Kings, queens, emperors and chiefs have been crowned, enthroned and anointed in ceremonies that are among the oldest in the world.
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Kings, queens, emperors and chiefs have been crowned, enthroned and anointed in ceremonies that are among the oldest in the world. Some are very ancient and still performed, such as the English coronation in Westminster Abbey, the Japanese enthronement and the Ashanti stool rites. Others are the royal weddings, jubilees and funerals that draw crowds and cameras. The ceremonies use crowns, thrones, oaths, oils, regalia, processions and music to show that authority is conferred by a people, a faith or a tradition. Here is how royalty is celebrated in many places, from palaces to village stools, and what the rites mean to those who keep them.
A coronation turns a person into a ruler in the sight of the people and, in many traditions, of God or the ancestors. It sets out the duties of the ruler, often through an oath, and the loyalty of the subjects. The ceremony also displays continuity, linking each ruler to those before, with objects and words that may be centuries old. In constitutional monarchies the rite is symbolic but still carries deep meaning, while in traditional kingdoms the chief or king remains an important figure in the life of the community.
The main elements are an oath or promise, an act of anointing or blessing, the giving of regalia such as the crown, orb, sceptre, sword, stool or spear, an enthronement and an acclamation by the people. A procession carries the ruler through the city, and a feast follows. Dress is rich, with robes, furs, gold and feathers. Many rites include a period of seclusion or fasting, a ritual bath and the presence of priests, elders or kingmakers. The date is often chosen with care, and the ceremony may last days.
Royal feasts are among the great banquets of history, and coronation dishes have become part of food culture: coronation chicken in Britain, a ceremonial rice in Thailand, and the royal cuisine of Japan's court. Dress is the heart of the display: ermine and velvet, kimono-style robes, kente cloth and gold regalia, feathered cloaks in Hawaii and Maori lands. Music is organised on a grand scale: anthems, fanfares, trumpets, drums, gongs and choirs, and some traditions have court musicians whose work is handed down in families.
Many monarchies have simplified ceremonies, reduced costs and opened them to people of all faiths. Television and streaming have made the rites a worldwide event, and social media follows every detail. Traditional rulers in Africa and the Pacific play a role beside modern government, resolving disputes and caring for culture. Some countries have ended monarchy and replaced it with civic ceremonies, such as an inauguration, with their own symbols and oaths. Interest in the history and symbolism of royal rites remains strong everywhere.
The coronation takes place in Westminster Abbey, with the sovereign anointed with holy oil, crowned with St Edward's Crown and given the orb and sceptre. The ceremony has been held in the Abbey since 1066.
Coronation of the British monarch, being writtenThe Sokui-rei, the enthronement of the emperor, and the Daijosai, a ritual in which the emperor offers new rice to the deities, are rooted in Shinto tradition and continue today. The ritual is held at night, in a specially built hall, and is seen as private to the emperor.
Read: Daijō-saiThe coronation involves anointing with water from sacred sources, a nine-tiered umbrella and the Great Crown of Victory, in a Brahmin and Buddhist ritual in Bangkok's Grand Palace. The king also receives the regalia, including the sword and the sandals, in a ceremony that lasts several days.
Read: Coronation of the Thai monarchThe Raven Crown, with the head of a raven representing the protective deity Gonpo Jarodongchen, is worn by the king, and the coronation includes a ritual of receiving a scarf, the Dar Kar. The ceremony is accompanied by monks chanting and the presentation of a ceremonial scarf.
Raven Crown, being writtenThe Kumari, a young girl worshipped as a living goddess, has traditionally blessed the king with a tika at the Indra Jatra festival. The institution continues in Kathmandu.
Read: KumariThe Dussehra procession at Mysore, with an elephant bearing the golden howdah, recalls the old royal court, and the Rajput kings' coronations involved a tilak and a sword. Today the palace of Mysore is lit with thousands of lights on the evenings of Dasara.
Read: Mysore Dasara
Daijō-saiJapan's imperial thanksgiving.
Royal Ploughing CeremonyThailand and Cambodia.Bay'ahThe pledge of allegiance.
Trooping the ColourThe British birthday parade.
Mysore DasaraThe royal festival of Mysore.Also part of it, and being written: Coronation of the British monarch (Westminster Abbey.), Golden Stool (The Ashanti sacred stool.), Tūrangawaewae (The Maori King Movement.).
A coronation places a crown on the head, while an enthronement seats the ruler on a throne or stool. Many ceremonies include both, with other rites such as anointing.
Anointing with holy oil, an act borrowed from the Hebrew Bible, shows that the ruler is set apart for service. The oil is blessed and may be made to an ancient recipe.
It varies. In many modern monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, Sweden and Japan, the monarch is a ceremonial head of state, while in a few countries the monarch has real authority.
The objects of royal office, such as crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, stools or spears, kept with great care and used in the ceremony.
Yes. Chiefs, headmen and clan leaders have their own installation rites in much of Africa, the Pacific and the Americas, and many are recognised by modern law.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia and 5 moreIkat
A resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingCraft
🇰🇭 CambodiaApsara Danceរបាំទេពអប្សរា
A classical Cambodian court dance inspired by the stone carvings of AngkorPerformance
🇮🇳 Kolhapur, IndiaKolhapuri chappal
Handcrafted braided leather slip-on sandals from western IndiaCraft
🇬🇭 Ntɔnso, Ghana and 1 moreAdinkra symbols
Symbols of the Akan people, stamped on cloth, each one carrying a proverbCraft
🇻🇦 Vatican City and 1 morePontifical Swiss GuardPontificia Cohors Helvetica
The Swiss military corps charged with guarding the Pope and the Apostolic PalaceCeremony
🇸🇩 SudanJirtigالجَرْتِقْ
A Sudanese wedding ritual of regal adornment, protection, and blessings of fertilityRite of passage
🇺🇬 UgandaGomesi
A floor-length, brightly coloured dress tied with a sash, worn by women in UgandaDress
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 3 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven cloth threaded with gold or silver, worn at weddings and royal courtsDress
🇲🇬 MadagascarLamba
A rectangular cloth wrapped around the body, worn across Madagascar and at burialsDress
🇮🇳 Pune, India and 5 moreTurbanدولبند (dolband)
Cloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identityDress
🇹🇴 Tonga and 1 moreTaʻovala
A waist mat worn in Tonga for weddings, funerals and formal daysDress
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaHanfu漢服
The dress of the Han Chinese, named for the Han dynasty and worn again todayDress
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 5 moreBaju Melayuباجو ملايو
The long-sleeved Malay man's shirt and trousers, formal national dress in Malaysia and BruneiDress
🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, Indonesia and 4 moreKebayaꦏꦼꦧꦪ
A front-opening blouse and wrapped cloth, worn by women across Southeast AsiaDress
🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 3 moreSherwani
A long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South AsiaDress
🇳🇴 NorwayBunad
Norway's festive dress, tied to a home district and worn from weddings to 17 MayDress
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreLongyiလုံချည်
A tube of cloth worn from waist to feet in Myanmar, folded shut with no knotDress
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreLederhosen
Leather breeches that began as work wear and now belong to Alpine festivalsDress
🇰🇭 Cambodia and 2 moreSampotសំពត់
A length of cloth wrapped at the waist, the everyday and ceremonial dress of CambodiaDress
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreZardoziزردوزی (zarduzi)
Heavy gold and silver embroidery on silk or velvet, worked in Iran, India and beyondCraft
🇮🇳 Srinagar, India and 3 morePashmina
Ultra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rankDress
🇬🇭 Bonwire, Ghana and 1 moreKente clothNwentoma
Hand-woven Ghanaian cloth of silk and cotton strips, worn for ceremonies and graduationsDress
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 4 moreSampingسمڤيڠ
A traditional Malay waist cloth worn over festive attire in Southeast AsiaDress
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇹🇭 ThailandKhruiครุย
A sheer ceremonial robe worn by Thai royalty and now as academic dress at universities.Dress
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDahu褡护 (Dāhù)
A cross-collar jacket worn in the Ming dynasty, blending Chinese and Mongol styles.Dress
🇨🇳 ChinaHuadian花鈿
A forehead ornament of Chinese women, painted or fixed on, still worn with hanfuDress
🇮🇳 IndiaNadiri
A sleeveless coat made for Mughal Emperor Jahangir and the courtiers he choseDress
🇲🇲 Amarapura, MyanmarAcheikအချိတ်
A Burmese silk weave of waves and stripes, made with up to 200 shuttlesDress
🇰🇭 Longvek, Cambodia and 2 moreKhmer traditional clothing
How Khmer people dress: the wrapped sampot, the embroidered sbai, the checkered kramaDress
🇮🇩 IndonesiaBatik kawung
An old Indonesian batik pattern of four neat ovals, read as fruit or lotusCraft
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKoningsmantel
The Dutch royal cloak of red velvet and ermine, brought out when a monarch is sworn inDress
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBliaut
A fitted medieval overgarment with trailing sleeves, worn in France and nearby landsDress
🇬🇷 GreeceTablionταβλίον
An embroidered panel on the ceremonial mantle of Byzantine courtiers.Dress
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreAso Olona
A patterned Yoruba cloth, woven with symbols and worn as a mark of rank and identityDress
🇨🇳 Zhongshan, ChinaChinese clothing
Robes, gowns, and suits shaped across dynasties, ranks, and daily life in ChinaDress
🇬🇷 GreeceKausiaκαυσία
A flat hat of ancient Macedonia, worn by kings and later as sun cover in RomeDress
🇨🇳 Nanjing, ChinaYunjin brocade雲錦
A traditional Chinese silk brocade woven with coloured silk, gold and silverCraft
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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