The Circassian Flag Restores a Nation’s Form!
Dear brothers and sisters! On April 25, 2026, one of our most important national holidays — Circassian Flag Day — was widely celebrated across many countries around the world.
Having reviewed the events held in various countries to mark this date, we believe the celebrations deserve a positive assessment: overall, they were a success. Once again, Circassians made a dignified statement about who they are, about their memory, and about their agency as a people.
The political and cultural goals of this day — taking into account the constraints imposed by the domestic political situation in our historic homeland (Circassia) and in other countries where Circassians live — we consider to have been largely achieved. In this regard, we express our sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed on the ground: those who attended in-person gatherings, carried the flag, organized events, supported the information effort, and demonstrated Circassian solidarity on social media.
At the same time, we would like to share with you some observations and recommendations that, in our view, could help take the celebration to a new level next year.
But before we turn to the organizational side of things, it is important to say a few words about the deeper ideological meaning behind this day — because as long as some of our compatriots harbor doubts or misunderstandings, no amount of organizational excellence will bring people out into the streets.
There are people who look at Circassian Flag Day and fail to see the point.
Just a flag. Just a holiday. Just some photos. Cars draped in green cloth. Young people dancing Adyghe Jegu. Someone posting congratulations on social media. From the outside, all of this might seem simple, decorative. But that view is mistaken — because for a nation, a flag is not decoration, not a piece of fabric, and not an excuse for a nice photo. A flag is a condensed political statement. Sometimes even more powerful than a long speech.
When a person raises the Circassian flag, they are saying several things at once:
— I belong to a people that exists;
— this people has a history;
— we could be scattered, but we could not be erased;
— there is a bond between us, even if we live in different countries.
The history of our people has passed through war, exile, dispersal, the severing of clan and territorial ties, life under different states, linguistic pressure, assimilation, and decades during which the very idea of Circassian unity was often treated as inconvenient, unwanted, or pushed out of public consciousness. In such circumstances, the flag becomes more than a symbol — it becomes a way of reassembling what was scattered.
Where there is no unified political space, the flag creates a symbolic one. Where a people lives across different countries, the flag reminds them of a shared origin. Where the language weakens, the flag — even if only for a moment — restores a sense of belonging. Where daily life makes you forget, the flag makes you remember.
That is precisely why April 25 is not just “a day for a pretty national symbol,” not a formality, and not a show — as some mistakenly believe. It is a test: is the nation still alive as a nation, or has it already begun dissolving into a collection of separate families, surnames, folklore circles, and memories of the older generation?
You might also hear the argument: what is the point of remembering that we are Adyghe only once a year? First of all, that is simply not true — there are many more significant cultural and political occasions on our calendar. But even if it were true, — remembering once who you are and what connects you to other Circassians is better than not remembering at all. So is that really a reason to devalue the little we still have? On the contrary, it means we must strive to strengthen and popularize every initiative that reminds us who we are. Second, our people today do not exist as a compact mass in one place, but as a network. And the flag is one of the most important ways for that network to feel like a people.
On ordinary days, people live their private lives. Work, family, worries, emigration, the language of the environment, daily routine, different states. All of this pulls a person in different directions. Especially when a nation lives in dispersal. Everyday life works against memory. Routine is stronger than slogans. Assimilation more often happens not through prohibition, but through fatigue, habit, and indifference. The role of memorial days and national symbols is, among other things, precisely to jolt us out of that apathy.
That is why those who condescendingly ask, “What does this flag give you?” — fail to understand the very nature of collective life.
People need more than money, security, and personal comfort. They need symbols through which they recognize themselves. Without symbols, a nation dissolves into a mere population.
The flag gives a nation its shape. It makes the invisible visible.
It is also important to understand another thing: Circassian Flag Day is not just a celebration for Circassians themselves. It is a message to the outside world.
To a world that often knows too little about the Circassians, that may not grasp the scale of the Circassian dispersal or its causes. If we do not speak to the world — including through our symbols — some will simply never learn about us, and others will forget. Do you understand? And being forgotten also means having our place among nations ignored, our rights and our interests overlooked. Is that what you want?
The flag answers all of these questions and challenges not with words, but with action.
When it appears on streets, in windows, on cars, in children’s hands, in town squares, in diaspora cultural centers, universities, and cities across Circassia, Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas — it means the nation is still able to recognize itself. Still able to come together.
The disappearance of a people rarely happens all at once. More often, it happens quietly, without dramatic scenes or an official announcement. First, people stop speaking the language. Then they stop knowing their history. Then they become embarrassed by their symbols. Then they start thinking of national issues as something “unnecessary,” “inconvenient,” or “outdated.” Then they say, “What difference does it make?” — and with that, the story is over.
That is why displaying the flag and participating in any Circassian events is not empty emotion — it is resistance to dissolution and ultimate disappearance by every means available to us, if you will. And, as the practice of recent decades has shown, it works.
A Circassian may live in Nalchik, Maykop, Cherkessk, Sochi, Istanbul, Kayseri, Amman, Kfar Kama, Berlin, New Jersey, or Toronto. They may hold a different passport, speak a different everyday language, live in a different political environment. But when they raise the Circassian flag, they step out of the solitude of a private biography and into the great chain of generations. It gives a person strength. They understand: “I am part of history. Behind me stand glorious ancestors. Beside me are other Adyghe. After me will come children to whom we can pass something on.” That is the psychological power of the flag and its constructive meaning.
Let us, then, be worthy of our flag and our people!
Let what has been said above serve as an explanation for those Circassians who do not yet fully understand the importance of our holidays and the display of our symbols. Now let us turn directly to the findings of the study.
Observation one: the diaspora today is not the periphery of the Circassian world — it is one of its driving forces.
In terms of the density of publications, emotional energy, and visual mobilization, diaspora organizations appeared particularly active. The Turkish segment set the highest pace, and events were also well-coordinated in every other country where Circassians live. We can confidently state that what we are witnessing is not merely nostalgia for Circassian heritage — what stands before us is a high-quality political and cultural organization of a scattered but unbroken people. We hope that greater opportunities for activity will soon emerge in our historic homeland, but for now, we note the shift of the center of gravity of events to the diaspora.
Next observation: the Caucasus remains the symbolic center, but it is no longer always the main media driver. And there are objective reasons for that.
We know that the Russian Federation is currently at war with Ukraine. As part of this aggressive policy, Russia has imposed censorship measures and restricted public political activity. Across the country and in individual regions, any unauthorized events are banned, and people can be imprisoned for social media posts calling for such events — or even for careless words.
However, as we can see, in Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea, and along the Black Sea coast of historic Circassia, people were able to mobilize and take to the streets with national symbols. Car rallies and marches with flags were held, not to mention numerous official cultural events.
We must note with regret that in recent years, street-level activity in our cities has been declining annually against the backdrop of the difficult domestic political situation in Russia. As a result, a significant portion of activity has understandably shifted to social media. However, the significance of a quality online presence should not be underestimated — the internet is currently the most important tool of national and political mobilization. Thanks to this instrument, Circassians have achieved notable success in promoting their culture and communicating their position to the rest of the world, and no pandemics or wars can change that. The Circassian question can no longer be swept under the carpet and made invisible.
We also view it as a positive development that an unspoken but real understanding has been reached between Circassian activists in the homeland and the authorities, under which officials refrain from forcibly suppressing public activity. We welcome this position of the local authorities and understand that they may be under pressure from the federal center, which means everyone must act carefully. As all could see, our patriots once again held events with discipline and without any incidents. We regard this as one of the signs of the high culture and political maturity of our activists and our people as a whole.
Circassians have an inalienable right to express themselves through their national symbols. We would, of course, wish for more, but the balance that has been found in Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Adygea under the current difficult conditions, in our view, deserves respect and preservation. We trust that our events will continue to be held in this spirit — with culture, mutual respect, organization, and public order — and that they will continue to meet with understanding from the responsible officials.
Now let us talk about the shortcomings we identified and offer some recommendations for improving the celebration next year.
Shortcomings
We do not see the need right now to point out the various minor organizational problems and failures that are inevitable in large-scale networked events of this kind. We will focus on just one issue whose correction would already make a significant difference: poor presentation to external audiences.
For Circassians, the meaning of the flag is almost intuitive. But international audiences need explanations: who the Circassians are, why they live in different countries, why the flag matters, what the 12 stars and three arrows signify, why this day is linked to memory, unity, and dignity. Without this, an outside viewer sees a beautiful ethnic celebration but does not understand the depth of the phenomenon. How can this be fixed? We need subtitles in English, Turkish, Arabic, and Russian. We need clear explanations for those seeing this symbol for the first time. We need written materials: who the Circassians are, why they live in different countries, what the flag means, why this day matters. We need pre-prepared hashtags, posters, event maps, and a unified visual style. In our view, our biggest gap is with the English-speaking audience — yet English is the language of international communication, the language spoken by politicians from the highest podiums.
If we ourselves do not explain to the world what our symbol means, the world will either not understand — or will invent its own meaning for us. This gap must be closed by next year.
Recommendations
Here are some recommendations for better organizing Circassian Flag Day in the future.
First. Coordination calls to share experience in organizing events should be held at least 2–3 weeks before the date. More experienced organizations and individual activists can and should advise others on political and organizational matters. To this end, corresponding announcements offering assistance should be posted in advance on social media, informal channels of communication should be established, and thematic meetings should be arranged on Zoom and other platforms.
Second. In every major city with a Circassian community, efforts should be made to secure a municipal congratulatory message, a flag-raising, a statement from local authorities, cultural events at universities and in city squares and main streets, and coverage in the local press. This is not mere symbolism. It is recognition of presence, and that matters.
Third. An archive is needed. Every year, everything should be collected: photographs, videos, posters, speeches, methods of organizing and conducting events, and the best publications. In a few years, this will become not just an archive, but evidence of the historical development of the national movement, and a valuable resource for the next generation of activists.
Fourth. After the holiday, a debriefing must take place — organizers should not only thank each other but also ask the hard questions: what worked, what failed, where there were too few people, where the visuals were weak, where we failed to reach external audiences. Asking: what, where, when, and why? How to correct mistakes, prevent them next year, and what can be improved based on analysis? Holding such online meetings makes sense both within individual diasporas and at the international level. As an example of such a debrief, we can point to the online conference held on the Adiga itv platform (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Eke4UJnWa/) among prominent Circassian public figures from different countries.
Conclusions
The main takeaway from April 25 is this: the Circassian flag works. It unites people of different countries, generations, and political views. It gives a sense of belonging without the need for long explanations. It transforms a dispersed people into a visible community.
Circassian Flag Day must become not only a holiday of remembrance but also a school for the future: how a people scattered across the world can preserve themselves, speak about themselves beautifully, with dignity and in a modern way — and each year become more cohesive, visible, and confident.
The flag is not the answer to all questions. It will not solve our political, cultural, linguistic, and organizational problems for us. But it provides a rallying point. And a people that knows how to rally around its symbols has a future.
Адыгэ лъэпкъыр Псэущ! (The Circassian people are alive!)
Center for Strategic Studies of the Circassian Socio-Political Organization “Khabze.”