100 Year Old Flag

The Czech flag just celebrated its centenary.  It was unveiled on 30 March 1920 as the flag of Czechoslovakia.  After the Velvet Divorce the Czechs kept their flag while Slovakia adopted a new one.

Over here you see Czech, and EU, flags at all government buildings.  It's not uncommon for people to display Czech flags on certain public holidays.  However, it won't be on every building and it won't be displayed the rest of the year.  It's pretty much the same in other European countries as well.

By contrast in the USA, it's not uncommon for people for people to fly the flag often.  Sure it's more prominent on the 4th of July, President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veteran's Day.  But you'll see people flying the flag almost year round.

I don't think it's a matter of Europeans not being as proud of their flags as Americans are of our flag.  I think that we Americans tend to go overboard.  If it's not a proper flag, you still see the image of the American flag everywhere in the USA.  Hats, clothing, drink coozies, the list goes on and on.  

Sure you can buy a Czech flag baseball cap in Prague at a tourist shop.  But only a tourist would wear it.  You'll never find a someone in Czechland wearing a Czech flag bikini whereas in the USA it wouldn't surprise you.  It would be tacky but that's a different story.