The word pentagram comes from the Greek word πεντάγραμμον (pentagrammon), from πέντε (pente), "five" + γραμμή (grammē), "line".The word "pentacle" is sometimes used synonymously with "pentagram" The word pentalpha is a learned modern (17th-century) revival of a post-classical Greek name of the shape. Because of a perceived association with Satanism and occultism, many United States schools in the late 1990s sought to prevent students from displaying the pentagram on clothing or jewelry. In public schools, such actions by administrators were determined to be in violation of students' First Amendment right to free exercise of religion in 2000. The encircled pentagram (referred to as a pentacle by the plaintiffs) was added to the list of 38 approved religious symbols to be placed on the tombstones of fallen service members at Arlington National Cemetery on 24 April 2007. The decision was made following ten applications from families of fallen soldiers who practiced Wicca. The government paid the families USD 225,000 to settle their pending lawsuits. The five pointed star is a symbol of the Serer religion and the Serer people of West Africa. Called Yoonir in their language, it symbolizes the universe in the Serer creation myth, and also represents the Sirius star A multicolored version is used as symbol of the Druze religion.The pentagram is featured on the national flags of Morocco (adopted 1915) and Ethiopia (adopted 1996) The Order of the Eastern Star, an organization (established 1850) associated with Freemasonry, uses a pentagram as its symbol, with the five isosceles triangles of the points colored blue, yellow, white, green, and red. In most Grand Chapters the pentagram is used point down, but in a few it is point up. Grand Chapter officers often have a pentagon inscribed around the star. (The logo shown here is from Prince Hall Association}.
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