Changing of the Guard - What does it mean?
Apr 26th, 2005, 09:02 AM
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Changing of the Guard - What does it mean?
We just returned from our first trip to London. Of course, like every other tourist in the city, we watched the changind of the guard at Buckingham Palace - and now I'm curious as to what it all means? It was interesting to watch, but I felt like I was missing something...certainly there has to be some story to how it all evolved? (Right?) I did a quick search online and couldn't really find any explanation - any ideas?
Apr 26th, 2005, 09:17 AM
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Apr 26th, 2005, 10:57 AM
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The Palace site leaves me no wiser. When the early shift at our local newsagent hands over to the slugabeds, they don't need 150 bandsmen to mark the occasion.
Nor do the lads and lasses on the Palace switchboard. Or the members of the Diplomatic Protection Squad at the Palace who actually do the dirty work if lowlifes try to have a potshot at Her Maj.
All I know about why there's this overblown ceremony is that every year, at Trooping the Colour, the BBC commentator tells us that even more overblown ceremony used to be the basis for the daily Changing the Guard. Which I don't believe.
No-one seems anxious to tell us WHY it's come to take so many members of the world's most overstretched army (who really do have many, many better things to do and a serious personpower shortage) to change sentries.
Anyone got the foggiest?
Nor do the lads and lasses on the Palace switchboard. Or the members of the Diplomatic Protection Squad at the Palace who actually do the dirty work if lowlifes try to have a potshot at Her Maj.
All I know about why there's this overblown ceremony is that every year, at Trooping the Colour, the BBC commentator tells us that even more overblown ceremony used to be the basis for the daily Changing the Guard. Which I don't believe.
No-one seems anxious to tell us WHY it's come to take so many members of the world's most overstretched army (who really do have many, many better things to do and a serious personpower shortage) to change sentries.
Anyone got the foggiest?
Apr 26th, 2005, 11:14 AM
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From a member of the Guard
"Basically, the Guard Mount is a logical process of getting a group of men out of their barracks, formed up on a drill square, inspected, moved to wherever the Guard requires changing ( The Palace aka Buck House, St James Palace aka 'Jimmies', Windsor Castle aka 'The rock pile' or HM Tower of London aka 'The Tower')
... and from there they relieve the soldiers in front of the boxes and brief the new sentry's on their duties.
It has not changed dramatically because quite simply put, it is easier to remember what comes next if you are taking part."
I don't know what you felt that you missed, as it seems to be pretty much what it is , they change the guards
"Basically, the Guard Mount is a logical process of getting a group of men out of their barracks, formed up on a drill square, inspected, moved to wherever the Guard requires changing ( The Palace aka Buck House, St James Palace aka 'Jimmies', Windsor Castle aka 'The rock pile' or HM Tower of London aka 'The Tower')
... and from there they relieve the soldiers in front of the boxes and brief the new sentry's on their duties.
It has not changed dramatically because quite simply put, it is easier to remember what comes next if you are taking part."
I don't know what you felt that you missed, as it seems to be pretty much what it is , they change the guards
Apr 26th, 2005, 11:21 AM
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Karl:
My copy of "The Invention of Tradition" is at the bottom of a large pile in my other house. But, from memory, this stuff goes back at least to the middle of Victoria's reign - before we had tourists. And certainly before anybody gave a flying four x about attracting them. Tourism is the reason given for not letting the soldiers do what they're trained for.
Scarlett:
The question was how did the ceremony evolve, given that there's no ceremony of the Changing of the Royal Toothpaste Squeezer. The Palace site doesn't even try to answer that question. It merely tells where this pointless exercise has been carried out.
My copy of "The Invention of Tradition" is at the bottom of a large pile in my other house. But, from memory, this stuff goes back at least to the middle of Victoria's reign - before we had tourists. And certainly before anybody gave a flying four x about attracting them. Tourism is the reason given for not letting the soldiers do what they're trained for.
Scarlett:
The question was how did the ceremony evolve, given that there's no ceremony of the Changing of the Royal Toothpaste Squeezer. The Palace site doesn't even try to answer that question. It merely tells where this pointless exercise has been carried out.
Apr 26th, 2005, 11:25 AM
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Karl:
My last sentence to you should have read "Tourism is the reason given for not letting the soldiers do what they're trained for now. It's not why the ceremony came into existence in the first place"
My last sentence to you should have read "Tourism is the reason given for not letting the soldiers do what they're trained for now. It's not why the ceremony came into existence in the first place"
Apr 26th, 2005, 02:39 PM
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Wow - I never thought this would generate so much discussion. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into it, but I'm just wondering how all of the ceremony evolved. Certainly they didn't have bands and a 30 minute production hundreds of years ago between job shifts?!?
Why do they have bands that escort the guards to and from the palace and then play a mini-concert there? Who are the guys in kilts with the bagpipes and how are they different from the people in red in the band?
Again - maybe I'm just thinking about it too much
Why do they have bands that escort the guards to and from the palace and then play a mini-concert there? Who are the guys in kilts with the bagpipes and how are they different from the people in red in the band?
Again - maybe I'm just thinking about it too much
Apr 26th, 2005, 02:51 PM
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Apr 27th, 2005, 11:04 AM
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flanneruk,
Why is the Changing of the Guard a "pointless exercise?" Obviously, the point is that a lot of people love it witnessed by the throngs who attend the cermemony daily. You Brits (I assume you are a Brit) seem to love the pomp and ceremony. Just look at the past coronations where the streets are lined with thousands of spectators and (I don't mean this in a derogatory sense) the pomp of the royals weddings. This goes back to at least the Victorian era (I don't claim to be a history professor).
You ask "No-one seems anxious to tell us WHY it's come to take so many members of the world's most overstretched army (who really do have many, many better things to do and a serious personpower shortage) to change sentries.
Anyone got the foggiest?"
My answer still remains - Brings in a lot of tourists. I don't find fault with that. It may not be an answer to the original posters question but it does, in my opinion, answer yours. It helps your government pay the bills. Helps keep the influx of the tourist trade coming in. Keeps the shop owners in customers.
Just my humble ramblings.
Karl
Why is the Changing of the Guard a "pointless exercise?" Obviously, the point is that a lot of people love it witnessed by the throngs who attend the cermemony daily. You Brits (I assume you are a Brit) seem to love the pomp and ceremony. Just look at the past coronations where the streets are lined with thousands of spectators and (I don't mean this in a derogatory sense) the pomp of the royals weddings. This goes back to at least the Victorian era (I don't claim to be a history professor).
You ask "No-one seems anxious to tell us WHY it's come to take so many members of the world's most overstretched army (who really do have many, many better things to do and a serious personpower shortage) to change sentries.
Anyone got the foggiest?"
My answer still remains - Brings in a lot of tourists. I don't find fault with that. It may not be an answer to the original posters question but it does, in my opinion, answer yours. It helps your government pay the bills. Helps keep the influx of the tourist trade coming in. Keeps the shop owners in customers.
Just my humble ramblings.
Karl
Apr 27th, 2005, 12:22 PM
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>Certainly they didn't have bands and a 30 minute production hundreds of years ago between job shifts?!? <
The military goes in for pomp and ceremony.
There is a changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, USA.
They change the guard at the Citadelle in Quebec.
They change the guard at Prague Castle.
They change the guard at Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea
etc....
They have been doing this since Hector was a pup.
The military goes in for pomp and ceremony.
There is a changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, USA.
They change the guard at the Citadelle in Quebec.
They change the guard at Prague Castle.
They change the guard at Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea
etc....
They have been doing this since Hector was a pup.
Apr 27th, 2005, 01:11 PM
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I have posted this before, but since there continues to be a misunderstanding, I will post it again. So, here goes: --Marv
***************
Actually, there is a very common misconception amongst tourist. It is not “Changing of the Guard” but rather, “Changing of the Gourd.”
You see, way back about three billion years ago, when King Edward the Pre-Vert was gaily entertaining the citizenry, especially women and sheep, a plot developed to overthrow him. The citizens who were not being entertained where tired of being entertained upon, you see. As the plot thickened (I believe they added corn starch to do this…which was not yet known in England but that failed to stop them), the king became aware of the thickening plot, and called upon his court magician, the great great great great great grandfather of Merlin. His name was Sir Clinton. Sir Clinton was capable of casting great spells that would convince people of anything. Anything at all.
Sir Clinton convinced King Edward the Pre-Vert that he had a magic gourd, and upon receiving substantial sums of money and a high standing in the public opinion polls, Sir Clinton turned the magic gourd over to the king. The king was overthrown and was sentenced to watching re-runs of “Gilligan’s Island” for the rest of his natural days (and many natural nights, too). This was the ultimate of all tortures, and drove the king to insanity, even to the extent of thinking Jane Fonda was a great actress.
The citizens were overjoyed, and truly believed that it was the magic gourd that caused the overthrow of the dastardly king. The gourd was elevated to the stature of an authentic pseudo-god, and ever since then, has been put on display on the grounds of the palace.
Several times per day, amid Pomp and Circumstance, the gourd is changed for another gourd, to prevent the gourd from being over taxed with all the attention from the tourists who have come to admire it. Mr. Pomp and Mr. Circumstance were the original caretakers of the gourd, but they have long since, shall we say, expired? They are rather crusty now, but they are wheeled out with each Changing of the Gourd, just as they did so many years ago.
Now, a word of warning. Some tourists are not satisfied with just looking, they must touch, and they think it is neat to sneak onto the grounds and actually touch the gourd. DON’T DO IT! The gourd is protected round the clock with a bevy of specially trained attack squirrels. They are mean and vicious, and they are indeed partial to nuts.
***************
Actually, there is a very common misconception amongst tourist. It is not “Changing of the Guard” but rather, “Changing of the Gourd.”
You see, way back about three billion years ago, when King Edward the Pre-Vert was gaily entertaining the citizenry, especially women and sheep, a plot developed to overthrow him. The citizens who were not being entertained where tired of being entertained upon, you see. As the plot thickened (I believe they added corn starch to do this…which was not yet known in England but that failed to stop them), the king became aware of the thickening plot, and called upon his court magician, the great great great great great grandfather of Merlin. His name was Sir Clinton. Sir Clinton was capable of casting great spells that would convince people of anything. Anything at all.
Sir Clinton convinced King Edward the Pre-Vert that he had a magic gourd, and upon receiving substantial sums of money and a high standing in the public opinion polls, Sir Clinton turned the magic gourd over to the king. The king was overthrown and was sentenced to watching re-runs of “Gilligan’s Island” for the rest of his natural days (and many natural nights, too). This was the ultimate of all tortures, and drove the king to insanity, even to the extent of thinking Jane Fonda was a great actress.
The citizens were overjoyed, and truly believed that it was the magic gourd that caused the overthrow of the dastardly king. The gourd was elevated to the stature of an authentic pseudo-god, and ever since then, has been put on display on the grounds of the palace.
Several times per day, amid Pomp and Circumstance, the gourd is changed for another gourd, to prevent the gourd from being over taxed with all the attention from the tourists who have come to admire it. Mr. Pomp and Mr. Circumstance were the original caretakers of the gourd, but they have long since, shall we say, expired? They are rather crusty now, but they are wheeled out with each Changing of the Gourd, just as they did so many years ago.
Now, a word of warning. Some tourists are not satisfied with just looking, they must touch, and they think it is neat to sneak onto the grounds and actually touch the gourd. DON’T DO IT! The gourd is protected round the clock with a bevy of specially trained attack squirrels. They are mean and vicious, and they are indeed partial to nuts.
Apr 27th, 2005, 02:23 PM
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incidentally, what are the rules of engagement which ceremonial guards in london have while they are standing stiff outside a palace etc?
can they swat a mosquito? or scratch their back? or if a little kid eating a donut starts wiping his chocolately hands on the soldiers leggings can the soldier intervene?
just curious.
can they swat a mosquito? or scratch their back? or if a little kid eating a donut starts wiping his chocolately hands on the soldiers leggings can the soldier intervene?
just curious.
Apr 27th, 2005, 02:50 PM
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Ira - While I don't profess to be an expert in guard-changing ceremonies, I do remember the one at Arlington to be much simpler than the one at Buck Palace...still wondering why...
INFOTRAC - hilarious...
INFOTRAC - hilarious...
