Culture
a year ago

How national symbols are determined 

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National Symbols are part and parcel of a country's culture. They represent a country's intrinsic and idiosyncratic features, and almost every country in the world has its own national flower, food, emblem, and bird. 

Did you ever wonder on what basis they are determined, as different countries have completely different standards when it comes to the selection of national symbols?

National symbols of this sort often represent symbols that are quite specific to those countries and not found in other parts of the world. Other than this, these symbols supposedly have a lot of cultural values associated with them, which only signify their cultural association with these countries.

In Bangladesh, a white water Lily is the national flower, even though a few other species of water lily are also endemic to Bangladesh. This is because white water lily is abundant in Bangladesh compared to the other species and subspecies of water lily, and their rhizomes and tubers can be used as food items, representing the rural and rustic culinary delicacies of Bangladesh.

Jackfruit, for example, being the national fruit, has the same logic behind its inclusion. The fruit is quite abundant in Bangladesh, and every part of it can be used in some way or another. 

While an argument can be made in favour of the mango as it is by far the most popular fruit of Bangladesh, the mango is given an exalted status as the mango tree is the national tree of Bangladesh.

The Royal Bengal Tiger and Doyel, being the national animal and bird of Bangladesh, represent the authentic nature of Bangladesh's spirit and the fact that they are more abundant compared to the other animals and birds. The national emblem of water lilies, rice sheaves, jute leaves, and a river authenticates the rustic majesty of rural Bangladesh.

Like Bangladesh, the various national symbols of different countries have almost the same categorisation regarding their overall inclusion. 

The Royal Bengal Tiger is not only the national animal of Bangladesh but also India and a few other countries, as it is the biggest cat species found in those countries, and there is no other animal as regal and majestic-looking in them.

India, for example, has lotus as the national flower, as it is not only endemic to India but also has a relationship with Indic civilisation as a whole. National symbols are often symbolic representations of a country, and we learn about a country's heritage through them.

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