_flags.htm
Vexillological Association of the State of Texas [US] - www.texflags.org
Other member societies of FIAV that operate websites are:
Asociación Argentina de Vexilologia - www.vexilologia.net.ar
Asociación Venezolana de Simbologia - http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/Venezimbol/
Associació Catalana de Vexil·lologia - www.vexiCAT.org
Centro Italiano Studi Vessillologici - www.cisv.it
Ceská vexilogická spolecnost o.s. - web.uhk.cz/cvp/cvp.htm
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde e.V. - www.flaggenkunde.de
Fundación Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios Culturales [Argentina] - www.funcidec.org.ar
Heraldischer Verein "Zum Kleeblatt" von 1888 zu Hannover e.V [Germany] - www.zum-kleeblatt.de
Instytut Heraldyczno-Weksylologiczny [Poland] - www.pl.info.pl/IHW_WWW/index.php
Kevarzhe Vannielouriezh Vreizh [Brittany] - www.sbvex.org
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vlaggenkunde - home.planet.nl/~marksens/nvvv
Nordisk Flaggselskap [Scandinavia] - www.nordicflagsociety.org
Partioheraldikot r.y. [Finland] - heraldikot.partio.net
Russian Centre of Vexillology and Heraldry - www.russovex.org
Sociedad Española de Vexilogia - www.vexilologia.org
Ukrayins'ke Heral'dychne Tovarystvo [Ukraine] - uht.org.ua