Coat of arms, flag, banner – what’s the difference?

The jerseys of the Swiss national ice hockey team are something to talk about: they may violate the Weapons Protection Act, which regulates the use of the Swiss coat of arms. Like cantonal and municipal coats of arms, this may only be used with the permission of the authorities.

The Swiss flag, on the other hand, can be used without permission, which benefits the Swiss national football team, on whose shirt the flag is embroidered. Section 2, Article 10 of the Arms Protection Act reads as follows:

Coat of arms and flag – what’s the difference? And is a flag the same as a banner? A brief overview of these often confused terms provides clarity:

Coats of arms are national emblems used by many states. Member states – such as the Swiss cantons or the German states – can also have their own coat of arms. The term comes from Middle Dutch (“wâpen”) and originally had the same meaning as the Middle High German word “wâfen” (“weapon”, “armor”).

The shape of the coat of arms, which is based on a shield, is reminiscent of their origins: they probably evolved from the painting of shields, which made it possible to distinguish friend and foe in the turmoil of battle. The Crusades in the High Middle Ages in particular ensured that coats of arms made in Northwestern Europe spread widely across Europe.

The representative nature of the weapon soon came to the fore and its use spread beyond the nobility to other social classes. Citizens and craftsmen also acquired coats of arms, often based on images of seals. Institutions and communities such as cities also began to bear coats of arms. Their design was subject to strict rules applicable to heraldry education. When blazoning, that is, describing the coat of arms, it uses its own vocabulary that is difficult for laymen to understand.

The sovereign function of coats of arms limits their use: only state institutions such as state governments, authorities and public institutions may use them, thus giving their documents an official character. An example of this is passports, which usually show the national coat of arms – the Swiss passport contains all the cantonal coats of arms on its pages.

The science that deals with flags and flags is called vexillology (from Latin. vexillum for “flag”), it is a branch of heraldry. The terms ‘flag’ and ‘flag’ are often confused in everyday life; “Flag” is often used for both meanings. However, flag and ensign by no means have the same meaning. However, the term ‘flag’ is not common in Switzerland.

The basic principle is: flags are carried, flags are hoisted. Flags are also a simply designed mass-produced product that is easy to replace, while flags are usually firmly and permanently attached to a pole. These are often elaborately designed, wearable individual pieces that cannot be easily replaced with another piece of fabric. Examples of this are club flags or regimental flags. In the military sector, flags were carried by deserving soldiers, the flag; their loss was considered a shame.

Flags – the word goes back to the Old High German ‘fano’ and the Middle High German ‘vane’ (‘cloth’) – are historically older than flags. They were probably in use in China about 2,000 years ago. This is indicated by the tombstone of a Han dynasty emperor, on which a colored cloth hangs from a pole. The Romans used standards to distinguish their regiments.

Flags originated as a simplified version of flags. They probably first appeared in maritime navigation and much later as flags; in the 12th century in the Mediterranean and in the mid-13th century in the North Sea. An agreement made in 1270 between England and the Counts of Flanders required ships to fly the appropriate flags for identification. Driving under a false flag was frowned upon.

The term ‘flag’ itself probably goes back to the Old Norse ‘flogra’ (‘flutter’) and was only used in its modern sense from the 17th century onwards, probably in England. The use of the national flag as an identification mark at sea became common from the 16th century, when the United Netherlands used it to mark their ships.

In addition to banners and flags, there are many special shapes. A selection of the most important:

(mr)