Trooping the Colour

[CJCRANE]

Watching the Trooping the Colour ceremony and it occurred to me -
marching is just "synchronised walking"...(hardly very exciting!)

[izzie]

1. Changing the Guard? I thought it was fun if it is the same thing.

All those crazy uniforms and great horses. Nixon started something like that but , thank God, it did not go over to well here.

[CJCRANE]

2. Trooping the Colour

is a big military parade (taking place at this very moment in London): lots of soldiers in fancy Victorian uniforms (including the ones in the bearskin hats that do changing the guard), lots of cavalry and military bands.

I don't know what the point of it is (I guess it's for the Queen to show of her troops once a year or something).

[emanymton]

3. Comes Frpm Times When Drafted Soldiers ...

were brought forward to be presented to the leader of the army and to show the new inductees which flag they were fighting for.

Comes from way, way way long ago.

[CJCRANE]

5. Makes sense now!

[tjwmason]

4. Once upon a time troops were mainly illiterate

But they would still have to recognise the standard of their particular group, this standard is called the colour. To ensure that even in the fog of battle they could recognise their colour it was paraded (trooped) in front of them on a frequent basis.

To mark the Queen's official birthday (this started with the beastly Queen Victoria) she would attend the ceremony, and therefore naturally the troops would parade in front of her.

It's formal title is 'The Queen's Birthday Parade'.

[CJCRANE]

6. Thanks for the info.

Still think it must be pretty gruelling watching or taking part in "sychronised walking" for hours on end..