Changing of the Guard

The Changing of the Guard is a short, formal military ceremony in which the guard, or official watch guarding an edifice or monument is changed at regular intervals.

Changing of the Guard ceremonies are popular with tourists and other observers because of the formal precision with which they are carried out, making them interesting to watch, and also because the thing being guarded is normally one of great significance, making the ceremony highly evocative as well.

The guards involved are highly trained units; the guarding of the particular place may be their only official duty.

The world's best known Changing of the Guard is probably that at Buckingham Palace, London. The Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. state of Virginia also attracts thousands of visitors per year.