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Oostzaan (The Netherlands)

Noord-Holland province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 22 Oct 1959

Oostzaan municipality
Oostzaan Coat of Arms

See also:

Oostzaan municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 9.121; area: 16,69 km². Settlements: Oostzaan (seat).
Flagdescription: Seven horizontal stripes of yellow and blue, ptoportioned 2:1, with in the canton a yellow field proportioned 3:2, with a black trident, with on each tooth a green sod.
This flag was adopted 22 Oct 1959 by municipal resolution. The colors are derived from the municipal arms.
Source: Sierksma's Nederlands Vlaggenboek, 1962 [sie62].
The blue bars symbolize water. The trident is for the "dijkplicht" - the duty of male citizens to guard the dikes. Oostzaan was in olden days connected by water to the Y and the sea, and had its own sea-dikes. When citizens were unable to do their duty they were clad in a hairy shirt, go barefeet, and they had to dig with a spade or a fork three sods out of the dike.

Oostzaan Coat of Arms

image from the Oostzaan municipal website.

Granted 19 Sep 1949.