It's been praised from all quarters. Richard Osman called it the "coolest in the world", and during the 2022 World Cup it changed the Doha skyline when it lit up one of the city's largest buildings.
We're talking of course about the Welsh flag, and the Welsh dragon that stands prominently at its heart. It represents the fierce pride we feel for the nation we call home and we aren't shy about showing it off.
But where did the dragon come from and how did it find itself ingrained in Welsh culture.
Where did the dragon on the Welsh flag come from?
The dragon has been associated with Wales for centuries. As with any ancient symbol, its appearance has been adapted and changed over time with countless variations cropping up in historical records. While the precise origins of the symbol are difficult to trace, there are theories suggesting where the dragon could have originated.
During the Roman occupation of UK, the Roman cavalry are believed to have worn a dragon emblem on their pennants and standards. They consisted of a hollow beast's head made of metal with a windsock-style cloth tail descending from the rear of the head.
The standards were used in a number of forms after the Romans left Britain - including by the Welsh kings of Aberffraw who used the emblem to symbolise their authority in the early fifth century. The dragon later became widely associated with Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon who was king of Gwynedd from about 655 to 682AD.
In 1400, Owain Glyndŵr raised the dragon during his revolt against Henry IV, echoing its role in Welsh mythology as a symbol of resistance. The Welsh flag had also been a standard of Henry Tudor, based on the medieval Welsh dragon, but this was later replaced by the Scottish unicorn of the Stuarts.
How did it become the national flag of Wales?
Welsh independence ended with Edward I's conquest between 1277 and 1283. But Wales did not become a part of the Kingdom of England at this point and still had its own laws, until the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542 formally incorporated Wales into the kingdom of England, and ended the existence of the principality of Wales.
Wales and England became effectively a single state and legal jurisdiction. According to Professor Nick Groom of Exeter University, the arrival of the 20th century encouraged Wales to begin to assert its identity within Britain and consider its lack of national flag.
The UK Government were petitioned several times - in 1897, 1901, 1910, 1935, and 1945 - for the Welsh dragon to be included in the Royal Arms but authorities insisted Wales didn't require a flag because Wales had never been a kingdom.
The palace eventually conceded and offered the compromise of a new royal badge which included the Welsh dragon in 1953. However, this, and its motto "Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn" (The Red Dragon Advances) were met with derision by people in Wales.
It wasn't until 1959, following successful lobbying by groups including the Gorsedd of Bards, that the government announced the red dragon with a green and white background would be the official flag for Wales. The flag, complete with the red dragon, became the official Welsh flag on January 1, 1960.
Why isn't Wales represented on the Union Jack?
The kingdoms of England and Scotland united under Great Britain as a result of the Acts of the Union in 1706 and 1707. By this point, Wales had already been part of the kingdom of England for more than 150 years. Wales was not represented on the Union Flag because it was already incorporated with England and is therefore represented only by the St George's Cross.
Read more:
