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Ceremonial Flag (Kelantan, Malaysia)

Bendera Istiadat

Last modified: 2023-06-03 by zachary harden
Keywords: kelantan | canton: kelantan | coat of arms (kelantan) | scroll (red) |
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[Ceremonial Flag (Kelantan, Malaysia)] 1:2 image by Herman Felani M.Y.



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Description

The Bendera Istiadat is a swallowtailed flag of yellow with a blue border with the state flag in the canton and the royal arms in the fly in blue. In the lower hoist is a red scroll with an inscription which I am unsure of. The description of the royal arms, according to this website is:

The central motif of the state emblem is the crown, the symbol of the Sultan's sovereignty. The crescent moon and star are the symbols of Islam. On either side of the star, the spears and keris signify the strength of the Kelantan Malays, while the cannon symbolises the readiness of the State to defend itself. The deer on the extreme left and right commemorate the historic reign of Kelantan's female ruler, Che Siti Wan Kembang, during the 14th century. She ordered the State gold coinage to be stamped with the design of a deer (kijang), her favourite animal. The English translation of the state motto which appears (in Jawi) in a white banner below, means "To God the Government of Kelantan Submit".

The Bendera Istiadat is a royal ceremonial flag for use on occassions such as royal weddings and coronations.
Herman Felani M.Y.
, 8 and 12 September 2001

A photograph showing the royal standard, ceremonial flag and state flag of Kelantan can be seen in this photograph from the Kelantan Royal Net website with the following explanation in this webpage:

Three silk standards form part of the Royal Regalia — Ceremonial Standard, the State flag and the Royal Standard. The ceremonial standard is of four colours, yellow, red, blue and white — with a yellow fringe along the edges. The state Crest [sic] is embroidered in blue on the right side and a scroll bearing the words "Istiadat Kerajaan" is embroidered on the left.
The ceremonial flag is also shown on a chart in Znamierowski 1999 [zna99], p. 30. The ceremonial flag bears a different arms to those in all other Kelantan flags, rather like that shown in this webpage on the Kelantan Royal Net website and described thus:
There was no State Crest or Coat-of Arms before 1916, but later in that year, Sultan Mohamed IV ordered that a crest and Coat-of-Arms be designed to consist of the crescent and star, 2 spears, 2 unsheathed daggers and 2 cannons and bearing the inscription "Kelantan is entrusted to God".

Some years later, the late Sultan Ismail directed that a crown and 2 barking deers to be included and these made up the present Coat-of Arms which has been used ever since.

The Crown symbolised the sovereignty of the Sultan.

The Spear and Daggers represent the strength of the Kelantan Malays; the crescent and star is the symbol of Islam, the state religion.

The 2 cannons indicate that the state is ever prepared to face any challenges.

The barking deer recall the ancient history of the State when Cik Siti Wan Kembang, the Queen of Kelantan kept a pet barking deer of which she was so fond of that she ordered the figure of the animal to be stamped on golden coins. All the articles in the State Coat-of-Arms are represented in yellow.

It appears that the emblem on most Kelantan flags is a simplified version of this arms, sort of Kelantan's lesser arms.
Santiago Dotor
, 20-21 January 2003