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[Opinions] Re: Edelweiss
in reply to a message by Felie
It's not a real law but there are certain guidelines that are followed. A name can be rejected by the authorities in which case the child's parents can file a claim.The guidelines are the following:- it can't be a brand or company name (p.ex. Coca Cola)
- it can't be harmful to the child because of bad associations (p.ex. Adolf)
- it can't be a last name or a title
- it has to respect the religious feelings of others (that's why Christus isn't allowed)German written law only states that everybody has to have at least one first name and it has to be registered until one month after birth at latest.I hope this was interesting to you.
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the edelweiss flower was a Nazi symbol, and idk if that association has stuck in Germany, but if so, it'd probably be illegal to use.
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Well, it's not one of the banned Nazi symbols (the swastika, the number 88 on license plates in some regions...). But as a German, I agree. It sounds too patriotic or nationalist to use. I'd personally avoid it.

This message was edited 10/29/2018, 4:14 PM

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Was it a Nazi symbol?
But..in the musical a song 'Edelweiss' was a sign of Austrian patriotism against Nazism...So the musical used that sign despite It meant the contrary?
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Whew, the Edelweiß has a rather varied and tangled history when it comes to its use as a symbol (and I'm a bit short on time right now...).The Edelweiß is the national flower of Austria (well, both the Edelweiß and the Enzian (gentian in English) are).
Due to it growing mainly higher up in the mountains, it has become a symbol of courage (as in, you have to be courageous to climb up to pick them, I guess), especially in Romanticism.
During the Third Reich, it was used by both the Nazis ("Edelweiß-Division" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Mountain_Division_(Wehrmacht)) and antifascist groups ("Edelweißpiraten" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelweiss_Pirates).And those are just a few of the symbolic uses of this flower...
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oh, i forgot about the Edelweiss pirates! thank you for reminding me, and giving more information in general. my personal association with it may have clouded my knowledge of it.
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Thank you a lot!We have some similar guidelines also here in Italy but we are quite bad organized so authorities can reject a lot of names, it depends on where you live and who is the authority when you register the name (his/her idea about a specific name).
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