Bunting refers to decorative flags, wide streamers, or draperies made of

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

, or of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. Their construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard, made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light brown ...

in imitation of fabric. Bunting is also a collection of flags, and the fabric used to make flags. The fabric was originally a specific type of lightweight

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead (from Old English ''Wurðestede'', "enclosure place"), a village in the English county of Norfolk. T ...

wool

, but can also be cotton.

Description

Bunting are festive or patriotic decorations made of fabric, or of

in imitation of fabric. Typical forms of bunting are strings of colorful triangular flags, lengths of fabric in the colors gathered and draped into swags or

pleat A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling textile, fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference. Pleat ...

ed into fan shapes, draperies, and wide streamers. The colors are often those of national flags. Bunting decorations are used on streets and buildings at special occasions and political events. The term ''bunting'' also refers to a collection of flags, and particularly those of a ship; the officer responsible for raising signals using flags is known as ''bunts'', a term still used for a ship's communications officer. Bunting is also the

used to make flags.

History

Bunting textile was originally a specific type of lightweight worsted wool fabric generically known as ''tammy'', manufactured from the turn of the 17th century, and used for making ribbons and

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

s, including signal flags for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. It may also be

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. Amongst other properties that made the fabric suitable for ribbons and flags was its high glaze, achieved by a process including hot-pressing. The origin of the word is uncertain,

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, 2002. but ''bunt'' means ''colourful'' in German.

Description

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links