The Greek Flag consists of nine blue and white stripes that represent the nine syllables of the phrase Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος = Freedom or Death. This phrase was the motto during the war of independence from the Ottoman empire in 1821. The cross symbolizes the Greek Orthodox religion. The blue stripes represent the blue sea and the white stripes represent the foam of the sea waves. The Greek flag became the official flag of Greece on December 22, 1978.

The Greek National Anthem: written by Dionysios Solomos in 1824