Kings, queens, emperors and chiefs have been crowned, enthroned and anointed in ceremonies that are among the oldest in the world.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for the curious, the homesick and the hosts.
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.
🇺🇸 Hilo, United StatesMerrie Monarch Festival
A spring week of hula in Hilo, closing with three nights of competitionFestival
🇲🇲 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
🇰🇷 Seoul, South KoreaJongmyo jerye종묘 제례
Ancestral rite for Korea's Joseon kings, with court music and a line dance, held in SeoulSpiritual
🇮🇳 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
🇺🇬 UgandaGomesi
A floor-length, brightly coloured dress tied with a sash, worn by women in UgandaDress
🇺🇸 United StatesLūʻau
A Hawaiian feast of kālua pig and poi, eaten by hand outdoors with music and hulaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreEid al-Ghadirعید الغدیر
A Shia Muslim festival of prayer, gifts and shared meals, kept on 18 Dhu al-HijjahSpiritual
🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaWayangꦮꦪꦁ
A night-long puppet theatre from Java, where a dalang tells epics behind a lit screenPerformance
🇻🇳 Huế, VietnamNhã nhạcNhã nhạc (雅樂)
Vietnam's royal court music, played for palace rites from the Trần dynasty onwardPerformance
🇻🇳 VietnamCa trùCa trù (歌籌)
A Vietnamese art of sung poetry, led by a woman singer with lute and praise drumPerformance
🇪🇬 Thebes, EgyptAncient Egyptian funerary practices
Rites for the dead in ancient Egypt: preserving the body, spells and grave goodsRite of passage
🇳🇬 Abuja, NigeriaNew Yam FestivalIri ji
A yearly harvest thanksgiving across Nigeria, when the first new yams may be eatenFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 5 moreBaju Melayuباجو ملايو
The long-sleeved Malay man's shirt and trousers, formal national dress in Malaysia and BruneiDress
🇧🇪 Antwerp, Belgium and 2 moreOmmegangommegang (Dutch)
Medieval town processions of the Low Countries, with giants, guilds and horsesCeremony
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚
A short purification ceremony before the kami, sealed by three cups of sakeRite of passage
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRoyal Maundy
A Church of England service where the monarch gives silver Maundy coins to older peopleSpiritual
🇰🇷 South KoreaKorean tea ceremony다례 (茶禮)
Tea served in Korea as a rite of courtesy, now mostly grain and herbal brewsTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 3 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven cloth threaded with gold or silver, worn at weddings and royal courtsDress
🇹🇷 Bursa, Turkey and 5 moreKaragöz and Hacivat
A Turkish shadow play of two quarrelling friends, acted on a lit screen behind a curtainPerformance
🇨🇳 Meizhou Island, China and 5 moreMazu媽祖
A sea goddess of the Chinese coast, asked for calm water and a safe returnSpiritual
🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 1 moreKathak
A north Indian classical dance of stories, footwork and spins, from temples and courtsPerformance
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanCulture Day文化の日 (Bunka no Hi)
Japan's 3 November holiday for the arts, learning and the Order of CultureFestival
🇨🇳 ChinaKowtow叩頭
A traditional Chinese prostration of deep respect by kneeling and bowing to the groundEtiquette
🇮🇳 IndiaSvayamvaraस्वयंवर
An ancient Indian noble assembly where a bride chose her husband among suitorsRite of passage
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndependence DayHari Merdeka
Malaysia's national day, marking the end of British rule on 31 August 1957Ceremony
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh, Cambodia and 3 moreBokatorល្បុក្កតោ (lbŏkkâtaô)
Cambodia's battlefield martial art of strikes, locks and weapons, now a ring sportGame
🇳🇱 Wageningen, NetherlandsLiberation DayBevrijdingsdag
A Dutch national holiday on 5 May marking the end of German occupation in 1945Ceremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreKing's Official Birthday
A day when Commonwealth realms mark the monarch's birthday, seldom the real dateCeremony
🇫🇷 FranceMos Teutonicus
A medieval European funerary custom of boiling bones to return nobles home for burialRite of passage
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์
The Thai solar New Year marked by temple rites, elder blessings and water throwingSeasonal
🇲🇨 MonacoInternational Circus Festival of Monte-CarloFestival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo
A January circus competition in Monaco, with Clown statuettes for the finest actsFestival
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden and 2 moreGustavus Adolphus DayGustav Adolfsdagen
A Swedish flag day on 6 November, marked with a pastry topped with the king's likenessCeremony · Sweets given and shared
🇬🇭 Anloga, Ghana and 1 moreHogbetsotso festival
An Anlo Ewe festival in Anloga recalling an escape from NotsieFestival
🇪🇬 EgyptMin Festival
An ancient Egyptian royal rite for the god Min, staged by the king to renew his ruleSpiritual
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreHip hip hooray
A traditional celebratory cheer of call and response to honour someoneFestival
🇲🇾 Malacca, Malaysia and 4 moreSampingسمڤيڠ
A traditional Malay waist cloth worn over festive attire in Southeast AsiaDress
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreDahu褡护 (Dāhù)
A cross-collar jacket worn in the Ming dynasty, blending Chinese and Mongol styles.Dress
🇪🇸 SpainThe Water of LifeL'aigua de vida
A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking birdPerformance
🇲🇲 Amarapura, MyanmarAcheikအချိတ်
A Burmese silk weave of waves and stripes, made with up to 200 shuttlesDress
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQimen Dunjia奇門遁甲
A classical Chinese divination system that maps time, space, and strategySpiritual
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreBride-showсмотр невест
A court custom in which emperors and tsars chose a wife from young women brought before themCeremony
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomQueen Charlotte's Ball
A historic coming-of-age gala where young women curtsey to an ornate birthday cakeRite of passage
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇨🇳 Nanjing, ChinaYunjin brocade雲錦
A traditional Chinese silk brocade woven with coloured silk, gold and silverCraft
🇨🇳 ChinaHuadian花鈿
A forehead ornament of Chinese women, painted or fixed on, still worn with hanfuDress
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.