Pacific _
- “peaceful”, “peace-loving”) - an international symbol of peace, disarmament and the anti-war movement. The badge was originally created for the British CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) movement by designer Gerald Holtom (1914-1985). Work on the sign was completed on February 21, 1958.
The first icon with the Pacific sign made of white clay.
Gerald knew the graphic symbol would reinforce the message of the thousands of demonstrators taking part in the 50km march from London's Trafalgar Square to the Nuclear Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) in Aldermaston, Berkshire.
Photo: Henry Grant Collection/Museum of London
Gerald initially considered using a Christian cross within the circle, and approached some priests to get their opinion, but the priests did not appreciate the idea of using a Christian symbol for a protest march. Therefore, Gerald settled on the idea of using the letters from the semaphore alphabet - N (Nuclear - “nuclear”) and D (Disarmament - “disarmament”) in a circle that symbolizes the Earth.
Semaphore alphabet
Pacific
Original sketch by Gerald Haltom, photo by The Peace Museum
He later wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of Peace News, and gave another, more personal explanation for his idea:
“I was desperate. In deep despair. I drew myself: a man with his arms down, with his palms facing out, in the manner of Goya’s peasant before being shot. I formalized the drawing into a line and placed it in a circle. It seemed so funny at first glance."
The book Peace, by Ken Kolsbun, describes how Peace spread around the world and became associated with the civil rights movement, the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, including protests against the Vietnam War, the environmental and equal rights movements. rights.
Anti-war protest in Washington, photo: History
Anti-war protest at Heroes' Square, Budapest (2005), photo: National Geographic
Anti-terrorist protest in Lahore, Pakistan (2014), photo Xinhuanet
More materials
In 1958, British artist and activist Gerald Holt introduced an emblem for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. They say that the prototype of this symbol was the peasant with raised hands from Goya’s painting “The Third of May 1808”. One way or another, this symbol has become a real meme. However, today, in addition to the peace symbol invented by Holt, there are a number of other symbols that are associated with peace in many countries.
Olive branch
The use of the olive branch as a symbol of peace and the end of conflict dates back to Ancient Greece, where crowns made from olive branches were worn by brides and were also given to Olympic winners. In Greek mythology, the god of the sea, Poseidon, once argued with the goddess of wisdom, Athena, for power over Attica. Poseidon threw his trident into the ground and a well with ocean water appeared in that place.
Athena threw her spear into the ground, where an olive tree grew from it. People valued the tree more than an unlimited amount of undrinkable water, after which they began to worship Athena (hence the name of the city).
Pigeon
The Bible said that when the flood waters began to subside, Noah released a dove into the sky, which soon returned to the Ark with an olive leaf in its beak (this supposedly signaled that life had returned to the earth). Thanks to biblical history, the dove has become a symbol of peace and holiness. This bird appears repeatedly in Judeo-Christian iconography, often depicted with a twig in its beak. The dove with an olive branch as a symbol of peace was probably borrowed from the Middle East and Mediterranean. And thanks to Picasso, the dove became a symbol of peace during the Cold War.
What does the Pacific sign mean: theory two
The most famous version of what pacific means is dove. Based on it, the central component is nothing more than the foot of a noble bird, symbolizing light, joy, inspiration, enthusiasm, which accompanies peace and happiness. Pictures of the great Picasso with his anti-war “dove” images immediately come to mind.
Believers are often inclined to a version similar to the Biblical story - when old Noah, saving living beings from the global flood, realized the end of the natural disaster at the moment when a dove presented him with an olive branch.
Picasso's dove, which has become a symbol of peace, is sold on our website cast from durable bronze. The handiwork of the masters made it possible to create a real masterpiece that attracts the attention of others and puts the owner of the unusual jewelry in a peaceful mood. Thanks to the medallion, you can always find allies in business, attract loved ones and acquaintances to your side, and peacefully resolve disputes with opponents. Even a beginner can master online shopping on our website - all you need to know is the basics of working on the Internet. Employees process applications from all over Russia and carefully place pleasant gifts in parcels, which the post office delivers to customers in record time. Place your order right now and please yourself or a loved one with a unique surprise.
Peace Cross
White poppy
After the end of the First World War, poppies in bloom on battlefields and mass graves could be found throughout Europe. This flower is one of the vivid images of John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields". After the war, the Royal British Legion (a non-profit organization similar to the American Legion) essentially created the tradition of wearing red poppies in the lapel, as well as placing wreaths of poppies on graves. In 1933, the Women's Anti-War Coalition began using white poppies for events related to remembrance and pacifism. Whiteness symbolizes the absence of bloodshed.
"V" is a symbol of victory
The "V" gesture with your middle and index fingers is quite universal. Douglas Ritchie (also known as "Colonel Britton"), a resistance fighter in German-occupied territories, used the badge as a symbol of camaraderie and unity during World War II. It is the first letter of the French, Flemish and English words for victory (victoire, vrijheid and victory, respectively). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill celebrated the British victory with this gesture.
Paper cranes
Little Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki was only 2 years old when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. Due to radiation, the girl developed leukemia. The girl spent the last few days folding paper cranes. Shortly before this, Sadako was told a legend that a person who folds 1000 cranes can make any wish that will certainly come true. But the girl didn’t have time. After folding 644 paper cranes, she died in 1955 at the age of 12. Her story inspired the paper bird to become a symbol of peace in Japan.
Modern vision of the origin of the Pacific symbol
Peace cross and jewelry.
Our company forms and sends parcels throughout Russia. Delivery of a pleasant and unique gift is carried out in record time in a way convenient for the customer.
Young people wear jewelry with the emblem, adding extravagance to their style and image, so the pacific defines the hippie sign.
Who are hippies? Let's turn to the experts. Informals live by their own laws; they are creative and free-spirited people who are constantly in search of and understanding the world. Actually, this is what the peace symbol calls for. On the street they often show a peace sign with their fingers, this means that the person is friendly and optimistic.
There are plenty of versions of the origin of the emblem, but it still remains surrounded by a mysterious and mystical aura. You can find out reliable information about the symbol only from verified historical sources - historical manuscripts. Although many modern magazines and literature put forward their own theory, different from others.
Broken rifle
The London-based group War Resisters International uses as its symbol a rifle broken in two by hands. Today WRI, which was founded in 1921, organizes peaceful demonstrations in more than 40 countries.
It is worth noting that creativity is also present in everyday life.
What are they worth? pacific
- “peaceful, peace-loving”, “conciliatory”) - an international symbol of peace, disarmament, and the anti-war movement.
This sign (☮) was originally created for the British nuclear disarmament movement. It was designed and completed on February 21, 1958 by Gerald Holtom British
professional artist and designer for the march planned by the Direct Action Committee against Atomic War. The march was planned to take place on April 4 from Trafalgar Square in London to the Nuclear Weapons Research Office in Eldermaston in England. . The symbol was then adopted by the Movement for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and in the 1960s became the international emblem of the anti-war movement and counterculture of the time.
This sign itself is a combination of semaphore signals N and D, which means “nuclear disarmament ”
). In the semaphore alphabet, the letter N is conveyed by holding two flags in the form of an inverted V, and the letter D is conveyed by pointing one flag up and the other down. These two signals superimposed on each other form the shape of a peace sign. In the first official version of the CND, the lines extended out from the center and the sign was white on black.
Holtom later wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of the News of the World, explaining the origins of the idea in more depth:
I was desperate. Deep despair. I depicted myself, a man in despair, with his arms down and outstretched to the sides, like a peasant before a firing squad in Goya. I formalized the drawing into a line and made a circle around it.
The peace sign first became known in the United States after Albert Bigelow sailed his small boat, decorated with a flag with a peace sign, to the site of nuclear testing. The symbol badge was brought to America by Philip Eltback, a student at the University of Chicago who traveled to England as a delegate from the Student Peace Union (SPU) to meet with English peace activists. Eltbeck bought a bag of "chicken mark" badges and brought them back to Chicago, where he convinced SPU to reprint the badges and use the sign as their logo. Over the next four years, SPU printed and sold thousands of badges to residence halls. By the late 1960s, the peace sign had become an international symbol adopted by opponents of the war.
In Unicode, the peace sign is U+262E: ☮ and can therefore be represented in HTML as ☮ or ☮. However, the browser may not have the appropriate font to display it.
The original image of the CND sign is kept in the Peace Museum in England, where an exact replica is on public display.
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See what “Pacific” is in other dictionaries:
- pacific
- PACIFIC, a, m. Pacifist; everything related to the pacifist movement, e.g. icon, the movement itself, etc. From the international; most likely through English. pacific in the same sign ... Dictionary of Russian argot
PACIFIC
— Ploshchad Mira metro station. Now Sennaya Square. < By association with: pacifist. Wed: HORSE IRA, HORSE OF THE WORLD, BLUE STATION ... St. Petersburg Dictionary
Pacific
- (lat. pacificus) Tychi Ocean ... Macedonian dictionary
Pacific class patrol boats ... Wikipedia
Pacific class patrol boat ... Wikipedia
- (Bizza) b. in Raab, in Dalmatia in 1696, received a doctorate in Padua, then helped the Italian Richeputi write the history of the Illyrian region, in 1739 he was appointed bishop of Raab, and in 1746 archbishop in Splet, founded in Omiši in 1750 the Slavic ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F. A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron
Pacific in (eng. Strawberry Fields) section new ... Wikipedia
Pacific symbol of hippie Hippie season usually lasts from spring to autumn, the height of hippie festivals, promotion of free love, etc. falls in March... Wikipedia
pacification
- pacification, and ... Russian spelling dictionary
Men's League 2009 Championship details Time: June 7 September 13 Number of participants 7 Cities ... Wikipedia
Books
- Pacific 231, A. Honneger. Reprint sheet music edition of Honegger, Arthur`Pacific 231`. Genres: Symphonic poems; For orchestra; Scores featuring the orchestra. We created especially for you, using our own...
In the 80-90s of the 20th century, a record number of youth subcultures existed in the post-Soviet space. In connection with the fall of the Iron Curtain, all kinds of symbols and pictograms that came from other countries were “snatched up” like hot cakes by representatives of various youth movements. And some symbols that came from the West and the East are still interpreted one-sidedly or stereotypically. This material will help you understand the true meaning of such “damaged” cult symbols.
The Peace Cross and its ancient interpretation
According to ancient scriptures, the appearance of the symbol is based on runes, namely the 15th. There are also plenty of options for the meaning of the symbol:
- elk is an assistant you can trust, who will not abandon you in difficult times and will protect you, help you at all costs;
- reed, striving upward, suggesting non-stop development and striving forward. Aspiration can also mean gaining power, satiation with wealth, rebellion or virtue that knows no boundaries;
- the photo of the peace sign reflects the power and strength of a warrior who always has a sharpened blade and sword at hand. Fearlessness, defiance, protection are the basic principles of a person who owns a medallion, which is available on our website.
Modern rune experts interpret the rune as a refuge, a place where you can hide in bad weather and storms. However, the meaning of the symbol becomes exactly the opposite if the sign is located upside down.
You can buy the peace cross on our website at an affordable price. To do this, place an order and select a convenient option for delivering a unique product to your city. To receive a parcel with a nice gift, all you have to do is come to the post office at the appointed time.
Bronze jewelry is one of a kind, because handmade is unique and inimitable every time. Allow yourself to experience the joy of buying an amazing thing that symbolizes peace, tranquility and goodness. You will find an extraordinary handmade pendant on our website at a price accessible to everyone. The purchased bronze sign of goodness and peace will be an excellent gift for people who defend justice peacefully, as well as those who are ready to find a compromise and make concessions to their neighbors.
Pacific
versions
of the origin of the “pacific” symbol , and, paradoxically, over time, new ones appear, and the old ones become overgrown with details.
According to one theory, this sign is nothing more than a dove’s paw print, which is a symbol of peace and tranquility. Here you can recall Pablo Picasso with his series of “pigeon” anti-war works, or the biblical story in which a dove brought good news to all the inhabitants of the Ark.
The second theory is mystical in nature and is associated with Germanic, Scandinavian and Slavic runes. The Algiz rune symbolizes life and the person himself. Pacifists and hippies, in turn, use an inverted rune, which means “death.” During the Third Reich, this rune was actively used in Nazi symbols. In Slavic mythology, the inverted Algiz is described as a symbol of Chernobog.
But according to the official version, the authorship of the pacific belongs to the British artist and designer Gerald Holtom. In 1958, he created this symbol for a protest march led by the Committee for Direct Action Against Nuclear Weapons. Already in the 60s, the pacific sign became the official international symbol of the anti-war movement. The symbol encrypts the semaphore signals N and D, which means “nuclear disarmament”. And in the very first version, this sign was depicted in white on a black background. Later, the author himself admitted that when creating the symbol he was in deep despair, and this meaning was invested in his creation.
The meaning of this symbol is also explained as the union of 3 paths into one, a sign of human unity.
Even in satanic mythology, the pacific is endowed with a certain meaning. According to their version, this sign symbolizes an inverted cross with broken crossbars.
Based on the variety of theories, the authorship of Holtom is in question, but the total “peacefulness” of this symbol can also be questioned.
What does it mean?
1. Is the symbol a Claddagh ring?
Pentagram
In one of the most popular books of the 21st century, “The Da Vinci Code,” writer and cultural scientist Dan Brown, through the mouth of the antagonist Professor Langdon, tells the true meaning of the pentagram or pentacle - a pictogram in the form of a five-pointed star, in which each line is equal in length to all the others. This symbol is one of the most powerful images, which has been considered divine or magical for thousands of years in many cultures. If you draw a pentagram and draw all the diagonals in it, they are automatically divided into segments corresponding to the famous “divine proportion”. It is for this reason that the five-pointed star has always been a symbol of beauty and perfection and has been associated with Venus, the goddess of beauty, as well as with the sacred feminine principle. Due to the patriarchal nature of most religions of the world, they simply began to forget about the connection of the pentagram with Venus and the feminine principle.
Due to the fact that in the 80-90s of the 20th century, a wave of shocking ritual murders committed within the sect that called themselves Satanists, where the inverted pentacle was used as the main symbolism, swept across the world, people began to fear this sign, associating it with nothing less than Satanists and brutal murders. In fact, the participants of this well-known sect set themselves the goal of realizing their own sadistic inclinations, but not serving the Devil.
The pentagram is an ancient Slavic universal amulet. To this day, Eastern Slavic healers recommend wearing a pendant in the form of a pentacle somewhere on oneself (under clothes as a pendant or in a pocket) as universal protection against the evil eye and damage.
Where did pacifism originate?
▪️The ideological views preached by opponents of war appeared in the 20th century in France. The founder of the ideology was Emile Arnault. He was not only a public figure, but also a writer.
The term itself was first introduced to the public in Scotland, at the General World Congress. The mission of the congress was designated by the word “pacifism”, and its participants, accordingly, by “pacifists”. Over time, this concept has become broader and acquired additional meanings. Now this is the name given to everyone who publicly speaks out against militarism.
▪️Thus, the term itself was born only 120 years ago. But the phenomenon as such has an earlier history. Back in the 1st century BC, the ideas of philanthropy and aversion to violence became widespread among people. For example, the Romans used their system of concluding treaties on a peaceful basis with a guarantee of the safety of the parties.
▪️Pacifism was the basis of Christianity at the dawn of its appearance. Even then, the adherents of Christ did not want to enroll in the army for religious reasons. However, with the change in status and transformation into a mass religion in Europe, Christianity somewhat changed its views on violence and military action. A striking example of such a change is the crusades in the name of faith.
▪️The ideology of pacifism in Europe strengthened in the 14-15 centuries, during the Renaissance. The Napoleonic Wars devastated Europe so much that they discouraged the desire to return to militarism for a long time. At the end of the 19th century, pacifism received the status of an international ideology, and the League of Nations carried out work to promote it.
▪️Pacifism in the modern interpretation appeared after the global bloody wars of the 20th century that affected most of the world. The main distributor of ideas was the UN. This organization was specifically created to protect people's rights and prevent wars.
The main idea of pacifism is that there is no justification for military killings. According to this logic, “liberation” and “holy” wars cannot exist for one reason - they are all illegal.
▪️Any aggression emanating from the military personifies evil, which has no place in human civilization. All issues should be resolved through negotiations - this is what pacifists believe.
Pacifist sign
In the 90s of the 20th century, the youth movement of informals was very popular in the post-Soviet space, which the editors of the site remember very well: they rarely washed their hair, wore checkered shirts and listened to Kurt Cobain. The informals (like their hippie forefathers) chose the international sign of pacifism as their main symbol, and therefore some people still associate this extremely peaceful sign with a rebellion against society, because the informals of that time loved to skip school, smoke, drink and quarrel with non-informals. The association with rebellion would have truly surprised the creator of this symbol if he had known in 1958 what would happen to his brainchild in the minds of the fairly broad masses.
This sign was originally created for the British nuclear disarmament movement by British graphic designer Gerald Haltom for the 1958 Direct Action Committee against Atomic War march. The march was held on April 4 from Trafalgar Square in London to the Nuclear Weapons Research Office in Eldermaston in England. The symbol was then adopted by the Nuclear Disarmament Movement and, in the 1960s, became the international emblem of the anti-war movement and countercultures (hippies, etc.) of the time.
What does the Pacific sign mean: theory one
In 1958, American Gerald Holtom founded a social movement that did not accept war, weapons, and promoted total nuclear disarmament. Participants in the movement did not see any obstacles to getting rid of nuclear weapons by all countries of the world. To disseminate information and the thesis about disarmament, the ideological mastermind came up with an unusual symbol - a pattern, which is shown in the photo - the Peace Cross.
He successfully combines two letters - N and D. It is with these letters that the words “nuclear” and “disarmament” begin, translated into English. You can purchase an unusual Pacific symbol with a dove, cast in bronze by professional craftsmen, only on our website. The metal from which this elegant and meaningful jewelry is made does not oxidize or rust over time, and slight wear creates an original aging effect and retro style.
Gerald Holtom's first protest, which attracted many Englishmen, marched through cities from London to Berkshire. This peaceful march took place in April 1958. No one could have imagined that the sign meaning peace would already in the 60s become one of the famous and mega popular among all young people. Thanks to the image, the one-of-a-kind cross received the name chicken foot.
Historians claim that the founder of the social movement, Gerald Holtom, was the first to place the famous emblem on clothing. When going out, he always decorated the lapel of his jacket with this sign.
Between the 60s and 80s, the urgency of disarmament became even greater. It was during this period of time that the USSR and the USA developed strategic weapons; missile launch silos were located everywhere, which eventually dotted the entire territory of Europe. The pacifists again demanded to stop the build-up of military power, and the peace message was placed on the main attributes of the processions:
- posters;
- T-shirts;
- and even painted on their faces with washable paint.
The inhabitants perceived the cross in their own way: the circle symbolized the prohibition, and the image located in the center of the picture was a rocket, the spread of which should not be allowed. If you like the peace sign, be sure to buy it on our website as an amazing decoration. It can complement any wardrobe and diversify the usual urban clothing style. The original bronze pendant will be delivered to your city within a few days.
Peace cross in symbols.
Yin Yang
Everyone believes that yin-yang (this is how the name of the symbol is correctly pronounced) is a symbol of the masculine and feminine principles and nothing more. But this is fundamentally wrong. This pictogram came from Buddhists approximately 2-3 centuries AD. In the east, it is considered a model of all things. The word "yin" means "shadow mountainside" and "yang" means "sunny mountainside." Therefore, the main interpretation of this symbol is the endless interaction of contrasts.
Polar forces complement each other: each of them carries within itself a piece of the opposite. This symbol is a peaceful struggle in which final victory is impossible, since, according to Eastern philosophy, there is no end to anything (even human life, for Buddhists believe in the transmigration of souls).
Hippie philosophy
Hippies have their own philosophy. Representatives of this movement promote kindness, freedom of love, and reject conservatism and Puritan morality. The hippie motto is: “Make Love, not war!”, which translates from English as “Make love, not war!”
Representatives of this subculture are pacifists, they carry this idea to their masses. Their philosophy and basic ideas are contained in the main symbol of the pacific.
In hippie culture, pacific has other meanings. One of them is the inverted ancient rune “Algiz”. In the upright position it is represented as the rune of life, and in the inverted position it is represented as the rune of death, a tree with roots deep underground, in the kingdom of the dead.
Why the peace symbol is interpreted as a death rune is a mystery. Some researchers associate this with worship of matriarchy. Hippie men wear long hair and decorate their hair with ribbons. And since ancient times, representatives of the occult sciences have associated the depths of the earth with the feminine principle. Perhaps there is a connection there.
There is also a third variation, according to which the sign of pacifists is a graphically depicted dove’s foot. The choice fell on the dove not by chance, since it is a bird of peace.
Star of David
The vast majority of people believe that a six-pointed star, in which all lines are equal in length, is exclusively a symbol of the Jews or everything associated with such a nationality as the Jews. This sign is actually located on the flag of Israel and is revered as sacred by Jews around the world. But the sphere of influence of this symbol is not limited to this.
If you look at the sign carefully, you can easily understand that these are two isosceles triangles inscribed into each other. One is directed with its sharp part downwards, and the second, accordingly, upwards. In many cultures of the world, a downward-looking triangle symbolizes the feminine (“womb”), and a downward-looking triangle symbolizes the masculine (“sword” as a universal phallic symbol). Thus, this sign denotes the unity of the masculine and feminine principles (as the only ones conceived by nature or God) as well as the harmony of all things.
Jolly Roger
In reality, pirates never flew flags with the image of a skull and crossbones (or, alternatively, swords) on a black background. This universally recognizable symbol, called the Jolly Roger, was created already at a time when pirates were a thing of history, thanks to such an art form as cinema. But the truth is that sailors (not only pirates!!!) tattooed a skull on their body, but every sailor had a good reason for this. They believed that if Death itself came to them with a scythe and saw a skull on the body of a sailor injured due to a storm or shipwreck, he would decide that he had already died, which means he would pass by (the person would survive).
To this day, many tattoo lovers get skull tattoos because they adhere to the same superstition (tattoos as a talisman against accidental death). And in Mexican culture, the image of a skull is not negative, but purely positive, since it is a reminder of endless gratitude to the spirits of ancestors!
Images with skulls are placed in every home; as a rule, the skull is combined with red marigold flowers. It is through their petals, according to Mexican beliefs, that spirits find their way into the world of living people during the main holiday of the year - the Day of the Dead, which is celebrated on the same scale as, for example, in Russia - the New Year.
Masonic eye
Many people believe that since this image is on the banknote of such a religious country as the USA, it certainly means that it means the eye of God or the All-Seeing Eye of the Almighty. Just the pipes! This is a sign of such an intellectual and philosophical movement as the Freemasons. The main activity of Freemasons has always been and remains charity; at the forefront for them is moral improvement (in most cases requiring faith in a Supreme Being), as well as the development and preservation of fraternal friendship in a fraternal environment. Culturologist and writer Dan Brown is sure that under any ruling government in the United States, Freemasons have always been the most influential members of parliament, which is why this sign has penetrated the main currency of the world.
