Day of the Republic of India

Parade of troops takes place in the main squares of citiesThe holiday was introduced in 1950 and is celebrated annually on January 26. "Republic Day" is celebrated by the broadest segments of the population. A characteristic feature of this holiday is the organization of festive processions in Delhi, as well as in the capitals of all states.

In Delhi, it runs along the central Raj Path Avenue from the Presidential Palace to the Gateway of India. The procession is formed by colorfully decorated platforms representing the various states of the country to thousands of spectators gathering on both sides of the avenue. It also involves columns of schoolchildren, boy and girl scouts, folk dancers, orchestras.

This procession is preceded by the solemn ceremony of the arrival of the President and the Prime Minister of the country on Raj Path, as well as a military parade of the troops of the capital garrison, during which modern weapons are demonstrated, and squadrons of aircraft of the Indian Air Force sweep over Victory Square - Vijay Chowk.

“Republic Day” is a holiday to which various festivals of folk dances and music, theater performances are timed. In Delhi, on the days immediately following January 26, a two-day folk dance festival is held at the National Stadium, in which representatives of almost all states of India participate.

A curious afterword to the celebration of “Republic Day” in Delhi is the ceremony “Seal Out”, in which the guards of the presidential guard in picturesque uniforms of almost the time of the Napoleonic wars take part. It takes place on the second day after the celebration in Vijay Chowk Square in the presence of the heads of government and members of the diplomatic corps.

At sunset, combined army brass bands perform both bravura marches and lyrical works. The ceremony has its roots in the Middle Ages, when on the slope of the day the troops stopped combat operations and trumpeted the retreat. With the last rays of the sun, the music subsides, and the darkening sky lights up with fireworks.