On
26th January, India celebrated its republic day. Like every year the
republic day parade in Delhi was spectacular. I have been watching this parade
since my childhood days and it has been fascinating me ever since and continues
to do so. Besides, Indian republic day parade, the parade at the Red square in
Moscow has been catching my attention because of the very different marching
style of the then soviet military. It would not be out of the place to talk
about some of the famous parades across the globe.
Republic day parade
in India
is held on 26th January, the day when India adopted its constitution
and became republic .The main celebration is held in the national capital New
Delhi. On this day, ceremonious parades take place at the Rajpath, which are
performed as a tribute to India. Comprising over 25 marching and mounted
contingents, various military vehicles, 20 military bands, 30 cultural tableaux
and 30 aircraft in addition to cultural performers and 1200 school children,
India's Republic Day Parade in New Delhi is the most spectacular regular parade
in the world. Every part of the country is represented in the parade, which
makes the Republic Day parade very popular.
The
Beating Retreat ceremony officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities.
It is conducted on the evening of 29 January, the third day after the Republic
Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military i.e the Indian
Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The venue is Raisina Hills and an
adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, flanked by the north and south block of the Rashtrapati
Bhavan (President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath.
The
Bastille Day Military Parade is a French military parade that has been
held on the morning of 14 July each year in Paris since 1880, almost without
exception. This is the oldest regular military parade in the world. The parade
passes down the Champs-Elysées from Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde
where the President of the French Republic, his government and foreign ambassadors
to France stand. In some years, invited detachments of foreign troops take part
in the parade and foreign statesmen attend as guests.
Since
recent years the parade starts with military bands from the French Armed Forces
taking stage with band exhibitions and drill shows, even including displays
from foreign service troops and mounted units, and military and civil choirs
and even singers singing classic French patriotic songs. This opening act ends
with the playing of La Marseillaise, the National Anthem of France.
Recently,
it has become customary to invite units from France’s close allies to
participate in the parade. The parade follows with foot soldiers: army Infantry;
troupes de Marine; Air; Gendarmerie, including the French Republican Guard; and
occasionally non-military police and fire units. The French Foreign Legion
always brings up the rear of this part of the parade, because their ceremonial
marching pace is slower than that of other French infantry units and it's the
only regiment that does not split up when passing by the officials and the army
headquarters' tribune. Motorised and armoured troops come next, and the parade
traditionally ends with the much-cheered and popular Paris Fire Brigade (which
is a military unit from the French Army).
At
the same time, above the Champs-Elysées, the flypast continues with French Air
Force and Naval Air Force planes and helicopters, and aircraft from the
National Gendarmerie, the Interior Ministry's Civil Security Air Service and
the various fire-fighting units nationwide. The parade ends with the popularly
cheered parachute display by selected parachutists from the French Armed Forces
Festa della Repubblica is the Italian National
Day and Republic Day, which is celebrated on 2 June each year. The day commemorates
the institutional referendum held by universal suffrage in 1946, in which the
Italian people were called to the polls to decide on the form of government,
following the Second World War and the fall of Fascism.
The
parade begins when the Corazzieri Squadron of the Carabinieri arrives, either
mounted or dismounted, at the Presidential grandstand at the Via dei Fori
Imperiali with the President of Italy, and the honors are paid via the Italian
Army Band playing the first stanza of Il Canto degli Italiani, after which the
squadron departs. The parade proper itself then starts with the Carabinieri
Central Band striking up to "La Fedelissima", its official march,
leading the parade proper with the parade commander, his staff and escort,
followed by the National Colors of the Italian Armed Forces, standards of the
regions of Italy and veterans associations. Following them are company-sized
formations of Italian Armed Forces units, military bands and members of the Red
Cross, Polizia di Stato, the Penitentiary Police Corps, State Firefighters
Corps and the State Forestry Corps, and ending with the Rome City Police and
the featuring the unique Bersaglieri contingent in their jogging pace.
During
the Soviet Union's existence, 9 May was celebrated throughout the USSR and in
the countries of the Eastern Bloc. The celebration of Victory Day continued
during subsequent years of disintegration of Soviet Union in Russia and many
countries of the Eastern Block. The ritual of the celebration gradually
obtained a distinctive character with a number of similar elements: ceremonial
meetings, speeches, lectures, receptions and fireworks. In Russia during the
1990s the 9 May was not celebrated massively, because Soviet-style mass
demonstrations did not fit in with the way in which liberals that were in power
in Moscow communicated with the country’s residents. The situation changed when
Vladimir Putin came to power. He started to promote the prestige of the
governing regime and history, national holidays and commemorations all became a
source for national self-esteem. Since then the Victory Day in Russia has
increasingly been turning into a joyous celebration in which popular culture
plays a great role. The celebration of the 60th anniversary of Victory Day in
Russia in 2005 became the largest national and popular holiday since the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
The
victory day parade now is an annual feature and the major parade takes place at
Red square in Moscow.
America's National Independence Day Parade takes place
annually on July 4th in Washington, D.C., on Constitution Avenue. The Parade
consists of invited bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military and specialty
units, giant balloons, equestrian, drill teams, VIP's, national dignitaries,
and celebrity participants. The Parade is a major national event which seeks to
draw the attention of Americans to the real meaning for the holiday. It is a
patriotic, flag-waving, red white and blue celebration of America's birthday!
The
Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that,
as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore's National Day on August 9,
in commemoration of Singapore's independence that is usually held at the Padang,
the National Stadium, various decentralized venues all over Singapore or The
Float at Marina Bay. The venue of the parade is usually at the historical
grounds of the Padang, where the declaration of Singapore's independence was
held. Since the first parade in 1966, all the way to 1975, the venue was
located in this central area to bring the parade closer to the people. In 1976,
the parade was held for the first time at the newly completed National Stadium,
where the much larger capacity allowed for more to view the parade live.
Although the programme and sequence of the parade do change over the years,
several components and the overall flow of the parade have remained intact for
the past four decades. The parade has been a traditional staple of the National
Day Parade. Participants of the parade include members of the Singapore Armed
Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, representatives
of the People's Action Party, different labour unions (including members of the
National Trades Union Congress) and Ministries as well as students in uniformed
groups (such as the National Cadet Corps, National Police Cadet Corps, National
Civil Defence Cadet Corps, the Singapore Red Cross, the Boys' and Girls'
Brigades, the Scouts Association, the Girl Guides and St. John Ambulance
Brigade) and representatives of various Singapore business entities. Since
1970, the Republic of Singapore Air Force Flypast has been a regular NDP
favorite. The flypast of various military aircraft on the parade shows the
country's military air offensive and defensive capabilities. The RSAF's Black
Knights are a regular part of this segment.
