I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils.

2.5. The Shamrock

What the red rose is to Englishmen and the leek and daffodil to the Welsh, the little shamrock is to the Irish, and no Irishman worth his salt fails to wear this national emblem on St Patrick’s Day, March 17. It is worn in memory of Ireland’s patron saint, whose cross is embodied in the Union Jack by the thin red one under the cross of St George.

A popular notion is that when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish St Patrick used the shamrock, a small white clover bearing three leaves on the stem as an illustration of the mystery.

Shortly after the formation of the Irish Guards in 1902 the custom of presenting the national emblem to the new regiment on St Patrick’s Day began. An equally tenacious observance on St Patrick’s Day is wetting the Shamrock, the convivial aspect of Irish loyalty to their patron saint.

2.6. Britannia

Britannia is a personification of Great Britain on coins in the form of a seated woman holding a trident in one hand and an olive branch in the other hand and wearing a helmet.

2.7. Lion and the Unicorn

Lion and the Unicorn is a heraldic sign of the British crown.

The lion, the «king of beasts», is thought of as brave and frightening, and has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. It is also used to represent Britain. People sometimes also mention the idea from the Bible that one day the lion will lie down with the lamb that is there will be peace and happiness. The unicorn is a mythical animal that looks like a horse with a long straight horn growing from its forehead. It has appeared on the Scottish and British royal coat of arms for many centuries, and is a symbol of purity.

The lion and the unicorn are the main characters of the famous nursery rhyme:

The lion and the Unicorn

Were fighting for the Crown;

The Lion beat the Unicorn

All round about the town.

Some gave them white bread

And some gave them brown;

Some gave them plum-cake,

And sent them out of town.

2.8. Canterbury bell (Campanula medium)

Canterbury bell is a plant with blue, violet or white bell-shaped flowers, and said to be so named since the flowers look like the bells on the horses of pilgrims riding to Canterbury, or else the metal badges, called St. Thomas Bells, sold to these pilgrims.

2.9. “Mayflower”

The Mayflower is the name of the ship that took a group of English settlers from Plymouth to America in 1620. Many of the settlers were religious and they are usually called the Pilgrim Fathers. In the US people respect a person whose family “come over on the “Mayflower”, but since very few people can claim this, it is not unusual for people to make jokes about it.

3. Canada

3.1. A symbol of Canadian identity

The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance.

The Canadian Red Ensign, bearing the Union Jack and the shield of the royal arms of Canada, was lowered and then, on the stroke of noon, our new maple leaf flag was raised. The crowd sang the national anthem O Canada followed by the royal anthem God Save the Queen.

The following words, spoken on that momentous day by the Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added further symbolic meaning to our flag: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion."