The Flag Shop Vancouver – Our Stories

If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Greece to experience the breath-taking surroundings, delicious food and beautiful music, Greek Summerfest may be just the thing to help you cross another item off your bucket list! And, you won’t have to pack a bag or board a plane to “Live a Day the Greek Way.”

Greek Summerfest has been around for over 30 years and is a major annual event for Vancouverites! The festival welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from our local communities and beyond, even drawing visitors from around the world.

Top musical acts and entertainment are featured throughout the festival. For a full schedule of events and headliners, please visit: http://www.vancouvergreeksummerfest.com/schedule/

Greek Foods and Refreshments
From gyro to spanakopita and tzatziki to tyropita, they’ve got it all! If you’re more thirsty than hungry, there’s Greek coffee, ouzo and sangria. Calling dessert lovers everywhere, don’t miss out on the traditional Greek sweets, bougatsa, loukoumades and baklava.

If you’re planning to make your way to Greek Summerfest, we’re here to get you ready to celebrate! We’ve got Greek flags in all sizes, lapel pins, vinyl decals, car flags, pennant strings, paper flags, crests and more.

For more information about Greek Summerfest , please visit their official website:  http://www.vancouvergreeksummerfest.com/

Opa!

Stanley Park Pavilion
610 Pipeline Road
Vancouver

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.

The Flag Shop HQ | Textile Image Inc. has been a part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) since we made their street banners in 2016.

Now in its 12th year, the VCBF is all about honouring the natural beauty and symbolism of the cherry blossom. The Sakura Night Gala is a major highlight of the festival. This special evening of food and friendship will feature seven of Vancouver’s most notable chefs, who will treat guests to a spectacular showcase of Japanese cuisine. An unforgettable celebration of Japanese arts and culture, this event serves as the most important fundraising effort of the year for the VCBF.

The VCBF is a charitable organization whose objective is to sustain and renew Vancouver’s cherry tree heritage, while engaging diverse communities in local arts to celebrate the fragile beauty of the iconic cherry blossom.  Cherry blossom viewing has become a highly anticipated springtime tradition in our city, as people marvel at 50+ varieties of blossoms, found in our communities.

For more information, or to attend, visit the Sakura Night Gala website.

The Flag Shop is here to help you celebrate the VCBF, and all things Japanese, with the Canada/Japan friendship pin, and flags of the world, including the Japan flag!

It was 12:00 noon on February 15, 1965 when Canada’s maple leaf flag was raised for the first time. Fast forward 31 years to February 15, 1996, when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien declared this day as National Flag Day of Canada (Flag Day).

Flag Day is about celebrating the Canadian flag, yet it is about so much more! On February 15, all Canadians are united in our pride for our flag, our deep sense of privilege in calling Canada our home, – and our hope for the future as a nation.

As Canadians, we can all identify with this flag, reflecting the fabric of our great country, – geographically and historically, – and symbolizing Canadian values such as freedom, justice, peace, tolerance, compassion and respect. Our flag honours all Canadians throughout history, and up to the present day, who have contributed to building our country – as well as future Canadians – who will ensure the legacy of our forefathers and mothers will always be remembered. Our flag is a beautiful symbol of our collective Canadian identity.

Canadian Flag Prior to 1965                                                                            

The flag of the United Kingdom, called the Royal Union Flag, was used as the official flag of Canada until 1965. Between 1868 and 1965, various designs of the Canadian Red Ensign were used, although none of these were ever officially adopted by Parliament. The flag we know and love today is the result of much debate and discussion, – and was officially adopted on December 15, 1964.

When was the last time you saw the Canadian flag and felt a deep sense of personal pride in being Canadian? To mark this special day, take a selfie with the flag and share with your fellow Canadians.

#Canadianflag

It’s mind-boggling to think about the sheer numbers, and we know it may be hard to visualize two million of anything, so this may help:  Our sources tell us it would take over 140 uninterrupted hours (no breaks) to simply count to two million. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of flags. Or – what we mean is – that’s a lot of toothpicks, and every last one of them is FDA approved for food contact!

Impossible Foods aims to create the world’s most delicious, nutritious, and sustainable meat and dairy foods, derived directly from plants. This socially responsible company has been around since 2011, working tirelessly to fulfill its mission “to drastically reduce humanity’s destructive impact on the global environment by completely replacing the use of animals as a food production technology.”

To take a bite out of the Impossible Burger, now available at locations across Canada and the US, and to learn more about innovation in plant-based foods, visit the Impossible Foods website at https://www.impossiblefoods.com/

Showcase your brand with our eye-catching and functional toothpick flags. See more custom products by visiting our Gallery.

The Flag Shop has learned that  Michel Dupuis, co-creator of the Franco-Ontarian Flag has passed away.

The Franco-Ontarian flag was created in Sudbury, Ontario in 1975, by Michel Dupuis, a first-year political science student, and Gaetan Gervais, a historian – both from Laurentian University. Dupuis was 19 years of age at the time.

The Franco-Ontarian flag was designed of two halves, one with a white fleur-de-lis on a green background, and the other with a green trillium on a white background. The colours represent the seasons: white for winter and green for summer, while the fleur-de-lis represents the Francophone population, and the trillium represents Ontario. In 2001, the flag was officially recognized as the emblem of the Franco-Ontarian community, by the Franco-Ontarian Emblem Act.

Created as a symbol of the Franco-Ontarian identity, this flag and was the second to be embraced by Fancophones outside of Quebec, following the Acadian flag, which was adopted in 1884.

In 2010, the Ontario government declared September 25 as Franco-Ontarian Day – a day to “officially recognize the contribution of Ontario’s Francophone community to the cultural, historical, social, economic and political life of the province.” This day was chosen because it was on this date in 1975 that the Franco-Ontarian flag was unfurled for the first time.

All of us at The Flag Shop Vancouver Head  Office extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Michel Dupuis.

Image Source:  sudbury.com

If you follow our blog, you probably know we’re in the midst of a special series, “Home for the Holidays”, paying tribute to holiday traditions in December. Carrying that theme, our story today is about Bodhi Day.

On Dec. 8 Buddhists celebrated Bodhi Day. This day is significant to Buddhists around the world because it’s the day Siddhartha Gautama, reached a state of enlightenment, when he saw the morning star at dawn, while under the Bodhi Tree. He became the Buddha, known also as the “Awakened One.”

Bodhi Day is recognized through quiet reflection on the same day the Buddha became enlightened 2,500 years ago. Bodhi Day gives Buddhists opportunities to acknowledge values of compassion, wisdom, compassion and kindness, which represent the Buddhist view of the world.

Many Buddhists decorate a ficus tree for Bodhi Day, which is symbolic the Bodhi Tree. Trees are often decorated with the colored lights symbolizing enlightenment, and strung beads. Three ornaments are an important part of the tree decorations, representing the “Three Jewels” of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. A statue under the tree signifies the Buddha sitting under the tree of enlightenment.

Check out our blog to learn more about December celebrations, as our series continues to the end of the year.

Happy Holidays!