Turkmenistan marks on Saturday the State Flag Day, the second most significant holiday in the national calendar after the Independence Day.

The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on January 24, 2001. It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches; a white waxing crescent moon, typical of Turkic symbolism, and five white five-pointed appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe. The green and red colors appear in this flag because they have been venerated historically by the Turkmen. The waxing crescent moon symbolizes the hope of the country for a shining future and the stars represent the five provinces of Turkmenistan. The five traditional carpet designs along the hoist represent the five major tribes or houses, and form motifs in the country's state emblem and flag.

“The flag is the guarantor of the state’s sovereignty,” Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said in his address to the nation. “The history of the Turkmen state flag, like the history of our nation, goes back thousands of years.”

Large-scale celebrations and cultural events are traditionally conducted throughout the country every year to mark this day. Timed to coincide with the holiday, the country’s biggest marketplace, the Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) with an area of 100 hectares has been opened in the vicinity of the capital city of Ashgabat.