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.
🇮🇳 IndiaKambala
An annual traditional buffalo race across muddy paddy fields in southwestern IndiaGame
🇮🇳 Gwalior, India and 1 moreDhrupadध्रुवपद
The foundational vocal and instrumental classical music tradition of northern IndiaPerformance
🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreJirgaجرګه
A traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensusCeremony
🇮🇳 Thrissur, IndiaThrissur Pooramതൃശ്ശൂര് പൂരം
A grand Kerala temple gathering with elephant pageantry, percussion, and fireworksFestival
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaKandyan danceඋඩරට නැටුම්
The sacred dance of Sri Lanka's hill country, kept in temple and on the stagePerformance
🇮🇳 Kolhapur, IndiaKolhapuri chappal
Handcrafted braided leather slip-on sandals from western IndiaCraft
🇧🇹 Thimphu, BhutanArchery in Bhutanམདའ (da)
Bhutan's national sport, played with bamboo bows at targets 145 metres awayGame
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal and 4 moreDashainबडादशैँ
A fifteen-day festival of family gatherings, blessings, and feasts across NepalFestival
🇮🇳 Mysuru, IndiaMysore Dasara
Karnataka's ten-day Dasara, with the lit Mysuru Palace and a Vijayadashami processionFestival
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaEsala Perahera
A Sri Lankan procession of sacred relics, drummers and elephants honouring the BuddhaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluபொம்மை கொலு
An autumn festival display of stepped dolls and figurines in South Indian homesFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaAyudha Pujaआयुध पूजा
A Hindu festival blessing the tools, vehicles, books and instruments of daily workSpiritual
🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 3 moreSherwani
A long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South AsiaDress
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreProstration
Bowing the whole body to the ground, in prayer and as a sign of respectSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePehlwani
A traditional discipline of clay-pit wrestling across the Indian subcontinent.Game
🇮🇳 Pune, India and 5 moreTurbanدولبند (dolband)
Cloth wound around the head, worn for faith, rank, shade and identityDress
🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaVallam Kalivaḷḷaṃ kaḷi
A traditional canoe racing festival held across the waters of Kerala during OnamGame
🇮🇳 Krishnanagar, IndiaJagaddhatri Puja
A Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumnSpiritual
🇮🇳 Srinagar, India and 3 morePashmina
Ultra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rankDress
🇮🇳 Lucknow, India and 1 moreKathak
A north Indian classical dance of stories, footwork and spins, from temples and courtsPerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaSvayamvaraस्वयंवर
An ancient Indian noble assembly where a bride chose her husband among suitorsRite of passage
🇮🇳 India and 4 morePuttee
A cloth leg wrap worn by soldiers, from the Himalayas to the armies of two world warsDress
🇮🇳 IndiaNadiri
A sleeveless coat made for Mughal Emperor Jahangir and the courtiers he choseDress
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇮🇳 IndiaPolitical marriages in India
Royal marriages arranged to seal treaties, peace and power in Indian historyRite of passage
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreWedding dress
The dress a bride wears at her wedding, white in the West and often red in the EastDress
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
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