Flag throwing, known in the US as "color guard" and in Italy as "sbandieratore" is considered both an art and a sport combined. Historically, it would accompany military or marching bands, however it has now become a competitive sport in its own right.

History

The origins of flag throwing are difficult to pinpoint - it has possible roots in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, Babylonian and Assyrian history. It was popular with

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s (principally in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Flanders, and Southern Netherlands) for use during times of war, to allow troops to communicate to each other across the battleground. A guild's banner or

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 ...

was considered a symbol of purity, and as such it was not allowed to touch the ground. After a battle was won, flag bearers, along with military bands, would take part in victory parades on their return home. Today, flag throwing is part of many traditional festivals in Italy, such as Siena's

Palio Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a ''comune'' against each other. Typically, they are fought in costume and commemorate so ...

. http://www.aboutsiena.com/palio-of-Siena.html It is also a popular sport in schools in the US, where it is known as "color guard". Color guard is practiced along with marching bands.

References

External links

Federazione italiana Sbandieratori
The Italian official flag throwing federation.
Lega italiana Sbandieratori
The Italian flag-throwing league.

on ''Flags Of The World'' website.

– An Italian book on the flag throwers tradition

– Information on Francesco Alfieri's treatise on flag waving, 'La Bandiera', published in 1638 Entertainment occupations Flag practices Medieval occupations Object manipulation Culture of Switzerland {{entertainment-stub