Feu de joie - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A feu de joie is a rifle

Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...

salute, described as a "running fire of guns", on occasions of public rejoicing of nation and/or ruling dynasty. It can also mean a bonfire lit in a public place as a token of joy.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was used to mark a military victory or birthday. A feu de joie is not to be confused with the 21-gun salute

21-gun salute

Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...

(or 19-gun or 17-gun, etc.) which uses a battery

Artillery battery

In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

of artillery pieces, nor with the 3-volley salute

3-volley salute

The 3-volley salute is a ceremonial act performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. It consists of a rifle party firing blank cartridges into the air three times. The custom originates from the European dynastic wars, where the fighting ceased so...

performed at military funeral

Military funeral

A military funeral is a specially orchestrated funeral 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,...

Historical precedents

A spectacular feu de joie ran up and down double lines of infantrymen at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...

, on 6 May 1778 to celebrate America's alliance with France. It is re-enacted yearly.

Queen Victoria's proclamation as Empress of India in Delhi on 1 January 1877 was followed with a feu de joie described by Field Marshal Lord Roberts: "a salute of one hundred and one salvos of artillery was fired, with a feu-de-joie from the long line of troops. This was too much for the elephants. As the feu-de-joie approached nearer and nearer to them, they became more and more alarmed, and at last scampered off, dispersing the crowd in every direction."

A Captain Eben Williams witnessed a feu de joie during summer 1782 at West Point, to celebrate the birth of the Dauphin of France.

Delhi Durbar 1911

During the Delhi Coronation Durbar of King George V, a Feu de Joi followed the 101 Gun Salute during the State Entry ceremony on 07 Dec 1911.(Coronation Durbar 1911 Official Directory with Maps - Superintendent Government Printing India Calcutta 1911 )

Queen Elizabeth II 80th Birthday

As part of Elizabeth II's 80th birthday celebrations, a spectacular feu-de-joie occurred on the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...

on 17 June 2006 following the RAF flypast

Flypast

Flypast is a term used in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries to denote ceremonial or honorific flights by groups of aircraft and, rarely, by a single aircraft...

after Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...

. (Although there was a feu-de-joie outside the Commonwealth buildings in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, 1953 to mark her coronation, this is the first feu de joie during Her Majesty's reign to be performed in her presence.)

A cascade of rounds was fired by the Old Guard, the New Guard and six Half Companies of Street-Liners in the Forecourt of the Palace. The cascades of blank gunshots were interspersed with the National Anthem, God Save the Queen

God Save the Queen

"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...

. After the feu de joie the troops on the Forecourt laid down their weapons, removed their headgear and gave "Three Cheers for Her Majesty The Queen".

Canada

The Royal Military College of Canada

Royal Military College of Canada

The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...

also performs the Feu de Joie on the annual graduation parade where the graduates are commissioned. The Feu de Joie is performed with 500 C7 rifles on average.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.