Presentation of Colours
The Presentation of Colours is a military ceremony that marks an anniversary or significant event in the history of a particular regiment or similar military unit. This involves the presentation of a new version of the colours, standards and guidons|regimental colour] to a regiment or equivalent formation in their respective armed forces service branch. This is a traditional ceremony that was pioneered by the British Armed Forces and is today used in most Commonwealth countries.
Background
In the military, the colours originally acted as a rallying point for troops and as a way to locate their commander. It originated in Ancient Egypt around 5,000 years ago, with the practice also being used in the Roman Empire and the Roman army specifically. It was made more significant in the Middle Ages when military colours were formalised with the coat of arms of the country. Colour guards at the time were introduced to escort the colour, and to make sure that the colour never was damaged. Today, colours are no longer carried into battle, due to the creation of modern weapons and the advancement of warfare and communications. Colours are now used as part of a regiment's tradition and symbolise the unit's identity, and are used at formal events.The ceremony in most Commonwealth countries concerns the entrustment to the concerned unit of either one or two colours, if for the latter case, the colours are a Sovereign's or National / Presidential Colour and the Regimental Colour or the Sovereign's / Presidential Standard / Guidon. As a matter of tradition, colours are never issued to the light infantry, artillery, engineers and support branches, although differences exist.
Although primarily a military service, the Presentation of Colours may occasionally occur for non-combat public services such as the police; notable examples include the presentation of new a colour to the Royal [Brunei Police Force], Brunei Darussalam in 1971, and the Railway Protection Force, India in 2006.
Ceremony
The formation for the parade is a battalion-sized formation of military units of an armed forces formation from Commonwealth countries. From four to ten companies is the usual size of the parade and a military band combined with a corps of drums or pipes and drums providing the ceremonial music is present. The parade commander, the field officer holding the rank of a major or lieutenant colonel, takes his place in the centre of the parade field, assisted by the second-in-command and the parade adjutant.With the regimental colonel-in-chief usually being the reviewing officer during the ceremony, upon their arrival, a royal salute from the regiment is executed, and then the guest inspects the combined guard of honour from the regiment as the band plays a slow march, in addition to the optional firing of a 21-gun salute. If the guest is a military general or flag-ranked officer, a general salute is executed by the formation before the inspection can begin.
After the inspection, a stick orderly will walk to the rear of the formation to receive the pace stick from the regimental sergeant major who will then draw their sword. The regiment's first company will then quickly march, usually in Commonwealth realms, to the tune of British Grenadiers">British Armed Forces">British Grenadiers, to which the ceremony proceeds similarly to the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London, with the 'Escort to the Colour' receiving the old colour so that they can troop it through the ranks of the rest of the regiment, preceded by a salute to the colours by the escort, usually with the band playing an abbreviated version of the national or royal anthem. After this part of the ceremony, the old colours of the regiment will be retired by the colour party in a slow march. After the old colours are officially retired, they are then laid up on a display as it will never be paraded by the regiment again. In British and Canadian practice, regimental colours are often laid up in a church or cathedral until they have almost totally disintegrated, which might take a century or more; at this point, the remains of the colour and its staff are then removed and cremated on consecrated ground.
After this part of the ceremony, members of the corps of drums will form a spiritual altar from their instruments, after which the quartermaster will at that point bring out the new colour, earlier removed of its casing, and place it on top of the pile. Religious figures in the regiment will then give a blessing to the colours, the regiment, and the service branch. With this part being complete, the reviewing officer will briefly address the regiment to which they presented the colours to, which will be concluded with the speaker expressing confidence in the regiment, and the regimental commander thanking the reviewing officer for their words. Following this, the reviewing officer entrusts the colour, which had already been removed from the pile by non-commissioned officers earlier, to the colour ensign of the unit holding the rank of second lieutenant.
Once the drummers and commanders retire to their previous positions, the new colours are then marched to their position in a formation to the tune of the regimental march or the national anthem of the country in slow march. This will signal the start of the regimental march past for the reviewing officer who stands on a makeshift saluting base. While marching in a slow march, the new colours will be lowered to the ground to show respect to the reviewing officer, if in a quick march, they are not.
An Advance in Review Order is used to signal the end of the presentation of colours ceremony, by which the regiment offers a final royal salute / presidential salute, followed by the optional three cheers. Following this, either the guest departs from the tribune and the entire parade marches out with the new colours, or the ceremony reforms to march past order to render a final salute to the guest following the final report by the parade commander, and the whole unit marches out in that manner with the band marching out last.
In Malaysia, the order of the presentation is different. In the case of the presentation of new colours to existing units, following the inspection of the ranks by the reviewing officer, the old colour is retired, followed by the presentation of the new colour, prayers and the speech, followed by the handover of the new colour to the ensign and the trooping of the newly presented colour through the ranks before the march past in both slow and quick march, as well as the performance of the state or national anthem if the reviewing officer is either the King of Malaysia or state sultans, who are the colonels-in-chief of their respective units. In India, in reflection of the country's diverse religions, the colours consecration prayers are offered by military chaplains of religions represented in the armed forces.
Until the mechanisation of the cavalry regiments in Commonwealth armies in the 1930s, the form of the presentation of colours of cavalry regiments was mounted by either the sovereign or representatives of the British royal family, and the guidons or standards were, as in today, laid on timpani which also occasionally carried the regimental honours or in the same drum sets as in the infantry if unavailable. Some light regiments only had timpani that carried the battle honours of the unit on parade until the 1950s.
Notable and recent ceremonies
Variants in other countries
Germany
Military colours in Germany began to be presented by order of the Federal Ministry of Defence on 18 September 1964. This was a direct result of the production of unauthorised unit colours by army soldiers, which became illegal in the early 1960s. The first German military colours were presented by President Heinrich Lübke to the ceremonial Wachbataillon on 7 January 1965. Colours are presented at the battalion and regiment levels of the Bundeswehr. The presentation is presided over by the Federal Minister of Defence, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr in times of peace, or by the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. Optionally the President presents the colour himself.The Volksarmee of the former German Democratic Republic conducted similar ceremonies that resembled its Soviet counterparts.
Poland
In Poland, the ceremony of the presentation of colours to units of the Polish Armed Forces, the Police, the Border Guard, State Fire Service, and other uniformed organisations, is a ceremony of great importance. The decree issuing colours to these organisations is issued by the superior authority of the responsible state ministry or by the President of Poland, for example, armed forces colours are granted to deserving units by decree of the Minister of National Defence. The ceremony is a mix of various influences, specifically German, Russian, and British, while also incorporating elements from the Royal Commonwealth period like the blessing of the colours in the presence of the Catholic priest or bishop on the night of or before the presentation. The reviewing officer is either a general or flag grade officer with higher billets and / or command responsibilities or a minister/deputy minister or chairman/vice chairman of the concerned government ministry/agency, or even the President himself in special cases.Post-Soviet states
The presentation of colours in member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and other post-Soviet states like Ukraine, has significant differences from the British. The colours are known in Russia and many other CIS countries as battle flags, which have great importance in the armed forces. In the case of the Russian Armed Forces, this ceremony is ordered by the Minister of Defence, who signs a decree awarding the colours to a unit, command, or educational institution. Decrees for the granting of colours to the uniformed forces of the Ministries of the Internal Affairs, Justice and Emergency Situations, as well as to the National Guard, the Federal Security and Protective Services, are under the authority of the Minister of the concerned ministry, or in the case of the other three the President of Russia. Similar orders are granted by ministers or by the office of the President or Prime Minister of other CIS countries, and Ukraine for the armed forces and public uniformed services of these countries. It can be held either outdoors in the military barracks or parade ground, or indoors in a theatre or public hall. Optionally, like in Russia, and Ukraine, the President serves as the reviewing officer and can be assigned the duty of presenting the new colours to the unit concerned.In addition to the militaries of post-Soviet states, the Mongolian Armed Forces have also adopted the presentation of colours ceremony from the Soviet Armed Forces. The order for the bestowment of colours to distinguished formations is similarly granted by the President or by government ministers/agency heads.
Outdoor ceremony
The formation for the outdoor parade is a battalion-sized formation of military units of an armed forces formation from CIS countries. Four to fourteen companies are the usual size of the parade, and a military band providing the ceremonial music is present. The parade commander is either a field grade or general / flag grade officer of the armed forces or public security formations, while the reviewing officer can be a general or flag grade officer with higher billets or command responsibilities, or a minister/deputy minister or chairman/vice chairman of the concerned government ministry/agency.Following the entrance of the national colour guard carrying the national flag, the parade commander then marches off to inform the reviewing officer of the readiness of the parade to receive the concerned unit colours. Following the report, both march to the centre of the parade ground while the parade presents arms, following this the reviewing officer greets the assembled formation:
In Ukraine the addressing format is as follows:
The parade is then ordered to stand at ease.
Following this, the new colour, which had already been marched in by a colour guard behind the reviewing officer, is being prepared to be removed of its casing. The right escort NCO of the colour removes the casing as the senior NCO, who serves as the ensign, dips the colour, thus revealing the new colour of the concerned unit, as the band plays a drum roll, after this, the ensign dips the colour first to the right and then to the left before returning to the carry position. If necessary, religious figures will then consecrate the newly uncased colour. After the uncasing and players, the order on the entrustment of the colour is read out, following by the addresses of the reviewing officer, and the commander of the unit that will receive the colour. The reviewing officer congratulates the unit on the reception of the colour, expressing confidence in the men and women who serve, and the unit commander then replies to express profound gratitude on this occasion. After this the reviewing officer obtains the colour, which is then handed over to the commanding officer, the moment of which is then followed by the playing of the country's national anthem by the band. Then the unit commander hands over the new colour to another colour guard and its ensign, who, as the parade, presenting arms and in the eyes right position, shouts a threefold Oorah while the band plays appropriate music, together with the commander, troops the colour through the ranks before taking its place of honour in the formation. Following the trooping, the formation reforms to march past the order to render a final salute to the reviewing officer, and the whole unit marches out in that manner with the band marching out last.
In Ukraine, following the presentation of the new colour, the commanding officer of the unit receiving its colour, following his report of the readiness to take care of the colour, first removes his headgear to touch the colour in the hands of the reviewing officer before handing it over to the unit's colour guard.
Spain
The form of a Spanish Armed Forces ceremony of presentation of colours is known as the Ceremonia de Entrega de la Enseña Nacional or Ceremonia de Entrega de la Bandera Nacional. The principal guest for such a ceremony is the King of Spain in his duties as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, if absent, the Queen of Spain or the Chiefs of Staff of branches of the armed forces is present as the reviewing officer, as well as any high-ranking general and flag officers of the service branches on behalf of their service heads. The colour in question is a form of the Flag of Spain called a batallona, gold-fringed, with the regimental name, in black lettering, surrounding the state coat of arms in the centre. While the large colour is for regiments of the infantry and educational and training institutions, a small colour is used by the cavalry and artillery as a sort of Royal Standard.The ceremony follows the same concept as in the Commonwealth. But for units with two or more battalions, the size is eight to nineteen companies. It is mostly an outdoor ceremony. In addition, similar ceremonies have been held by law enforcement organisations.
Spanish outdoor ceremony
The ceremony begins with the entrance of the regimental band and Field Music of the regiment or institution receiving the colour, following which the pennant and guidon bearers march to their places in the parade ground. After which, the band strikes up to a quick march as the battalion or regimental formation marches into the grounds, and after briefly marking time, halts. The parade commander, a field officer with the rank of major / lieutenant colonel or equivalent, takes up his position in the centre of the parade ground with a three-to-four-man staff, together with the battalion guidon bearer and a command bugler. As in the Commonwealth, all wear full or service dress uniform.During the arrival of the guest of honour, the appropriate music is played as a general or royal salute is rendered:
- For senior ranked officers: Marcha del Infantes
- For senior ranked command general or flag officers: Marcha Real
- For the Prince or Princess of Asturias: Marcha Real
- For the King and / or Queen: Marcha Real
If a new battalion guidon is to be presented, an orderly presents the battalion guidon or fanion to the reviewing officer, who then hands it over to the guidon bearer.
The new regimental or institution colour is then marched into the field with the colour ensign, usually a subaltern officer in the rank of second or first lieutenant, and once approaching the centre of the parade ground together with the colour guard, the commander of the unit receiving the colour informs the guest of honour of the readiness of the colour to be officially presented to the unit. The guest of honour is then joined by a Catholic chaplain, who then prays the prayer for the consecration of the new colour, and blesses it. The guest of honour, after speaking the keynote address, then returns to the grandstand, and then the unit's commanding officer says the traditional formula as the ensign steps out of the colour guard to formally present the new colour:
Servicemen and women, before you is the Flag, the symbol of Spain, the immortal homeland, and it is therefore your supreme obligation and duty, even at the cost of your lives, to defend it.
Following the words, the commanding officer then orders, in fulfilment of the pledge to defend the new colour of the unit, for a feu de joie to be fired by either the whole formation or a company or platoon of the concerned formation. After this the following exchange is made:
- Commanding officer: Long live Spain!
- Formation: Huzzah!
Thailand
Each unit of the Royal Thai Armed Forces is given a colour called the Thong Chai Chalermphol or Victory Colours. These are presented to each unit personally by the King of Thailand. The flags are divided into four different designs, for: Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force, and King's Guard units, and is presented in a public ceremony usually in December days following National Day celebrations.Before their presentation, the colours are ceremonially blessed in a religious ceremony attended by Buddhist monks and other high ranking dignitaries inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. During the ceremony amidst the chanting of the monks, the King will personally hammer the brass nails into the staff of each colour using a silver hammer. Each colour contains about 32–35 nails, in which the cloth is attached to the wooden staff. Within the same ceremony, the King will also take a strand of his own hair and conceal it within a compartment at the top of the staff, which is closed by a round silver screw top. The King will also attach each colour with its own ceremonial Buddha image, and bless each colour with holy water as monks chant a blessing to the new colours. The ceremony is steeped in Buddhist and Brahmic heritage, it symbolises and cements the King's role as Chief Kshatriya or Warrior ruler of his realm. It also emphasises his constitutional role as Head and Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Following the Buddhist consecration, the colours, placed beforehand on a table, are then received by the commanders of the units that have granted their colours by decree of the Minister of Defence, and in a further ceremony outside the temple later on, are then handed over by the King to the colour ensigns of these units, who then return to their places in their respective colour guards with the new colours.