The national symbols of Bhutan include the national flag, national emblem, national anthem, and the mythical druk thunder featured in all three. Other distinctive symbols of Bhutan and its dominant Ngalop culture include Dzongkha, the national language; the Bhutanese monarchy; and the driglam namzha, a seventeenth-century code on dress, etiquette, and dzong architecture. Natural symbols of Bhutan are its national flower, the Himalayan blue poppy; its national tree, the Himalayan cypress; its national bird, the raven; and its national animal, the takin.
These national symbols are established variously by law and tradition. While most laws codifying the national symbols of Bhutan such as the flag, emblem, and national anthem are modern, the tradition behind many of them is much older than the kingdom itself, deriving from Buddhist mythology. The druk thunder dragon is heavily associated with the Bhutanese state religion and has symbolized Bhutan ("Druk-yul") in particular since the late twelfth century. Traditional natural symbols, such as the raven and Himalayan cypress, possess not only admired characteristics, but religious meanings as well.
Flag of Bhutan
The flag of Bhutan is based upon the tradition of the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and features Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology. The basic design of the flag by Mayum Choying Wangmo Dorji dates to 1947. A version was displayed in 1949 at the signing of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty. A second version was introduced in 1956 for the visit of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to eastern Bhutan; it was based upon photos of its 1949 predecessor and featured a white Druk in place of the green original.
The Bhutanese subsequently redesigned their flag to match the measurements of the flag of India, which they believed fluttered better than their own. Other modifications such as changing the red background color to orange led to the current national flag, in use since 1969. The National Assembly of Bhutan codified a code of conduct in 1972 to formalize the flag's design establish protocol regarding acceptable flag sizes and conditions for flying the flag.
The First Schedule of the Constitution of 2008 legally describes the flag:
The official description of the symbolism behind the flag remains largely the same as it was when first codified under the Act of 1972.
Emblem of Bhutan
The emblem of Bhutan is used in official government publications such as legislation and websites. The emblem was first legally codified as a national symbol in the Constitution in 2008. As such, it is a relatively new addition to the list of national symbols of Bhutan. Nonetheless, like the national flag, the national emblem is rich in Buddhist iconography whose symbolism has had great meaning to the people of Bhutan for centuries. Prior to its codification, the emblem appeared in Bhutanese legislation and websites of the Bhutanese government pre-dating the enactment of the Constitution.
The Constitution provides this description of the circular emblem of Bhutan:
Some features of the emblem may vary; for example, the background may appear as crimson, blue, or black. The emblem of Bhutan is also used as the logo of some government agencies, for example, the Bhutan Trust Fund.
National anthem of Bhutan
The Druk Tsendhen ("The Thunder Dragon Kingdom") is the national anthem of Bhutan. Adopted in 1953, the music was composed by Aku Tongmi and the words were penned by Dasho Gyaldun Thinley. Tongmi was educated in India and had recently been appointed leader of the military brass band when the need for an anthem rose at the occasion of a state visit from Prime Minister Nehru of India. The original score was inspired by the Bhutanese folk tune "The Unchanging Lotus Throne" (Thri nyampa med pa pemai thri).
The melody has twice undergone changes by Mr. Tongmi's successors as band leaders. The original lyrics had twelve lines, but the anthem was later shortened to the present six-line version in 1964 by a secretary to the Druk Gyalpo (Bhutanese Head of State). The lyrics appear in the Second Schedule of the democratically enacted Constitution of 2008. As the anthem is inspired by a folk tune, there is a choreography to it as well, originally directed by Mr. Tongmi.
Bhutanese society
Other notable symbols of Bhutanese culture and national identity are the distinctive Bhutanese dress, the Bhutanese monarchy, and Dzongkha, the national language.