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Oudehaske (The Netherlands)

Skarsterlân municipality, Fryslân province

image located by Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2023
in use since 1987; design: Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk.

Oudehaske village
Oudehaske Coat of Arms

See also:

Oudehaske village

Oudehaske (Frisian; Âldehaske - old hare) is a village in Skarsterlân municipality, Fryslân province.
Flag and Coat of Arms in use since 1987.
Coat of Arms: in green a yellow couped pig's head; on a wavy silver chief a jumping red hare between two lying black rectangular peat-blocks.
Flag: two horizontal at least three times wavy stripes of white and green; in the canton a red jumping hare.
Explanation: Once upon a time the pig of Andries Obbes, the "slachter" (butcher) of Âldehaske had been freshly slaughtered by the master himself, and was hanging in one of his apple-trees. (It was not unusual in the good old days to span a pig on a ladder against a tree). Right at that moment the tramway car passed, and a merry band of voyagers started singing:
"Yn 'e Haske hinget in barch yn 'e beam,
baerch yn 'e beam,
baerch yn 'e beam,..."
(etcetera, etcetera, all the way to Joure) - The tramway was between Heerenveen and Joure, opened in 1882; because of this incident Âldehaske became world-renowned in all Fryslân (except for Ingwjirrum, where we sang: "En by Sjoerd en Boukje hinget in baerch yn 'e beam...")
Translation: In Oudehaske hangs a pig in the tree (etc)
The pig's head is to be admired on the Coat of Arms only; the green color is for the tree, but represents also the green meadow surrounding Âldehaske. The silver wavy chief symbolizes the nearby small lake "Nannewied". The hare refers to the placename, but also to the former municipality of Haskerlân. The peat-blocks to the peat-digging going on nearlby in olden times.
The flag is derived from the Coat of Arms, retaining the "haske", which has been placed in such a way that it is standing on white-green, the colors of the former division of Zevenwouden, of which Âldehaske was also part.
Source: Vexilla Nostra, 158, Sep-Oct 1988 (article by Hans van Heijningen).
Jarig Bakker, 12 Dec 2003

Oudehaske Coat of Arms

image by Jarig Bakker, 12 Dec 2003