Culture of Greece arms of Greece consists of a white cross on a blue escutcheon which is surrounded by two laurel branches. The Flag of Greece is also blue and white, as defined by Law 851/1978 "Regarding the National Flag". It specifies the colour of "cyan" (Greek: κυανό, "kyano"), meaning "blue", so the shade of blue is ambiguous. The Order of the Redeemer and military decoration Cross of Valour both have ribbons in the national colours. Since it was first established, the national emblem has undergone many changes in shape and in design. The original Greek national emblem depicted the goddess Athena and
Flag of the Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia. On 11 August 1992, the newly independent Republic of Macedonia adopted the new flag to replace the old Communist "red star" insignia. The flag depicted the "Vergina Sun" symbol, a stylised yellow sun centred on a red field with eight main and eight secondary rays emanating from the sun, tapering to a point. This ancient symbol was named after the Greek town where it had been discovered in archaeological excavations of the ancient Macedonian city of Aigai. The Vergina Sun was regarded by Greece as a symbol of continuity between ancient Macedonia and modern Greek culture, and