"To the Colors" is a bugle call honoring the United States used when there is no band present, when the national anthem (The Star-Spangled Banner) cannot be played or when the national anthem has been played already but honor is to be rendered again.
The United States Armed Forces requires the same courtesies to "To the Colors" as to the national anthem. [1]
Note that the call To the Colors is named and employed differently between US Military Branches.
In the US Army, To the Colors is sounded at the moment the flag begins to be lowered in the evening, and is immediately preceded by "Retreat" which marks the end of the working day.
In the US Navy, "Morning Colors" (the same call as To The Colors) is sounded the moment the flag is raised in the morning. The previously mentioned Retreat is named "Evening Colors" by the US Navy, and is played by itself. See Manual for Buglers, U.S. Navy, [2] articles 35 and 75 pertaining to Morning and Evening Colors calls.
In the Boy Scouts of America, [3] To The Colors is recommended for both raising and lowering the flag (preceded by Retreat in the evening as per the US Army protocol). The Boy Scouts of America offer a Bugling Merit Badge, [4] requiring a Scout to properly sound a choice of ten of fifteen named bugle calls, of which To the Colors is one.
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton, referred to as the union and bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain, which they went on to secure by their victory in the American Revolutionary War.
A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army use formal salutes. Ordinary civilians also salute informally to greet or acknowledge the presence of another person, such as a tip of the hat or a hand wave to a friend or neighbor.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort after the battle.
The national flag of Norway is red with a navy blue Scandinavian cross bordered in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark.
The Marcha Real is the national anthem of Spain. It is one of only four national anthems in the world – along with those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, San Marino and Kosovo – that have no official lyrics. Although many different lyrics have been made for it in the past, it has never had official lyrics as a national anthem.
"Taps" is a bugle call sounded to signal "lights out" at the end of a military day, and during patriotic memorial ceremonies and military funerals conducted by the United States Armed Forces. The official military version is played by a single bugle or trumpet, although other versions of the tune may be played in other contexts. It is also performed often at Girl Guide, Girl Scout, and Boy Scout meetings and camps. The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfield's Lullaby", or by the first line of the lyric, "Day Is Done". The duration may vary to some extent.
The several branches of the United States Armed Forces are represented by flags. Within the U.S. military, various flags fly on various occasions, and on various ships, bases, camps, and military academies.
The national flag of Panama was made by María de la Ossa de Amador and was officially adopted by the "ley 48 de 1925". The Panamanian flag day is celebrated on November 4, one day after Panamanian separation from Colombia, and is one of a series of holidays celebrated in November known as the Fiestas Patrias.
A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.
"Reveille", called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from réveille, the French word for "wake up".
The "Last Post" is a British and Commonwealth bugle call used at military funerals, and at ceremonies commemorating those who have died in war.
Ruffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for honors music, ceremonial music for distinguished people.
Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating to 17th-century England and was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.
A bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used for clear communication in the noise and confusion of a battlefield. Naval bugle calls were also used to command the crew of many warships.
"First Call" is a bugle call with three distinct meanings.
The Mexican Armed Forces have a number of bugle and trumpet calls for the different branches. Drums and bugles are used to signal the various calls for most units of the Army, Navy and Air Force while the cavalry trumpet is used to signal calls for the cavalry units of the Army, Army artillery units and the Air Force. Many of the calls and signals listed below are also used by civilian drum and bugle bands.
The 16 September military parade in honour of the anniversary of Mexican Independence is an annual tradition dating back to the late 19th century and the beginning of the professionalisation of the Mexican Armed Forces in the 20th century. Held yearly in the Zócalo in Mexico City, this parade, the largest of the various parades held simultaneously nationwide on September 16, Mexican Independence Day, is presided by the President of Mexico in the fulfillment of his duty as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. It is also attended by members of the Cabinet of Mexico, the Congress of the Union, civil service employees, the Secretaries of National Defense and Navy, members of the Mexican Armed Forces, uniformed service veterans, the state diplomatic corps, delegations representing the religious sector, indigenous peoples, sports and the private sector, and the general public. Seen on TV and the Internet and heard on radio, this is one of the biggest events of the year. Taking part in this are members of the Mexican Armed Forces and the National Guard.
United States military music customs are the traditional, regulatory, and statutory provisions that guide performances by United States military bands during drill and ceremony and state occasions.
The Sunset Parade is a military parade performed by the United States Marine Corps at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is very loosely based on the Landing Party Manual and is executed on Tuesday evenings in the summer, involving approximately 200 personnel drawn from the garrison of Marine Barracks Washington.
The Ceremony of the Flags is a Canadian military music event usually held by unit of the Royal Canadian Navy. Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, had started it in 1965. The display originated from the Sunset Ceremony that was held after the introduction of the Canadian Flag on Parliament Hill in 1965. The ceremony is also derived from the historical Beating Retreat that originated in the United Kingdom and a military tattoo. The first ceremony was held in 1967 in honor of Canada's centennial year celebrations. On Feb 15 1967, local cadet units and the HMCS Carleton Band performed during the first ceremony on Parliament Hill. It was the first ever flag day. For the most part, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets perform the ceremony annually, with the most prominent one being held at CSTC HMCS Quadra. In years past, naval youth cadet organizations from Hong Kong, Australia, Sweden, South Korea, and the United Kingdom have been participants. The minimum requirement to perform the ceremony is 30 by 60 metres. This ceremony is performed once each year to honor the canadian flags.